Review: Logitech G27

There's no other way to play a top racing game with any vague sense of realism than with a wheel bolted securely to your desk and a set of pedals sat on the mess of wires under your feet.

The difference in satisfaction and visual realism is immediate; so much so that you'll never want to race without a wheel again. But how much will you pay for the privilege?

That's a question that Logitech is asking again with its new top-of-the-line racing wheel, the G27.

Sure, it's tricky to get the hang of hurtling around in-game with a steering wheel when you're used to the mouse/keyboard combo or the analogue sticks of your favourite gamepad, but when you manage to drift around a corner with just the right amount of throttle and opposite lock to make you look like a Finn you'll be grinning like a loon. Which will make you look even more like a Finnish rally driver…

DiRT 2 is the perfect example – I can't imagine playing the game on a gamepad having reviewed it using a wheel. But what do you really need in a decent racing controller?

Force feedback is the most essential thing and here Logitech and the G27 rule. With good force feedback you can actually feel the way the car is handling, enabling you to react much faster than if you had to rely on visual cues alone.

Need for speed

But do you need a proper six-speed gear shift to get the most out of your wheel? If you want the ultimate in race-driving realism then the answer is probably yes, but then you also need a racing seat and one of those frames you can build a PC and screen into to make you feel like you're in a proper simulator.

And if you want all that then it's going to cost you a couple of grand anyway, so you might as well get a £330 steering wheel…

This is definitely a wheel for the enthusiast; the casual racer isn't going to get enough out of this leather, plastic and metal monster to justify the outlay.

The problem here, though, is that the previous Logitech beastie, the G25, is available for about £160 if you shop around – half the price of this latest wheel.

So what do you miss out on with the older model? Strangely, all you seem to lose are six programmable buttons. That said, the G25 has a switch to change the gated gear shift to a simple sequential shift, which the G27 oddly lacks.

I'd hoped that the G27's finish would be better and the clamps more secure, but it's still disturbingly easy to wrench either the shift or the wheel from the desk on a tight turn, and the gear stick is as lightweight as ever.

The G25, then, is still a fantastic racing wheel and at £160 it's a bargain for such a serious simulator setup. By comparison, the G27 brings little to the table for its somewhat crazy price tag.

Review: Nintendo DSi XL

Nintendo DSi XL: Overview

Nintendo releases the new Nintendo DSi XL in the UK this month, featuring a notably bigger screen and a wider viewing angle than 2009's version of its popular handheld gaming console, the DSi.

The Japanese gaming giant's top brass – CEO Satoru Iwata and game design genius Shigeru Miyamoto – have made a lot of noise in Japan about how the new extra-large DS should appeal to older gamers in particular.

Especially those consumers that buy up the latest brain-training games and are more likely to spend money on ebooks and other types of non-gaming software for the device.

But all of that marketing strategy talk aside, the true Nintendo fan really only wants to know one thing: "Is this sufficiently better than the handheld I bought last year to enjoy Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Wario and all the other classic first party Nintendo games that gamers buy DSs for?"

COMPARE: A comparison of the DSi XL with the DSi

After all we, most probably like you, have spent a good wedge over the last five years on DS consoles, from that first 'phat' grey Nintendo DS that launched (to widespread confusion on the part of Nintendo fans at the time) at E3 way back in June 2004 through to last year's DSi.

The original model was followed by the DS Lite in 2006 with its glossy white casing, slimmer form factor and four levels of LCD screen brightness, and then came the aforementioned DSi, which launched early 2009 in the UK and was again even thinner, with a slightly larger screen (and saw the end of GBA cartridge-support in favour of an SD card slot, AAC playback capability, and two cameras).

MATT UNDERSIDE: The stickiness of the DSi XL's bottom is a bonus

Having spent the best part of a fortnight playing through Zelda: Spirit Tracks on the new machine there is no question that it is Nintendo's finest handheld gaming console to date. Although the question as to whether it is £160 better than your current DS Phat or DS Lite or DSi still remains…

Nintendo DSi XL: Features

Both of the new colours of the Nintendo DSi XL – wine red and dark brown – indicate that Nintendo is no longer slavishly following the lead of the Apple iPod with a its glossy white sheen, as they were widely accused of with the first DS Lite console.

Both are also fairly conservative, a deliberate design choice to attempt to appeal to older users that are unlikely to go for bilious green or hot pink.

Perhaps the coolest aspect of the new DSi XL is the fact that the console has a matt finish on the underside which means that you can pop it on a table or pretty much any other flat surface for those extended Zelda sessions.

DS-READER: The DSi XL easily doubles up as a decent enough ebook

The DSi XL also comes pre-loaded with A Little Bit of... Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: Arts Edition and Dictionary 6 in 1 with Camera Function, as well as the Nintendo DSi Browser, which means that you can get online via the console's Opera browser wherever you have a free Wi-Fi connection.

