As we conclude our week of Playstation Move coverage, we bring you one last piece. What actually makes the Playstation Move…move? The guys at iFixit took the Move apart and found some rather interesting things. Like many of today’s smartphones, the Move includes a processor, accelerometer, gyroscope, Bluetooth transmitter, vibrating motor, and even a MEMS compass. Another piece that really stands out is the LED light that sits inside the sphere end of the Move, which allows the controller to turn any color of the spectrum, thus letting developers get as creative as they wish with the colors. This is not just a visual feedback for the sake of things, but something that plays into games. For example, during games like Socom 4 and Killzone 3, if your health starts to deplete, your Move controller will begin to flash red and in the upcoming Move game, Sorcery, when you open your green potion, your Move will also turn green. Jump to minute 1:45 to see this awesome interaction or just watch the whole demo.
Hit the jump for some highlights from the iFixit tear down or feel free to follow to jump over and read the article in its entirety.
* The Wii and PlayStation use different methods of locating their controllers. The Wii Remote has an infrared (IR) sensor built into the controller, and uses triangulation from the IR emitters on the sensor bar placed near the TV to locate itself. PlayStation Move, unlike the Wii, can locate the motion controller in 3D space. The PlayStation Eye camera visually recognizes the X/Y position as well as the relative size of the glowing sphere on the motion controller to pinpoint the controller’s location.
* The Move contains many of components found in today’s smartphones: a processor, accelerometer, gyroscope, Bluetooth transmitter, vibrating motor, and even a MEMS compass. It’s an amazing amount of tech for the money, even though we still think it’s steep to pay $50 for a controller. Compared to a $40 WiiMote, though, it’s quite the bang for the buck.
* The sphere at the top of the Move lights up via LEDs inside the controller. The LEDs are capable of putting out any color, which makes it easy to differentiate between players. They can also change colors mid-game, creating another source of user feedback. The color of the orb also changes in response to its environment, ensuring optimal visibility and detection by the PlayStation Eye.
* The internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery lists a minimum capacity of 1320 mAh at 3.7 Volts. The battery gets brownie points for being able to be disconnected from the Move without any soldering. Just unplug the connector and plug the new one in.
* The vibrator motor lifts off, however it still remains connected to the motherboard. It’s definitely smaller than the two vibrating motors stuffed into a Sony DualShock 3 Controller.
* The Move motherboard loses points on repairability due to the vibrator motor, LED, charge contacts, and EXT cables being soldered down.
* We were not able to identify the gyroscope manufacturer from a surface examination, but we suspect that it is the white-labeled part #Y5250H.
* As LEDs get warmer, their brightness decreases. Having a heat sink in the LED assembly not only keeps the LEDs at the optimal operating temperature, but also increases the longevity of the diodes. The clear plastic lens on the far left helps diffuse the light from the LEDs to light up the orb uniformly.
[Via iFixit]