Killzone 3 Meets the PlayStation Move sharp shooter

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Last week saw the introduction of the PlayStation Move sharp shooter, an upcoming peripheral which transforms the PlayStation Move motion controller into a sleek assault rifle designed for hardcore shooters such as Killzone 3 and SOCOM 4. The sharp shooter’s feature set is extensive, so I went hands-on to learn more about its functionality and (surprisingly easy) setup process. Guerrilla Games Managing Director Hermen Hulst and I field tested the PS3’s new weapon of choice.

PlayStation Move: Sharp Shooter

PlayStation Move: Sharp ShooterPlayStation Move: Sharp Shooter

Developed with input from the FPS experts at Guerrilla Games and Zipper Interactive, the sharp shooter is a snap to assemble: you secure a navigation controller into the foregrip, then fasten the PlayStation Move motion controller into the “barrel,” which connects to a small digital port on the bottom of the PlayStation Move called the extension connector. In comparison, the PlayStation Move Shooting Attachment is mechanical; the sharp shooter’s use of the extension connector means that buttons can be remapped to other areas of the sharp shooter. For example, the triangle and square buttons on the motion controller have been re-mapped to buttons on the sharp shooter, providing an identical experience for right- and left-handed users as key buttons are duplicated on both sides of the peripheral.

PlayStation Move: Sharp ShooterPlayStation Move: Sharp Shooter

The sharp shooter is customizeable in other ways: a handy firing mode switch will enable game developers to support single-shot and burst-fire settings; the extendable stock enables you to choose to shoot from the hip or from the shoulder; and the Move button (located beneath the trigger) can be “locked” if it’s not needed. Hulst also pointed out that Killzone 3 enables players to customize the PlayStation Move motion controls to suit their play style. “We made sure that the default settings are very accessible, but for more advanced users, we made sure that deadzones and sensitivity settings are customizable.” As an example, Hulst notes that he prefers to make the horizontal deadzone “very small” to enable faster turning of his character.

PlayStation Move: Sharp Shooter

The darker box you see here is the “Deadzone,” and its size is fully adjustable. Within this area, you can move your crosshair freely. Once you get outside the borders, your character will turn.

Then there are the subtler fit-and-finish details you may not notice immediately. A pump-action mechanism located under the barrel could be used as a reload function, or alternately may serve another secondary function depending on the game designer’s wishes. The RL button located under the gun’s clip can be used to reload. And thanks to the PlayStation Move’s motion capabilities, you can thrust the gun forward to initiate a close combat attack, or tilt the gun onto its side to activate a reload. If you’re sensing an emphasis on total immersion in the experience, you’re on the right track. Combined with Killzone 3’s stereoscopic 3D and first-person perspective, “the sharp shooter literally puts you right in the middle of the action,” Hulst observed. “It’s like getting your cake and eating it too.” That doesn’t mean players using 3D and the sharp shooter will have an advantage in Killzone 3’s multiplayer battlefields — Hulst noted that “the guy with the 2D screen and DualShock 3 can play just as well.”

Killzone 3 for PS3: MAWLER battle

There were also some updates for Killzone 3, which Hulst confirmed will support two-player split-screen couch co-op for the entire campaign — a feature long requested by Killzone fans. Considering Killzone 2’s buddy assist maneuvers, such as reviving A.I. partners and boosting your buddy up onto ledges, Killzone 3’s co-op support is a natural addition. But don’t think co-op play will make the campaign a cakewalk. “Because the A.I. in Killzone 3 is so autonomous,” Hulst warned, “you never know what to expect. You and your partner will need to keep out-strategizing and outsmarting the Helghast.”

Killzone 3 for PS3: MAWLER battleKillzone 3 for PS3: MAWLER battle

Hulst then gave us a sneak peek at the second-to-last level in Killzone 3 called “The Reckoning.” This goosebump-inducing set piece pits the battered ISA forces against the MAWLR, a 280 foot-tall, arachnoid Helgast mech that tears apart the environment with energy beams and mortars. “When fighting the MAWLR, you’re never safe,” Hulst cautioned. “You can try to hide in bunkers but they’ll be destroyed; you can try to hide behind the nearby transformers but you could get electrocuted.” Your secret weapon comes in the form of Killzone 3’s WASP rocket launcher, which you use to pick off the massive mech’s cooling panels. Don’t expect this to be a cut-and-dried affair: the MAWLR confrontation is a lengthy, multi-layered boss battle, and the battle will rage from ground to the air and back to ultimately bring the Helghast’s war machine to its knees.