And while the web browsing experience on the DSi XL is hardly going to give the iPhone a run for its money, it is the best internet experience yet on a handheld games console. A country mile better than attempting to surf the web with Sony's PSP. Which certainly counts for something.

One of the other nice touches out of the box is the DSi XL's larger pen-like stylus - perfect for the larger-fingered gent and a clear indication that Nintendo is properly starting to design its consoles for use by (western) adults and seniors.

The most obvious benefit here is, of course, that larger 4.2-inch dual screen which, compared with the 3.25-inch screen of our old DSi, really makes gaming on the DSi XL a lot more fun.

We have completed the new Zelda on this latest Nintendo handheld and going back to playing the same game on a smaller screen on a DS Lite or DSi is just not an option.

It is difficult to quantify, but if you like to get lost in Nintendo's (read: Mr Miyamoto's) greatest games, we would certainly say this latest large-screened DS was well worth the £160 investment (or whatever that price would be minus the trade-in value of your older DS).

Playing other recent classics such as New Super Mario Bros on the DSi XL only served to convince us that this device is something considerably more than an 'annual refresh' of a popular handheld rolled out by Nintendo in order to sell a few more units.

It actually made the game better and more fun to play. As well as looking loads better it became easier to judge jumps and distance on the screen – a vital component to any Mario title.

DR KAWASHIMA RETURNS: Brain training game is bundled with the DSi XL

If pushed, we might suggest that the fact that the games are displayed in the same 256 x 192 resolution as they are on the DS Lite and DSi means that they appear slightly blockier on the DSi XL.

However, there is no way we would trade back to the smaller screen after playing on this. Though Nintendo fans will no doubt be hoping to see 2011's iteration of the DS feature a better resolution screen.

In addition to better visuals, the DSi XL has slightly better sound quality than its older brother, something that is sure to delight many public bus passengers in the coming years, as the kids whip out the new console on the back seat.

Nintendo DSi XL: Verdict

If you already have a DS Lite or a DSi and are an occasional gamer (or brain exerciser or virtual dog trainer) then you might not be persuaded to part with £160 for what is essentially the same machine with a slightly bigger screen with better sound and a larger stylus.

However, if you are the type of gamer that plays every new essential Nintendo DS release through from start to finish, you will immediately realise the need to upgrade to a DSi XL, because it just adds a lot to your gaming experience.

Sure, you might need slightly larger pockets to carry it around, but then the DSi XL's predecessors could hardly be described as pocket-sized.

We liked:

The bigger screen, the crisper sound and the 'phat' stylus all appealed to us. Though we are not sure if this is because we fall into the 'older gamer' category (eyesight and hearing and basic motor skills all declining) or because we just like seeing Link and Mario on a larger, better screen. The latter, we like to hope.

The DSi XL means less hand cramps for adult gamers. One issue with the DS Lite and the DSi was the fact that you had to have the slim hands of a pianist (or the small hands of a child) to really be able to play it for any length of time. No longer. The DSi XL now means that even fat-fingered rugby lads can still enjoy pretending to be a squat Italian plumber for hours on end.

A bigger screen and a better stylus allowed us to achieve a better overall control of games, particularly where the perception of distance is key to controlling your on-screen character, as in New Super Mario Bros.

We disliked:

It's still fiddly to get online via your home Wi-Fi. Nintendo really needs to make whole process of getting this thing online a lot easier. The strategy is to sell mini-games via the internet, but that is not going to work if people get bored with the hurdles of connecting to their home router.

The slightly larger form factor means it is less portable. This is hardly a deal-breaker, because the DSi will only fit in the largest of combat trouser pockets, but compared side to side with the Sony's new PSPgo, for example, the DSi XL seems huge.

That 'wine red' colour – even though we are in the demographic that Nintendo is aiming to market the DSi XL to (ie old) we would still prefer 'iPod white' or glossy piano black. Whoever decided to plump for 'wine red' instead made the wrong design choice.

Verdict:

The DSi XL is the best way to play Mario and Zelda and Metroid on the bus to work to date, which effectively makes it the best handheld console yet developed

Plus the bigger screen means that we would actually consider using the DSi XL as an electronic reader and, occasionally, as a portable web browser.

We don't even mind throwing it in our man-bag, because the build quality is solid. This thing will not break unless you stand on it or throw it at a wall in anger.

For adult gamers it is a must, because it feels a hundred times more comfortable than the previous versions of the DS, which were essentially designed for children

It just goes to show that smaller is not necessarily always better in the cut-throat world of consumer electronics and portable games consoles.

Review: New Xbox 360 250GB

Xbox 360 250GB: Overview

The new Xbox 360 250GB (also known as the Xbox 360 S) is the highly anticipated redesign of the five year old Microsoft console. What's more, it's out in UK stores now.

And what a transformation, eh?

