‘Killzone 3′ Move Accessory Breakdown

Find out what accessories are worth your time in checking out to enhance your PlayStation Move experience in this week’s launch of Killzone 3.  What is most responsible for the flaws we’re having when deciding?

For those who own a PlayStation Move, you may have been wondering where are all the games at?  There is a decent selection out there, but where’s the big stuff?  I haven’t personally bought a Move game since October when SCEA released The Shoot, a substandard light gun game.  This is the year we will see some of the big franchises out there incorporate the Move controller, the first being Killzone 3 this week.

The game is set up for use both with and without gun peripherals for your Move controller.  If your like most gamers, they prefer having a light gun accessory to play shooting games.  It not only provides a more comfortable feel but it is just makes it more badass.  There are a handful of accessories out there to choose from to enhance your Move experience, but which ones are set up to be able to play Killzone 3 the fullest?  Let’s explore some of the more popular options:

Precison Shot 3 from Eagle3
MSRP: $24.99

The Precision Shot 3 is among one of the favorites of the currently released Move add ons.  It is built well, has a sturdy feel, and even comes with an attachment for the Navigation controller to turn the handgun into a SMG.  The accessory launched just a couple weeks after the Move debut and compared to the official Sony handgun attachment, it was a far better product (both in look and feel).  To date, The Shoot is the only game fully supported by the Precision Shot 3 as it requires no use of the buttons outside of the trigger.

Unfortunately despite the list of positives, the Precision Shot 3 is not fully formatted for Killzone 3.  While the game is playable with the peripheral, it lacks proper accessibility.  Killzone 3 does not support custom button mapping which makes it impossible to set the controls to be fully formatted for use with the Precision Shot 3.  KZ3 requires use of both the Triangle and Square buttons, which are not located on the Navigation controller.  Given the constant action on screen, it would be a drag for players to have to press the Triangle or Square buttons on the Move controller while attached to the Precision Shot accessory.

Possibly Supported in the Future? Yes, it can easily be supported in the future, if there were to be a patch to allow for customized controls.  Gran Turismo 5 supports multiple steering wheels, given the same blockbuster status of Killzone 3 I don’t see why we can’t get support for multiple gun peripherals.

PlayStation Move Shooting Attachment from Sony
MSRP: $19.99

The officially released Shooting Attachment from Sony is one that probably hurts Killzone 3 fans more than the rest.  This is the official product of Sony, customized for the Move.  Unfortunately as expected, the Shooting Attachment was rushed out the door to give the Move a handgun peripheral.  While simple in concept, only games similar to that of The Shoot will be able to be fully controlled with it.

Unlike the Precision Shot 3, the Shooting Attachment has no special holster for the Navigation controller; though it can still be used.  The Shooting Attachment lacks full support for Killzone 3 for the same reasons the Precision Shot 3 does – the lack of reachable needed buttons to have full controller support.  The Navigation controller only comes with X and Circle, both of which are needed but also require Square and Triangle.  The game is playable, but not fully supported.

Possibly Supported in the Future? Yes, for the same reasons the Precision Shot 3 could be supported.

CTA Submachine Gun from CTA Digital
MSRP: $29.99

CTA Digital more than most have released a wide array of PlayStation Move accessories.  Most will say a lot of what they have released are gimmicks, and granted you are probably right but every now and then these “gimmicky” accessories may work well for games they are developed for.  For owners of the accessory or those considering it, it may be an option to go with for Killzone 3.

The Submachine Gun attaches the Navigation controller in the rear, and the trigger near the front.  It comes with both a scope and shoulder stock to replicate a life-like weapon but both are more for show.  Support for Killzone 3 is present, and compared to the previous two it is a bit more accessible but still flawed.  With the trigger button being located right under the Move controller slot, players are able to access both the Triangle and Square buttons while not deterring away from striking down the enemy.  The controller is flawed in that it isn’t a very sturdy gun.  When using the shoulder stock the peripheral wiggles around to the point where you can never get a solid aim.  While support is present, the peripheral isn’t an ideal choice.

Is There a Better Choice? Yes, keep reading.

