Sony device bases game play on book
LOS ANGELES — Sony’s newest hardware offering will be an updated take on a very old medium: the book.
Wonderbook, as the device is called, is a book-like peripheral for the PlayStation 3 that interacts with the television and PlayStation Move system to create new experiences in games and learning.
The Wonderbook is a kind of green screen onto which moving images can be projected, although users won’t look at the book itself — instead, they’ll look at its virtual representation on their televisions while holding the object. Users’ gestures are recorded by the PlayStation Eye camera and are used to interact with content in the book.
“Book of Spells,” the first title announced for the platform, will offer an augmented-reality version of a story from the “Harry Potter” universe. Featuring new writing from J.K. Rowling, “Book of Spells” will let users learn virtual spells by waving the PlayStation Move controller over the hardware.
Playing “Book of Spells” will require a significant hardware investment: In addition to the book, would-be wizards will need a PlayStation 3, the Eye camera and a Move controller.
But those requirements aren’t likely to stop hard-core Hogwarts devotees. And a charming live demonstration showed players using the virtual storybook to slay dragons and fling fireballs at butterflies.
“This is an extraordinary device that offers a reading experience like no other,” Rowling said in a statement.
The Wonderbook will be available this holiday season, the company said. Prices was not announced.
The surprise Wonderbook announcement marked the highlight of a Sony presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo that otherwise contained little beyond announcements of new titles and extended demonstrations of games already announced. Of those, “God of War: Ascension” and “The Last of Us” drew the biggest cheers.
Sony also touted its products and services — the PlayStation Vita handheld device, a 4month-old console that has struggled to find a market; Move, a gesturebased controller that competes with Microsoft’s Kinect; and its PlayStation Network services and content.