If it wasn't for the prominent Xbox 360 insignia and that distinctive circular power button it would never guess that this is the younger brother of the round, matte white, Tomy-looking console that released almost five years ago.

It's certainly quite a change of image for Microsoft's HD console, but its arrival also finally turns over a new leaf for Microsoft's hardware and its woeful history of unreliability and clunky design. The earliest 360 adopters will know what we're talking about.

That's what makes this update more significant than most.

The Xbox 360 may be the most popular HD console on the market (and deservedly so given its incredible library of games) but its domination was certainly not down to its hardware design. On the contrary, early purchasers found themselves at the mercy of one of the most widely touted and controversial hardware faults in videogame history.

Launch-era console suffered a widespread fault that would see the hardware unexpectedly die – a fault that the hardware would make you aware of by making three of the four usually green lights surrounding the power button glow red. And so the feared and fabled Red Ring of Death was born.

Admittedly, that issue was mostly resolved in the original models thanks to a series of smaller internal changes over the years, and most significantly with the release of the overhauled Xbox 360 Elite SKU, but its reputation is more spit-and-polished than bleach clean.

Let the arrival of this new hardware wipe that slate completely clean. This is by far the best Xbox ever made and from its new quieter internals to its shiny, aggressive-looking outer case, Microsoft has certainly redeemed itself.

Xbox 360 250GB: Features

You'd think that the most significant change for the new widely touted 'Xbox 360 Slim' would be its size, but surprisingly, it's not.

At 270mm in height, it's sufficiently shorter than the 310mm tall old 360. But it's only a measly half-a-centimeter slimmer (and fatter than the PS3 Slim) and, would you believe, it's actually slightly deeper than the old 360, too.

Just to make it easier at a glance, here are its dimensions beside the older model, and the PS3 slim just for some extra comparison:

Console: Height/Width/Depth/weight

• Xbox 360 250GB: 270mm x 75mm x 264mm, 2.9kg
• Xbox 360 Elite: 310mm x 80mm x 260mm, 3.5kg
• PS3 Slim: 290mm × 65mm ×290mm, 3.5kg

As you can see, its profile is not much 'slim' but more 'light'. It's the lightest of the current-gen consoles by a fair amount, although it's worth noting right now that the PS3 Slim's extra heft also counts for the system's internal power supply, which disappointingly remains external (albeit smaller than the previous power brick) in the new Xbox.

Instead, the more significant changes are in the console's aesthetics and hardware configuration. First of all, that matte plastic has been swapped for a super sexy gloss black.

Where the old console's bubble-like roundness wouldn't look too out of place on the Tomy Toys page of your Argos catalogue, the new console dons sharp edges and harsh lines that almost resemble a stealth fighter (fittingly so given its new quieter operating volume, but more on that later).

And then there's that grill on the side – a surprisingly large and aggressive opening that's more like something you'd expect from a third-party case mod than the usually reserved standard skin. Consoles usually hide away their tightly-packed insides but the new Xbox flaunts it, giving you a good look at the system's case fan.

Touch-buttons

The power and disc eject buttons are no longer the clunky things they were before. In fact you don't press them at all – they're capacitive touch buttons that respond to no more than a gentle prod.

The console makes a funky beep sound to acknowledge your touch, but it's thankfully a more calming chime and not that horrible microwave-style bleep of the PS3.

The console's cleaner appearance is also partly thanks to the omission of the proprietary memory stick ports – MS updated the 360 recently to accept any USB stick as usable memory; a move which pretty much rendered the notoriously more expensive native memory cards redundant anyway.

The two front-loading USB ports remain, tucked neatly way behind a little flap which sits in line with the new bigger and more responsive controller sync button.

The console actually now has five USB ports total instead of the previous three, but those additional ones have been tucked away on the back of the console.

The new disc drive is considerably smoother and quieter than before. Now, we know some of you will, right off the bat, question MS' decision to stick with a disc tray rather than the admittedly sleeker slot-loading drive like on PS3 and Wii. Honestly speaking we would have preferred a slot loader too.

Anyhow, the new drive has none of that Aiwa tape deck-like clunkyness to it. We always wondered what part of the old Xbox could possibly make such a loud 'ker-chunk' sound as the drive closed – that teeth-gritting sound is no longer present here.

We tried moving the console while a disc was spinning inside – something that resulted in a severely scratched disc in the old console. The result? We're certain the result was even worse!

Clearly Microsoft has been unable to find a solution the intense centrifugal forces that bend the disc and make it touch harmful nearby surfaces in the drive. The console does in fact have a sticker on the front which warns against moving it while a disc is spinning. Does this make up for the flaw in our eyes? Not a chance.

On the backside

Flip the console round and you're greeted by a few new ports, too. As we said before, there are three USB ports back here instead of one. You'll now be able to plug a digital optical audio lead directly into the console for your 5.1 surround kits, instead of having to go through external ports on the AV lead.

