Another motion controller, another sports game. It didn't take game developers long to follow the lead set by Nintendo's Wii and create games for the new PlayStation 3 Move and Xbox 360 Kinect add-ons that revolve around throwing, batting, putting or lobbing things. And yet somehow it's still not hard to get excited by "Virtua Tennis 4."
Due next spring on PlayStation 3, "Virtua Tennis 4" is the latest in Sega's highly regarded arcade and home- console series (known in Japan as "Power Smash"). The games have gone through many permutations since the first arcade version in 1999, with endorsements from dozens of professional tennis players, many of whom appear in the games.
But no permutation has taken as great a leap as this: Incorporating both motion control and stereoscopic 3-D, it finally justifies the "virtua" tag, embracing new levels of realism that, Sega hopes, will draw in a whole new audience of casual gamers. Move, a wireless control wand that is tracked by a special camera connected to the PS3, has sold 2.5 million units worldwide since its launch in late October — doubtless including plenty of first-time console owners.
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