Review of Playstation Move Navigation Controller

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One of the questions most people will have is: is the Move Navigation Control required to play the Move? The quick answer is--not right now. I'll put it another way: I ordered one with my Playstation Move Starter Bundle. After playing 5 different Move games and demos, it's still unopened in the package. My guess is it'll stay that way for a while.

The Move Navigation controller is really just a Dualshock controller that's designed to fit in one hand more comfortable. As with the Dualshock, it has a joystick, four directional buttons, and the most commonly used "X" and "O" Playstation buttons all within easy reach of your thumb.

Sony designed the Move controller (wisely IMO) not to have a joystick nor directional buttons. That makes it simpler and more elegant, but it also makes certain things (such as scrolling through a menu list of options) awkward to do with the Move controller alone (although not impossible--you can navigate through menus using the Move controller alone by pressing and holding the Trigger button and moving the controller up, down, left, and right).

But so far I've found so far that just holding the Dualshock in my left hand and controlling the buttons and joystick with my left thumb is sufficient, if a little clunky, for most of what I need to do (unless you have freakishly long thumbs the "X" button will be hard to reach--but happily, pressing the "Move" button on the Move controller will do what you need in most cases).

I'd assumed that like the Wii Nunchuk the Navigation Controller would have motion control built-in so you can control the on-screen action with both hands. It doesn't. For games that require motion control using two hands, you'll need to buy a second Move Controller. Most games that support two-handed operation will also provide the option to play one-handed, but I strongly recommend getting the second Move Controller, as it makes the experience truly immersive. Gladiator Duel on Sports Champions is a great example.

As new games are created for the Move I'm sure the Navigation Controller will become more useful, especially with FPS-type games where you need to move and shoot at the same time. But if you're looking to save a little money, I'd recommend holding off on the Navigation controller for now and spending the money on a second Move controller instead until you find a game that really needs it.

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This was originally titled the "sub-controller" and that was much more fitting. Sony is somehow getting away with charging $30 for half a dual-shock. Only, it's not really half a dual-shock as it features NO RUMBLE. So, you're getting half a six-axis, right? NO. There is NO motion control feature included for your $30. This, to me, is the most disgusting thing about the Move setup, especially considering you REALLY DO need the navigational controller for games like RE5 and Heavy Rain (you can play with half a dual-shock, but it gets to be very uncomfortable very fast).

I can almost guarantee Sony will add rumble to the navigational controller within the next 6 months (probably prior to the release of Killzone 3). So, if you're not a hardcore gamer, I'd wait. If you ARE and you REALLY want to use motion control on RE5 and Heavy Rain, I would recommend this, albeit reluctantly at this price.

Is there anything wrong with the controller? Not really. It's well designed and mostly comfortable. The bumper button is too close to the thumbstick, which can lead to numb fingers and a sore wrist, but if you don't have large hands, this may not be a problem. Sony just needed to add either motion or rumble or both to justify this price. Nintendo charges $19.99 for their sub-controller (IE "nunchuck") and it has motion control.

The navigational controller would be priced right at $19.99 with rumble. Or at $9.99 as it currently is. Better yet, Sony could have included it in the starter pack and made everyone happy.

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The Navigation Controller is Motion Controller's (aka 'the Move') natural complement. It is not a 'must buy' at this time but it helps to have one for certain games where it's meant to be operated with 'the other' hand. If you don't have one, you can get away with a DualShock or a Sixaxis.

To make an informed decision on whether a purchase is warranted at this time (or ever) it's important to be aware of the following:

At the time I am writing this, not too many 'Move' games need the Nav. Probably because, one week after Move's official launch there aren't too many Move games out there but that will change I just ordered Heavy Rain which does use the Nav and I've had Little Big Planet 2 on order for quite a while.

There is nothing that that Nav can do that your DualShock or Sixaxis can't. In fact, the Nav Controller is nothing but the left side of the DualShock 3 plus the X and O buttons (PS button too) and minus rumble and motion sensitivity. You can, therefore, use your DualShock instead of the Nav on games that may require it.

These being said, the Nav is a well-designed, quality built accessory that does what it's supposed to do very well. It may not look like much but holding and using it feels 'natural' and all the familiar controls are easy to reach even though it may take a little practice to get used to the unexpected but necessary O and X. And, of course, the Nav does NOT come with a wrist strap because it does not need one. The Nav Controller will not be used to hack and slash or punch or parry. As its name implies, its main use is for 'navigation', meaning mostly the analog joystick, but the L2/L3 triggers and the D-pad are also there when needed in Aragorn's Quest you use the L2 to raise the shield.

Rating the Nav controller for what it is and what it does, I find no faults with it whatsoever. I appreciate its exceptional design, quality and its apparent durability. Some of the early Move games that take good advantage of the Nav Controller include Heavy Rain, MAG, Aragorn's Quest at the time of this review, Little Big Planet 2 coming up in a couple of months, many in between, I hope. To the extent that the Move proves itself a success with game developers, the Navigation Controller will find its uses and its users. I believe it to be so because holding the DualShock in one hand while swinging the Motion Controller with the other is not a good way to play a game.

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The nav controller is pretty much a duelshock rolled into one piece to fit in your hand. everythings laid out nicely and it fits in your hand perfectly. Has the analog stick, x and o button, d-pad, and the L1 and L2 buttons. The L2 feels nice as it has a little curve to it now, so your fingers dont slide off(never had that problem, just heard people complain before) It doesn't take nearly as long to charge compared to the motion controller. Does not come with a strap which I heard people complaining, but you dont swing it. no need to be moving it, so that why theres no strap. Been using it as i play heavy rain, which i really love with the move. Theres about 3 games out right now that youll need this nav controller for, and more in the future. if you want to play RE5, MAG, or heavy rain, then I say go buy this. If not, just wait on it then. All in all, this is a great addition to the controllers and comes in handy.

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The PS3 Move Navigation Controller may look like a Wii's nunchuck, but it serves a very different purpose. Where the nunchuck has motion sensing, the PS3 Move Navigation Controller is solely for button pushing.

This small, easy to hold device lets you use your left hand for button related tasks using the joystick for moving around a landscape, using the standard X and O buttons for performing actions. So for example if you are in a sword game you can have the motion-sensitive wand in your right hand, swinging your sword, while using your navigator in your left hand to walk across the field of battle and seek out your next opponent.

You might ask, if all this controller does is let you use a joystick and a few buttons, why even buy it? Why not just use a normal controller in the left hand? Certainly you can do that but the normal controller is set up for two handed use. Many people find it challenging to hold that controller just with the left hand in a way that easily gets them access to the joystick and the two buttons. With this navigation controller setup, it clearly is all arranged for one handed use.

If you want to play a game that requires both hands to be motion sensitive for example a boxing game where you punch with your left hand and also punch with your right hand this is NOT the controller you want. For that type of activity you'll want two wand controllers, one for each hand.

That means that for a typical player on a PS3 move system you need two wand controllers PLUS one navigation controller. You wouldn't use all three at the same time, but some games will have you using the two wand controllers and other games will have you use the wand in one hand and the navigation controller in the other.

You can see where this is going. If you have two gamers in the household who want to play head to head games, you now need FOUR wand controllers plus two navigation controllers to have them covered. It's time to give your PS3 system its own shelf, to handle all these accessories!

In any case the nav controller works well, is very useful for games, and I highly recommend it for any Move gamers.

We purchased our controller from Amazon with our own funds.