Click to enlarge

Most interesting though is the 'Aux' port, which is basically where Kinect, Microsoft's new motion-sensing gadget releasing in November, will be plugged in. This port will both operate and power the device. Users of the old console will plug Kinect in via a USB adapter and draw power from a wall socket.

Video is delivered to your TV either via standard HDMI or the proprietary Xbox AV port, which is the same size as before so all your old AV cables will work, which is handy for anyone upgrading from the old console because, ridiculously, the new Xbox comes with no HD video leads whatsoever.

All you get in the box is the standard composite lead, which only does SD – and poorly at that. Everyone else will otherwise have to add the cost of an HDMI lead to their bill before they can see the crisp HD resolutions this machine is capable of.

There's an Ethernet network port back here too, although we'd like to think anyone grabbing the new console will make use of the now built-in Wi-Fi capability.

Finally, Microsoft is no longer bending you over a table with its £70 proprietary Wi-Fi adapter necessary before. Just turn it on and you're wireless right out of the box.

Xbox 360 250GB: Noise and storage

Compare the noise of the new Xbox 360 to the Elite and the PS3 Slim:

YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5QpoKwVcSk

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Sound recordings were made six inches from the front of each of the three consoles. Results should only be used by way of comparison.

White noise

Perhaps the biggest improvement over the older console is actually an intangible one – the system's operating sound. The quieter disc drive is coupled with a single larger internal cooling fan instead of three smaller ones as before, resulting in a stealthier console.

This is made possible by using a slimmer, more power efficient 45nm CPU with integrated GPU. With less power being generated by the processing chip, the console is able to run cooler, with a quieter fan. The difference is night and day.

When there's no disc in the tray the console is totally inaudible. Fire up a game and the drive's rapid read speed still inevitably makes sound, but it's more of a gliding 'whoosh' than the whirring sound of the motor.

Take a look at the video clip above to get some idea of how the noise of the new Xbox 360 compares against the original model and also the PS3 Slim.

Storage

Instead of the fat top-loading hard drive of the old console, Microsoft has now hidden a more compact hard drive case in a slot accessed on the underside of the console (underside when stood vertically, that is).

To extract it you must remove the hatch covering and pull on a flimsy tag on the top of the drive, which does not seem like a good idea to us at all. If there's one thing on this new Xbox we can see breaking, it's this tag.

New controller

As with the other Xbox 360 consoles, the new 250GB model comes with one wireless controller. Aesthetically, it's slightly different to the one that shipped with the 360 Elite.

The grey trim is replaced with glossy black, while the round silver Xbox button is now glossy silver rather than matte and the thumbsticks are black instead of grey.

Xbox 360 250GB: Interface and performance

Now, for anyone who's upgrading or owned an Xbox before, you'll be completely at home with the interface of the new console because, quite simply, nothing's changed.

It's identical, the only minor difference here being the prompt to configure your internal wireless adaptor the first time you start up the console.

But if you're new to experience, we'll give you an overview of the console's dashboard menu and capabilities so you know what you're getting into.

The Xbox 360, as you are no doubt aware, is not just a games machine but a hub for digital content and entertainment, as everything seems to be nowadays.

It plays DVD movies (but not Blu-ray, we stress), movie files, music and displays photos. This is all arranged in a relatively sophisticated menu system that, to be honest, we sometimes find a little on the confusing side.

PS3 arranges its content in a stylish cross menu system (the Cross Media Bar, or XMB) with easily identifiable categories like Games, Music, Video, TV, Network, Settings and so on.

Microsoft instead chose to be a bit more unorthodox, categorising content into divisions not quite as obvious like, 'My Xbox', 'Welcome' and 'Inside Xbox', in addition to Video and Games Marketplace sections on the vertical options list – and each of those with sub-divisions that scroll horizontally.

You get used to it, but its just one of those times when being artsy and unique came at the expense of convenience and clarity. Not much of a surprise really, given that the original Xbox 360 came out the same year as the first Windows Vista beta.

Aside from the lack of a Blu-ray player, Xbox also currently doesn't support stereoscopic 3D, unlike the PS3 which was recently updated to support the flashy new tech along with a selection of games (and plenty more to come) that support it. Although it's worth noting that MS says Xbox is capable of 3D, and that support for it will come when it feels the time is right. Which isn't now, evidently.

Switching focus to the controller, everyone has their preferences and the PlayStation's DualShock controller is widely considered to be the most universally usable controller ever made – it works suitably with all games.

MS' controller has its positives and its issues: the analogue sticks are tighter and more accurate that the PS3's, perfect for first-person shooters, and the two sliding triggers on the back are more comfortable for racing games.

The one glaring issue though is the unfathomable inaccuracy of the d-pad, which is prone to mistakenly going in directions you don't intend. The controller that comes with the new Xbox is no different, we're afraid.