Killzone 3 hits the PS3 on February 22nd, 2011, and is fully playable with the PlayStation Move and the sharp shooter at launch, with SOCOM 4 following suit later in 2011. What questions do you have about the sharp shooter’s features and functionality? Let us know in the comments and we’ll dig up answers.

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113 Comments

28 Author Replies

  • People keep saying they wish it came in black. Well, manufacturers do not want it to be mistaken as a real weapon and then have police shoot the fool holding a toy.

  • Hey isn’t that the wii zapper?

    • Puh-lease. That thing is uber-simple, and much closer to the Shooting Attachment. It’s just a little plastic pistol.

  • my question is will there be a move bundle with the gun and say killzone 3 or socom in the future? other than that this is making large leaps in the interACTIVITY OF THE FPS GENRE. keep up the good work sony!

  • It really does look sexy…

  • Any chance to buy this as a bundle with KZ3?

    Seriously this is the gun attachment I was waiting for. New that extra port on the move was going to lead to this kind of controller :D

  • @GG i am ok if i wait for a patch for a psn friends campaign coop… for us loners in this freaking appartments… thanks….

  • This looks amazing but please show us a video with somebody actually using it. I really would like to see how responsive it is.

    BTW, good idea to develop this with Killzone and Socom in mind, hopefully other games will be able to reuse this functionality.

  • Amazing. It’s an easy sell for me, since Killzone 2 already swept me away :)
    I’m looking to pre-order the Helghast edition for over 6 months now, can’t find it (in Europe).

  • Thanks Sid for answering my question! (#36) Glad to hear a mouse-like experience can be achieved.

    I’ll take your advice, and play with the settings, but in my experience with MAG, I wasn’t digging a deadzone of any size (they don’t allow anywhere close to a 0% deadzone)

    I can see the deadzone being nice if you never have to turn your guy, and enemies are only directly in front of you, but once you need to turn, it is very disorientating. Instead of “snap to target”, it’s “pull the screen over, aim back to target” and hope you didn’t pull the screen too far…

  • They are already sharing the second last level. I’m guessing the Space level that they hinted at is probably the last one. I’m hoping there are still some surprises left.

  • oh yeah definitely buying the move now

    LBP2. UC3. KZ3.

    omg 2011 is beast

  • Will there be a patch incorporating other games for use with the sharpshooter?

  • So the co-op isn’t online? So much for that.

  • It would be nice if it rumbled. Giving a realistic feeling of shooting a real weapon. Small firearm..light kickback. Large cannon…. Strong vibration.

  • this looks sweet i will give it a go

  • Awesome i cant wait for it and the MAG will be easy to play with Sharp !

  • I guess this is kind of neat, but I’m not totally convinced that it will provide a better experience than simply using the Move wand alone. Plus, my hand would then be forced to obtain a Nav controller.

    One of the problems I foresee is some level of awkwardness in moving while firing. Aiming will be effective enough, but having to swing around the Nav controller along with it while still managing the analog stick seems a bit like tapping your head and rubbing your belly at the same time; not an entirely difficult feat to accomplish, just one more thing to have to “deal with” while playing.

    Furthermore, how much does this gadget weigh? I can’t imagine it would be altogether that comfortable for long play sessions. Realism aside (but, hey, I play games to *escape* reality), I see myself getting tired a lot quicker. At least with a Wand and Nav controller separate, I can rest at minimum one of the pair on my lap.

    It may be fun to use in spurts, but I don’t know if it will completely replace the standard setup for me. And if that’s the case, is it really going to be worth my money? I dunno. I guess I’ll have to try it for myself.

    • My preferred way of playing is firing from the hip — the gun isn’t heavy, but it’s not balsa-wood-light either. It feels…right. And really, it’s very much like using a Move and Navigation controller (still supported without the sharp shooter, btw). It’s no harder than that, though there are a bunch of extra buttons tailored to shooter needs.

  • i have quick question can you explain to me exactly what deadzones are and how they work in game sorry kinda new here :P

    • Look at the screenshot in the article above and the caption — it’s like a box in the center of the screen in which you aim. Aim outside the box and you’ll rotate the camera in that direction.