CTA Assault Rifle from CTA Digital
MSRP: $59.99

Another option from CTA, does this fare any better?  What differs this from the Submachine Gun is that the trigger button is located back to its normal spot for a more comfortable and traditional feel.  Unlike the other options out there, the Move controller itself is located on the bottom of the barrel of the gun.  The Navigation controller fits into the hand grip slot.  It’s an interesting and daring concept, however like the other popular CTA option – it’s flawed.

One of the more unique features to the controller is the fact that all the face buttons are accessible outside of the controller.  This means that Killzone 3 is fully supported by this peripheral.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that the location of the Move controller is poor.  Players may accidentally hit the face buttons on the Move controller itself with the buttons being right below where their hand is placed to access the peripheral’s face buttons.  Calibration can also cause some issues.  With the player calibrating with the Move controller located below the gun barrel, it may cause for some poor calibration reception here and there.  It is ideal for the Move controller to be located inside the gun barrel.  Like the Submachine Gun, the Assault Rifle also feels a bit cheaply made but it seems to be a hit or miss with gamers.  With a pricepoint of $60, there are better options available.

Is There a Better Choice? Yes, read below.

PlayStation Move Sharpshooter from Sony
MSRP: $39.99

Sony makes their second official appearance on this list and unlike their debut option, the Sharpshooter is built from the ground up with Killzone 3 in mind.  Previous light gun games like Resident Evil 5 (Gold Edition) and Time Crisis: Razing Storm also get the support they have so demandingly needed, and future Move games like SOCOM 4 are also being built around the Sharpshooter.

First thing’s first, the Triangle and Square buttons are mapped right above the trigger button on the accessory.  This solves the nagging issue for Killzone 3 from add ons like the Precision Shot 3.  Secondly, the Move controller is located inside the gun barrel which makes for much better calibration.  As a bonus, and something I failed to mention with the CTA guns is that the peripheral supports both left and right hand players with the face buttons on both sides of the gun.  The Navigation controller is located in front and below of the trigger, and is a location far more desirable for games like this, especially ones where you’ll probably be having the controller close to your scope range.

Sony redeems itself and releases what is currently the best option out there for Killzone 3.  Sony has stated that SOCOM 4 will also be built for the peripheral so let us hope that this will be one developers will focus around to allow for more universal support for our games to help us spend less on more and more accessories.

Is This The Best Option? For now, it is.

It should come to no surprise that the best option out there for Killzone 3 is a Sony product.  While a $39.99 asking price for the Sharpshooter is a bit expensive, especially for those who are buying the Killzone 3 Helghast Edition this week (me), it is both more ideal and less expensive then that of the other popular option that is the CTA Digital Assault Rifle.  It is a bit upsetting to know that early adopters to the Move are being semi-forced to buy a new peripheral for their controller.  Given that Killzone 3 was announced for Move support before the Move launch we would have hoped that accessories would at least have ways of being supported for the game.

The Sharpshooter supports all current games as well, so don’t be afraid to sell any current accessories you have to help pay for it.  I personally won’t part with the Precision Shot 3, as I find having a handgun-like peripheral more ideal for light gun shooters such as The Shoot.

The question is though – what was the one nagging issue that has caused the previously mentioned peripherals and those that were mentioned such trouble from being fully supported with games like Killzone 3?  The Navigation controller.  To this day many still wonder why the Nav controller only has the X and Circle face buttons, rather than not also including the Triangle and Square buttons.  If the Nav controller were to support all four face buttons, then all the above accessories would be fully functional.

If you have been playing the Killzone 3 Open Beta, you were given the chance to test out the Move support online with others.  One of the questions the community has been asking in regards to Move support over PSN is if there will be dedicated support for the controller.  In other words, will there be separate ranked rooms for Move players only?  Guerrilla has stated that they are allowing both controllers to play in the same ranked games.  Since Move support was a focus for the game, they feel that the game can be played on the same playing field with either controller.  It will be interesting to see how Move players will fare against DualShock 3 players.  There will also be those using other controllers, like the FragFX Shark, which allows Killzone 3 to be played with a mouse-like controller.

What are your reactions to Move support for Killzone 3?  Did you play the beta with the Move controller?  What add on do you own (if any at all) for your Move controller?

Killzone 3 hits the streets this week on February 22, 2011.  It is available in both standard ($59.99) and collector’s ($129.99) editions.  Which version are you buying?