Anyone who's tried typing messages with it on the software keyboard will know what we mean. It's disastrous for fighting (Street Fighter!) fans who need a fast and effortlessly accurate d-pad to pull of complex moves. For those games, you'll need to buy an arcade stick.

Xbox 360 250GB: Xbox Live

For all the Xbox's shortfalls against PS3 in the hardware stakes, the console's ace card – and the only redeeming factor necessary for most - is Xbox Live, Microsoft's online service that pretty much pioneered online gaming on home consoles. And for good reason.

Despite Sony's equivalent PlayStation Network having almost much caught up feature-wise over the years, Xbox Live is still considered to be the most feature-packed and complete online package out of the big three consoles.

Compiling a friends list that's stored on the console makes keeping tabs on your gaming buddies easy.

Extensive and intuitive communication features such as the ability to send voice or text messages, private chat or set up chat parties to keep voice comms going no matter what game your friends are playing is what sets this service apart from PSN.

Sending an invite for a friend to join your game takes seconds and responding to an invite is even easier. For anyone who enjoys online gaming or intends to get into it, Xbox is the console of choice.

The cost

It's the premium online experience – but one you're forced to pay for to enjoy properly. Where PSN on PS3 is free to all users, Xbox's Live access is split into two categories: Silver lets you browse and download games and other content such as movies from the Marketplace, but to play online with friends and join chat parties you'll need a Gold account, which costs around £40 a year.

That's not a bank-snapping sum, but if you're someone who tries to avoid subscription services (some hate paying more than others), it's worth considering your options. As we said, PS3's free online gaming is almost on par nowadays.

Xbox Live isn't just about gaming though. Getting online gives you access to both disc games and Xbox Live Arcade games – typically smaller games that can't be found in the shops. You can also buy and rent movies and TV shows, stream game trailers and download playable demos to get a completely free taster of a game before you dish out your hard earned.

All of this pretty much lines up with services available on PS3 (with differing services and providers here and there), but is generally light years ahead of what's offered on Wii. If this is your first HD console, you're in for a multimedia treat.

Xbox 360 250GB: Verdict

We put our hands together for Microsoft on this one. It's not quite the super-slim machine you might expect, but the new Xbox improves over the previous one in just about every way.

We liked:

Every aspect of the new Xbox is a slicker, more refined console over the older model. The slick black case is shiny and stylish yet not in a tacky way. The touch buttons add that extra sheen to a previously clunky console, as does the smoother disc tray.

The new reduced decibel output of the quieter console is a godsend for everyone who never, even after five years, got used to how annoyingly loud the original 360s are. You can actually watch a movie on it now without the console constantly reminding you of its presence.

It's a treat to be able to enjoy wireless gaming on 360 now too without having to pay an extortionate price for a wireless adaptor that costs three times what it should – a price that stopped many gamers from ever going wireless with the machine.

We disliked:

Microsoft has done a great job on the new console, but it's not quite a dream console yet. It's disappointing that MS couldn't manage to engineer the power supply into the console and we still have to tuck that brick behind our TVs. It's smaller, but we wished it wasn't there at all.

The choice to stick with a standard disc tray was also a slight disappointment – we really like the cutting-edge feel of a smooth slot loader and it would have looked nice on the front of this machine. And the console still chews up discs if you move it while the disc is spinning. Shame.

You'll also want to handle the new console with gloves because that glossy black sheen is prone to fingerprints that stand out so much your new Xbox will look like you found it in a dustbin if you don't minimise handling – like the black Wii.

And we really wish someone at MS would just fix that damn d-pad. Have a word, guys, seriously.

Verdict:

New adopters get a great console for a great price at £189.99, and while we wouldn't tell current 360 owners to rush out and upgrade (especially if you've already invested in larger hard drives and wireless peripherals for the old console), it's definitely something to consider when you have few spare notes lying around.

If there's one thing the PS3 has always had over Xbox it's the build quality of its hardware. PS3 is slick, solid, silent and reliable. Xbox 360 was the opposite of all those. In many ways, Microsoft has basically played catch-up with this new hardware.

That's most significant in the addition of internal wireless support – something the PS3's had since launch - but also evident in the new slick black casing, the touch-sense buttons (as on the fatter PS3), the internally hidden hard drive, the USB ports and the more silent running volume. It's all PS3-esque.

We still think, purely in hardware terms, the PS3 remains superior. It's still quieter, it plays Blu-ray and the XMB menus are clearer and faster than Xbox's dashboard. But make no mistake; this is the best Xbox yet.

Review: PlayStation Move

Sony PlayStation Move: Overview

It's surprising to think that the Wii has been on sale for nearly four years, and we're only now seeing true competition from Nintendo's rivals. Of course, considering the half-hearted motion controls of the Sixaxis, it's probably wise for Sony to have been cooking PlayStation Move slowly since its introduction 15 months ago.