  • I love you guys if you allow us to do mouse like movement with move :D

  • I hate to say it, but after seeing this video: http://videos.videogameszone.de/v/7kEyY25Iytt/Killzone-3/Killzone-3-mit-PlayStation-Move-gespielt/, I have to say that you guys in no way provide mouse or analogue speed for Move in Killzone 3. What gives, the guys still has a HUGE space that he must point at to turn around with the Move controller. This is with 0% dead zone. Mouse speed does not involve this at all….

  • Look I like the Move but for FPS could you have the option of twisting the move left or right to turn???? Please aiming at the edge of the screen is disorienting and unnecessary! The wii could not register twist… thats the only reason they have aim at the edge of the screen! PLEASE twist to turn option because without it move will not work!

  • Please trust me nobody will stick with the move because of the aiming at the edge of the screen to move… I have bought move from day one and twisting to turn option would solve all the problems with move… This is why move is not selling! Nothing is more disorienting than trying to turn by aiming at the edge of the screen… The time you spend turning… you get shot by the enemy…INSTEAD OF RELOADING allow a turn option PLEASE!you SHOULD have the option of twisting the move left or right to turn???? Please aiming at the edge of the screen is disorienting and unnecessary! The wii could not register twist… thats the only reason they have aim at the edge of the screen! PLEASE twist to turn option because without it move will not work!

  • BTW, can you play split screen in 3D… that is a major question I’m sure a lot of us have.

  • @72
    i wouldn’t doubt it. you can in black ops. however i never play in 3D while in split screen cause it just doesnt look as good and is kindof annoying actually

  • *sigh* I’m going to have to buy this… and the navigation controller… and the special edition of Killzone 3. That’s going to be one expensive game!

  • this looks freakin awesome!!!!!1

  • Really exciting news guys! Detailing more of the peripheral’s use in games like Killzone 3, has me more excited and optimistic about the sharp shooter. Killzone fan as well, so any news involving the game gets me excited. Can’t wait to play the 3.

  • Hmm, maybe I should get a PS Move sometime? :p

  • I think the HK MP5A3 style is perfect for the application of the Move. Nice to see the KZ and Socom guys put time into this.

  • Hey Sid!

    Thanks for the article and what not! I had some questions however in regards to Killzone 3.

    1. Will/Does Killzone 3 have 4 player offline (couch) split-screen multiplayer? I feel as though many of the shooters released today abandon this simple yet awesome feature.

    2. Do you believe that it would be far more beneficial to use the sharp shooter peripheral rather than just using the PS Move controller and the Navigation controller separately?

    3. Does/Will Killzone 3 have 2 player (perhaps even 4 player) split-screen online multiplayer? That’s also another feature that I would love to see in Killzone 3.

    4. When Killzone 3 is released, how will you be playing it? Will you be using the ol’ school Dualshock controller or will you spice things up by using the new and fancy peripheral?

    Thanks in advance!

    • 1. Two-player couch co-op (splitscreen)
      2. I don’t think the word is “beneficial” (it doesn’t give you an advantage, per se) but the sharp shooter gives you a unique, interesting new way to play that makes you feel more “in the game.”
      3. Split-screen co-op is what’s confirmed.
      4. You know? That’s a damned fine question. I’m definitely going to play all three to try them out before I settle on a final choice. I’ve only had very limited hands-on time with Move in Killzone 3

  • SPLIT SCREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you guerilla

  • Come on Sony you know darn well what we are gonna ask you about. Cross. Game. Chat. We have been asking about it for two years solid now and all we get is a simple “We look into all ideas.” Really you sure as hell have a strange way to communicate with your customers.
    I dont see why you cant just be honest about it and tell us like it is. Are you really working on it and is it close? Or are you completely baffled by the idea and need to hire someone who knows what the hell they are doing? Regardless, I have said it before and will say it one more time. Your PR is pretty pour. Be honest with us, it will go a long way.

  • @72, after having 4 years of playing fps on my wii, i can tell you that they have come a long way in how it controls. red steel 1 and CoD3 sucked. metroid prime 3, conduit, and CoD:MWr or CoD:BO are the best examples of a true fps on wii. with the default setups being decent, and having things totally customizable.

    i am hoping sony’s developers have paid attention to the problems with the wii’s controls and make this as good or better then any of my fps wii games.

    i told my friends that if either killzone 3 or resistance 3 supported move controls and let me use online vs. them i would get it. i totally suck at fps with dual analog setups.

    this will probably be the game that makes me go buy the move.

    but i will not buy the sharp shooter attachment. learned my lesson with the nyko perfect shot, and the wii zapper.
    i like to have the controller in 1 hand and the nunchuk in the other, much more accurate.

    now time to save some money.

