With the PlayStation Move, there were bound to be attachments much like Nintendo’s Wii. Considering Sony is pushing the controller for core games, it was no surprise that a gun attachment was one of the first. Sony has their own version dropping later this year, but until then we have the Precision Shot 3 from Interworks.
When you unpack the device the first thing you will notice is the quality of the design. It feels weighty without feeling too heavy. It feels great in your hands, especially when you attach the optional front grip where the navigation controller is supposed to go. There is a slot in the back to plug a USB cable into in case you want to charge your controller, but let’s be honest here; the cable that comes with Move is so short it really isn’t idealistic to charge while playing. Overall, the design screams quality and makes it feel like more than a cheap plastic case for your controller.
Assembling the unit and getting your controllers into place is a pretty painless process. The Move wand fits snugly into the top of the device. The front handle grip slides into place without any snaps but still locks tightly into place. My only concern with that is wear and tear over time. The Nav controller (which not everyone bothered to purchase) slides in perfectly. If you don’t have one the grip is useless as it does not feel good gripping without the controller in place.
The gun claims to work with all Move games, which is technically true, but as I used to say, “you can technically play Tomb Raider with a steering wheel (if you are so inclined).” The obvious choices to try out were Time Crisis, Killzone 3 and The Shoot. Killzone was up first and, while the novelty was cool, it wore out its welcome far too soon. You see, games like that require some of the buttons on the wand and when it is housed in the Precision Shot, they are on top making them hard to use.
Time Crisis wasn’t much better, considering the game doesn’t support the Nav controller. Again, needing to use the buttons for certain functions makes the experience more complicated than it needs to be. You will find yourself at times thinking, “this would be much easier if I just took the controller out of the holder.” This is not the mentality you want with a peripheral. Finally, The Shoot is probably the most enjoyable experience I had with the device. You see, games that only require you to pull the trigger work with this device.
So, to break it down, if you only intend to play games that simply require you to mindlessly pull the trigger, this device is definitely sound. It is a shame that most of these problems occur due to the design of Move games instead of the unit itself. There isn’t much you can do outside of reprogramming the buttons to be a part of the controller itself, which I am sure is in the future for devices for Sony’s motion controller. As it stands this is a nice novelty that will likely wear off after a little while. Unless you are strictly playing Move games that only require pulling the trigger, I cannot recommend the Precision Shot 3. More complicated games simply play better with the controllers in your hands.
Review copy provided by publisher.