The PlayStation's motion controller sticks much closer to the Wii's mould than Microsoft's Kinect, with E3's Move tagline being "This changes everything". Hyperbole aside, Sony is aiming to take the technological high road, as it does with all things PS3, and beat the Wii on precision and movement accuracy.

The technology used is actually pretty similar to Nintendo's, but on steroids. The Wii's sensor bar sits by the TV and gives out infrared lights that a camera in the remote picks up in order for the pointer to function.

Move flips this around, with a camera next to the TV picking up the glowing ball on the end of the controller. The PS3 can then measure distance from the controller using the size of the ball as a reference.

The Move controller also has all the movement sensing bells and whistles of the Wii remote and MotionPlus attachment, demonstrating that Sony's thinking was obviously that they weren't attempting to reinvent the wheel so much as make it a little rounder.

Move controllers are available alone for £35, or with the PlayStation Eye camera for £50. The Navigation controller (the equivalent to the Wii's nunchuck) is £25, though we haven't included it in our testing it here.

Sony PlayStation Move: Design

The most noticeable thing about Move's primary controller is the glowing ball on top, unsurprisingly. When the controller is off, the orb is white and softly translucent, and looks remarkably like a ping-pong ball (it's about the same size as one, too).

When the controller's in full use, the ball lights up in a range of colours, so it can be tracked by the PlayStation Eye camera. While the ball might seem to be a weak point should the controller ever make contact with your wall/lamp/friend's skull, it's actually squishy, and just pops back into shape after an impact.

The rest of the controller has a more organic look than the Wii remote. It's round, and becomes slightly thinner in the middle, presumably to be more ergonomic.

On the front, you have the four familiar PlayStation face buttons, though the fact that they're arranged in a square, rather than a diamond, makes it a little hard to remember which one is where for a while.

Between those is the Move button, a thumb-sized new addition, clearly meant as Move's version of the Wii remote's big A button.

Beneath those is the PS button, which serves the same function is it does on the DualShock 3 or SixAxis controller of bringing up the XMB. It sits in a concave, which avoids accidental presses neatly.

The underside of the controller is mostly clear, but features a trigger, known as the T button. This is analogue – like R2/L2 on the DualShock 3 or the left and right triggers on the Xbox 360 controller – in contrast to the crisp, clicking B button on the Wii.

The left-hand side features the Select button, which is quite hard to hit, but is rarely needed.

On the right side, you find the Start button, which can be pressed accidentally depending on you hold the controller, though it only happened once or twice.

At the base of the move is a micro-USB port for charging, a slot for the provided wrist straps, and two mystery connectors that could be used for accessories in the future.

At first, the Move controller feels a little more comfortable than the Wii remote. It's not that Nintendo's controller was uncomfortable, but the roundness of Move goes some way toward helping it sit neatly in the hand.

That said, we found that we started to feel the effects of prolonged use faster with Move, and we think it's to do with the shape. The tapered middle means you're often gripping harder than you would have to with the Wii's controller, especially when playing something with hard swings, like Table Tennis on Sports Champions. Discomfort in the wrist crept in earlier than it did during an equivalent session of Wii Sports Resort.

Let's be clear, though: We're not saying Move is painful, uncomfortable, bad for you, or anything like that (assuming you have no joint problems to begin with). After all, we were playing for quite long periods during our review time, though not unusually long for a committed gamer.

We're not even saying it's definitely less comfortable than the Wii remote – as we said, it's actually a bit nicer just to hold – but we do think that the shape isn't ideal for long periods of the more wrist-bending games.

There are a few other things about the Move's design that seem a little odd to us. Why add a new button with the Move logo (which is, let's remember, just a squiggly line, and so doesn't jump out at you on-screen), when Sony could have just used X or Circle?

Of course, the most contentious design decision will always be that orb. We don't deny that accuracy that it brings (more on that later), but it really does look silly. We're not going to make the laboured sex-toy joke, because all of your friends who see it will. Seriously, it's not just a meme – it's the first thing that people who've never even heard of Move say.

The light is also quite distracting. If you're trying to do something else in the room while someone's playing a game with two controllers, your eye is constantly drawn. The Wii remote was designed to be inconspicuous – the shape fits in with your TV remotes, and it almost disappears into your hand when you hold it – but this can be borderline gaudy.

That said, motion-controlled gaming always has and always will make you look a bit weird. It's not like the wild flailing was dignified before the glowing ball was added, so maybe we should just be happy with the extra accuracy and possibilities it offers.

Sony PlayStation Move: Performance

In the games Sony provided us to test with, we were able to get a feel for much of what's possible with Move, but we also became aware that these tests are somewhat limited by the way the games are programmed.

This has always been one of the Wii's biggest caveats, and the worry is always that games will use motion sensing in a way that really should have just been achieved with buttons.

With that in mind, we can safely say that we came away hugely impressed with what Move can do, but it still needs a careful, measured implementation.