  • Just as Rico would say, “I WISH I HAD TWO OF THESE!” lol, but i wonder if i can use extra sharpshooters for co-op so when i have guests over =] that would be WAR PERFECTED! :-D

  • Wow this thing looks so amazing!!!

  • Would you guys please stop making things I want to buy? ;)

  • I need to get all 3 kz3 socom4 and the sharp shooter I’m a big fan of both killzone and socom since day1 and the gun looks like it will be allot of fun to play with

  • So happy to see this is set up for left-handers as well! We’ve been given the shaft for far too long (I’m looking at you, GunCon3!)

  • We are the hardcore Killzone Players. We even have our own dedicated Killzone website and Forums at http://kzone.eu5.org/

    We are eagerly waiting for KZ3. Most of us have played the KZ3 Beta. If you check our Main page, we even have a Killzone 3 countdown counter !

    One thing we would love to see in KZ3 is Custom games/Server lists. Hope we aren’t disappointed there.

  • Whats that thing cost? I would play that in single player. I don’t see my self ever trying that on multi player since its gets just to serious to be messing around with move.

  • hey sid i was wondering if there are a selection of colours for the move sharp shooter instead of just the one shown in the video thanks

  • @comment 70 and Sid Shuman.

    <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

    The video is working, but use internet explore and not firefox.

    And i have to agree with Link01,
    What a shame. Even with the deadzone reduced to 0 you still see the crosshair moving arround and i still takes ages to turn the screeen.

    THIS IS A BIG LETDOWN FOR ME! AND IM SURE FOR ALLOT OF PPL!
    I WAS SO EXCITED THAT YOU GAVE US THE OPTION FOR A FIXED CROSHAIR BY REDUCING THE DEADZONE.

    i have the move, and it is just gathering dust, i think i will sell my move very soon if you dont listen to the hardcore gamers.

    <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

  • i have a question about another game can you tell me which month will be released the game playstation move heroes

  • errrr….
    I wonder how fast u can extend the stock and return it to it’s normal position since you may need to use Iron sight (like Sniper rifles) but not all the time. think of playing from the scope all the time… doesn’t feel good :D
    pleas do STH to it so we can quickly change our shooting style. BTW IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE USE OUR HEADSET TO COMMAND OUR TEAMMATES (EVEN IN OFFLINE SINGLE PLAYER). and ( XD X game cross chat maybe?! XD ) more realistic combat tactics (not just a rambo like which is used nearly in every game) so It would be nice (It’s nice anyway)

  • Does this game suffer from the drifting problem that I’ve experienced in some of the other move games I’ve tried?

    I’m talking about how when you start your game, pointing in the center puts your cursor in a certain place, but over time, pointing to the same place has your cursor somewhere else, and you have to either keep compensating or hit some sort of button to re-center the cursor. How does Killzone 3 address that problem?

    (and no, I’m not moving while playing, this is in a fixed sitting position)

  • 2 questions. When you aim, does the whole screen move OR do you need to move to the deadzone boundary for the screen to move (such as with the Sniper view in KZ1)? If so, is there an option to turn this on/off?

    2. Will any other games have Sharp Shooter support?

    This combined with a 3D TV would make Killzone3 a really immersive game. Everything comes out at you, you’re looking through a first person view, you’re holding a physical gun with both hands AND you need to physically move and melee.. sounds like it could change the whole gaming experience.

    IMMERSION is what I’ve been waiting for.. Move + Sharp Shooter + FPS + 3D.. this could finally be it.

  • A few months ago you said Splitscreen would be possible in 3D without actually splitting the screen, so each player has a full screen, with both displayed at the same time. Will this still be included?

    and PLEASE tell me the Beachhead map from KZ1 will be back. This game was a lot of fun in splitscreen.

  • WOW..GOTTAH HAVIT…WITH WHAT I ALREADY KNOW THIS IS GUNNA BE AWSOME…WOOOT

  • @80 thanks for asking those questions…GJ!!!

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