The controller's ball certainly seems to offer an accuracy of pointer movement that goes beyond what the Wii remote is capable of. The idea that it could be as accurate as a mouse is probably a bit ambitious, but it's good enough that we could see it giving real-time strategy games, and a few other genres that do better on PCs, a new lease of life on consoles.

When you navigate the XMB with the Move controller, you point it at the screen, hold trigger, and then point it up, down, left or right to move in that direction in the menu.

Interestingly, the ball stays dark during this time, so it seems to be using only the motion sensing capabilities, but it's so fluid and accurate that you wouldn't know the difference.

When the ball is being used as a pointer, we found that it often only operated in a very narrow field compared to the Wii, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it makes navigating some menus a little more fiddly than we're used to. On the other hand, it works perfectly at much further distances than the Wii remote is capable of.

There are several games where the orb needs to be visible to the camera, even when you'd think the control would be all motion-sensing based.

With the Wii, you could walk into another room and bowl if you wanted, but that's rarely the case here. In fact, leaving the camera's field of view with the active controller seems to stop all functions from working – including the buttons.

While one of the criticisms of Kinect that's going around is the space needed to use it, this is actually also an occasional problem for Move. Sports Champions demands that you stand eight feet (2.5 meters) away from your TV, and then it still expects you to be able to step backwards, and swing your arms all around.

For some people, this won't be a problem, but in our case it meant shifting a sofa back a couple of feet every time we wanted to play (not to mention getting rid of the coffee table). Yes, we always needed to make some space when playing on the Wii, but nowhere near as much as this.

Of course, we're just talking about living rooms here. These space restrictions will just about rule out Sports Champions for bedrooms.

Why is this an issue for Move when it isn't for the Wii (some of the most energetic Wii games be played sitting on your sofa or standing up without too much of a penalty)? It's the restriction of the ball and camera system. You need to be able to swing your arm well out occasionally, and still be on camera.

This restriction follows through into some of the multiplayer games. We only tried with two people, which was fine once we'd made enough space, but if you were playing four-player Volleyball, where everyone has to be on camera at once, it would be absolute carnage.

Annoyingly, Sport Champions wasn't the only game that caused us a distance problem. Our sofa was too close to the TV for us to be able to play that game, but when we popped in Start the Party!, we were too far back!

Start the Party! uses the camera and Move controller for augmented reality (AR) WarioWare-esque party games, so each active player needs to be quite close to the camera to be the right size on-screen. This distance inconsistency is another sacrifice for the accuracy on offer, but it's simply a problem that the Wii doesn't have.

The AR in Start the Party! is very impressive though (and it actually makes an occasional appearance in Sports Champions too). Giant foam hands stick like glue to the end of your controller, wobbling convincingly with the momentum of your swings. Tennis rackets twist in your hand, meaning that you have to careful to hit with the strings, and not the rim.

Win one round in particular and the controller becomes a pencil, enabling you to deface your opponent's image – all with incredible accuracy, though the fact that you're seeing yourself from the other way makes it a little confusing when you're rotating things, or moving them to and from the camera.

Naturally, there's a horror story too. Kung Fu Rider – a kind of Tony Hawk's meets Pain, with a Crazy Taxi heart – is a classic early-Wii case of unnecessary waggle. Thrust the controller up to jump, but to accelerate you have to shake it up and down, resulting in numerous accidental jumps. And yet, when you actually want to jump, it's frequently unresponsive.

It's a perfect example that the Move technology can only be as good as the software harnessing it.

Sony PlayStation Move: Head-to-head

With Sports Champions sitting happily alongside Wii Sports Resort on our shelf, the obvious test for Move was to put it up against Nintendo's offering. There are several like-for-like games here, so how do they compare?

Table Tennis

A tricky one. The Wii version offered a huge amount of control over the spin on your ball, but you still had control over your Mii's movement, and the accuracy of your swing didn't matter as long as the timing was right.

Move couldn't be more different. By stepping left, right, forwards and backwards, your character will do the same, enabling you to get in close for smashes, or to get back for a powerful top spin return.

You also need to think about the height of the ball, because it's quite possible to just swing at air underneath it.

Serving on Sports Champions is a nightmare, though. Not a single one of the people we got to play could get the hang of it.

Of course, adding elaborate physics to a sports game just means it can go wrong. Attempts to put slice on the ball can result in it pinging off at ridiculous angles for no discernible reason, probably in part due to the precision the game demands from you and Move. Precision that is there, but is hard to master.

Wii Sports Resort is the arcade version, wanting you to put crazy spin on the ball, but this Sports Champions is all simulation. If you want to put tonnes of side spin on, you'd better get some damn practice in.

Winner: Sports Champions

Disc Golf

Though there's no proper golf on Sports Champtions, which is a bit of a shame (though perhaps not unexpected, with Tiger Woods 11 already out), we do have a good ol' Frisbee to toss about.

There's barely anything between these two, in terms of the control system. Sports Champions seems to be a tad more forgiving in that it's slightly easier to throw the disc straight in front of you, but both games have totally convincing curves and wind effects in flight.

Winner: Draw

Bowling/Bocce

Okay, so this isn't exactly like for like in terms of the games, but the control scheme is the same for the pair, so it's a good comparison.

In Sports Champions, how much momentum you get on the Bocce balls from a throw can occasionally be a bit inconsistent. Throw the pallino hard and low on the S-shaped course and it occasionally only travels about 10 metres, while other times it rockets round the course, though you're sure you threw it pretty much the same.

It's also hard to really get the hang of left and right spin on the Move game, especially compared to Wii Sports Resort's bowling. We've always found that the Wii bowling game produces exactly the same slight left spin that we have in real life, and that adding a different spin is a just a matter of subtle wrist action.

Winner: Wii Sports Resort

Archery

To keep this fair, we compared the Wii remote-and-Nunchuck Archery game to using two motion controllers at once on Sports Champions.

The Wii version was always one of the most impressive MotionPlus demos, with every twitch and sag of the your arm translated to the screen. At first, Move really disappointed us. Control was laggy and accuracy was very tough.

However, it was then pointed out to us that, while we had made some effort to adopt a correct archery pose, we weren't doing it properly. So we turned fully 90 degrees from the TV, outstretched our arm all the way and tried again.

Suddenly, movement was perfect. Going from target to target is smooth (though you get more of an aiming aid from Sports Champions than from Resort), and using the second controller to bring arrows into the bow yourself gives you a great Robin Hood feeling.

The only thing we missed from the Wii version is a way to readjust where the centre of your aiming is (for example, you can aim slightly below the TV as your centre, so you're arm doesn't get in the way). This would be even more welcome on Move, due to the distraction of the glowing orb.

Yes, it's less realistic, but real archers don't have lights on their bows. However, this doesn't take away from the accuracy of the controls.

Winner: Draw

Swordplay/Gladiator Duel

The addition of shields in Gladiator Duel makes Sports Champions offering a little more elaborate than Resort's, but it's still swords.

Alas, the Swordplay game on the Wii was always a bit of a disappointment, because the actual hits tended to be restricted to vertical vs horizontal swipes and blocks. Despite the appearance of attacks at different angles, it pretty much boils down to those gestures, wasting the accuracy of MotionPlus.

Gladiator Duel makes good on these promises, especially with two controllers (for the sword and shield respectively). Attacks do more damage if you hit harder, but there's still the classic situation where a casual swing suddenly deals a huge amount of damage and you're not sure why.

To be honest, the swing strength detection is kind of inconsequential because everyone always swings hard anyway. The trick here is in careful use of your shield and timing and angle of attacks. In this, it's hugely impressive, and Move's accuracy enables truly tactical bouts.

Winner: Sports Champions

Sony PlayStation Move: Verdict

The biggest takeaway from our time with Move is its incredible accuracy. Augmented reality instruments move perfectly with the controller, Frisbees fly with the gentle curve you give them and you can select things with superb precision.

As we said, the controller is comfortable, but not for really long sessions of hard-swinging games. The glowing ball is undoubtedly ridiculous, but is the price you pay for accuracy. You'll get used to having it there, even if anyone who sees it for the first time will raise an eyebrow.

Move has advantages and disadvantages over the Wii remote. The orb enables a higher level of accuracy than the Wii can manage even with MotionPlus in some cases, but also seems to occasionally restrict Sony's controller.

Being able to operate only within strict confines of the camera is fine for one or two people, but when there are more of you, it's handy not to have to worry about such things. We suspect future game programmers can avoid an over-reliance on the camera (and the plethora of motion sensors should be able to compensate for this).

Similarly, while the accurate detection of depth that Move has is fantastic for some games, the inconsistency of sitting four feet away for Start the Party! and standing eight feet away for Sports Champions is irritating.

In fact, our single biggest concern is the space required to really go at the games. It won't be an issue for games like MAG and SOCOM, but it could be the difference between whether this or a Wii is more appropriate for your space.

Somewhere, in the gap between the Wii remote with MotionPlus and Move, is an ideal motion controller. But what we have is mightily impressive, even with its flaws. It's not a revolution of motion control, but a refocus from being unassuming and family-friendly to being all about precision and adding options.

However, it's not cheap. The starter pack containing one Move controller and the PlayStation Eye camera is £49.99. We think Sony would have been wise to include a game with that – Wii Play made buying a second controller far more palatable for millions of Wii owners.

At £35 each, the controllers alone aren't that expensive, but they're all /extra/ cost on top of what you've got already.

As a piece of technology, we heartily recommend Move to PlayStation 3 owners. The motion gaming bandwagon is growing and growing, and isn't going to disappear any time soon. Move won't be for everyone, if only because of its steep price as an optional extra, but those that do invest will find an excellent piece of gaming technology.

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