The Wii Remote has been credited with the phenomenal success that the Nintendo Wii has had since its launch. With its innovative motion-sensing capabilities, casual gamers were drawn in and the market was expanded to what it is today. Hardcore fans and pundits may not fully understand what the deal is, but everyone concedes to the fact that the idea sells.

On the other hand, Sony finds itself trailing behind in sales even with the technical superiority of its PlayStation 3 game console. Loaded with a Cell processor and a Blu-ray drive, the PS3 is the state of the art machine in today's gaming scene. Sony, however, hopes to turn the tides with a price cut, a strong upcoming line-up of games and a new accessory called the PlayStation Eye.

The PlayStation Eye, in essence, is a digital camera attachable to the PS3. It can recognize visual patterns, as exhibited with the game Eye of Judgement, and can sense movements and distance in a 3D space. That, according to Sony, gives it more potential than a Wiimote.

"All of the different Eye-Toy games that we've made so far and the wide range [of gameplay] that we have delivered shows that the camera isn't the key device, it's what we do with it that's important," says Eye of Judgement director Kazuhiko Miyaki.

In the game, players use the PlayStation Eye with electronic cards to summon monsters. It never misses a beat as it can distinguish all 150 cards perfectly and can even tell how far they are and what their tilt angles are.

There's no doubt that the PlayStation Eye is a remarkable accessory that can spell big success for the games that take advantage of it. The only question now is whether or not developers will have the initiative to create games that will define its capabilities. Will we see a controller revolution where the PS3 and the Wii will fight fire with fire? For that, we'll have to wait and see.

IGN has a sneak peek at the new features in the coming Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 being worked on by EA Tiburon, and it's taking the idea of the online golfing community further by taking inspiration from Rainbow Six Vegas, user-created content, and your weekend friendly game of golf with buddies... that can turn hypercompetitive.

Let's see. First new feature of note is Game Face. No more sliders here. With the Xbox Live Vision camera (demoed by IGN) and the Eye Toy HD, you can do a Vegas and recreate your mug on your virtual golfer. And EA's made sure you can't get "Ass Face" as a result. They tried and failed. So much for kissing Ass.

Next up is GamerNet. Call it a nod to Phil Harrison's Game 3.0 and Microsoft's vision for Xbox Live. You can play your best game of golf, record that and upload it to GamerNet, and throw down the gloves at other golfers out there: "See if you can top this one!" Call it EA's own Achievements: players earn GamerNet Points for successfully beating the challenges set by other players.

GamerNet Points are also used in Leaderboard rankings. Prepare for American Idol Golfer (or Whose Shot Was That Anyway?). GamerNet also allows players play each other, although not simultaneously: you can record your round of 18 holes for a friend to download - and that friend can play alongside your recording while you're offline.

EA envisions "themes" or "channels" of GamerNet challenges: Single Hole Challenge, Nine Hole Challenge, 18-Hole Challenge, Grip it and Rip it (long drive), and Freestyle trick shots. Yes, IGN says Freestyle includes those weird ricochet shots and creative shots that hit the audience. We repeat: creative shots that hit the audience. Ow.

Other tweaks EA's tossing into 08 include weather factoring into your game, as well as a player confidence mechanic that affects how well you make your shots. Not included are ninjas.

You have to ask what Alex Ward of Criterion Games really meant when he tells CVG: "How you use the controller is key, how you play the game online, how you use the HD Eye Toy and the 360 Vision Camera online is really important." So when he says that the camera accessories for the PS3 and Xbox 360 are "important" (but hopefully still optional, just in case), what does he mean?

Those working on both Microsoft and Sony cameras have been integrating motion-capture control technologies into them (and we thought this 3D mo-cap gaming feature would be useful for a High School Musical-themed Dance Dance Revolution game...). Now, mug shots of the oncoming traffic is the most obvious use for cameras in a Burnout online mulltiplayer, as is video chat, but if mo-cap gesture control is successfully integrated into the game, what are the other uses of such a camera with in a game that's essentially a controlled car crash?

• Gesture control could be used in place of or complimentary with the controller, at least as an option?
• You could probably change your point of view (POV) like in Test Drive Unlimited by slightly turning your head left or right, thus allowing you to see more of the competition?
• The cars will ALSO include modeled characters in them whose reactions (from taunting to panic) will be based on your facial reactions?
• Or perhaps, as part of some grand conspiracy to improve driving safety in the streets, every time you pull off a billion-dollar-damage crash, the Live Vision Camera/Eye Toy HD will snap your mug and email it directly to the DMV and State Highway Patrol, where your face will end up plastered in a Wall of (Potential) Driving Shame?
• Of course we're kidding on this one, lighten up.

  

So has anyone here taken one of Sony's PS3 satisfaction surveys recently? Because if you have, then perhaps you would have noticed one strange, little question at the end of it, just as Kotaku's Brian Crecente did.

That particular part of the survey pretty much wanted to know if you would someday want to buy, among other  things, a high-def Eye Toy. Hmm... considering the lukewarm reception that the first wave of Eye Toys have received, many are left to wonder just exactly why Sony is even considering investing more effort into a product which proved to be weak. Another question which was raised was the practical use of such a device.

1080p video chat, anyone?

Every picture tells a story, and while that line's pretty cliche, it's just what we wanted to say when we got these new images for the Eye of Judgment title for the PS3. We already know what it does: the game uses a 3x3 game board alongside the EyeToy attachment to generate 3D images of any card placed on the board - very much like how the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime works.

Judging from one of the pictures, it doesn't look like the card has to be physically on the board for the 3D works to kick in. We've already had previous screenshots and video of the game interface, so we're hoping this batch should help you guys figure out just how the whole thing works. Enjoy.

   

Unveiled during E3 2006, Eye of Judgment takes advantage of Japanese-style card collecting games and the EyeToy attachment to create some interesting new forms of interactivity. The game reminds us of Yugi-oh, as the game also features a deck of cards capable of beating someone else's deck, the only difference is the game is played on the PlayStation 3 console.

When you put the cards down on a table, PlayStation 3 is able to recognize the card via the EyeToy. Each card is associated with a different monster, and on the television screen, a virtual monster erupts out of the card. You can then move the cards around on the table, and the monsters move around on the screen, allowing you to interact with them just by moving them. Move them toward another card and the monsters onscreen will interact and battle.

We are so lucky that a bunch of new screens have surfaced and we are happy to share them with you guys. There are no updates as to when Eye of Judgment will be released by SCEA but we will definitely have a close watch on this.

More Eye of Judgement screemns after the jump!

Sony has just released a video for their next-generation singing game known as My SingStar which will eventually be released on the PS3. This demonstration video shows off a variety of the in-game features, such as theme customization, downloadable content, and even gameplay integration using an Eye-Toy device. This karaoke style game will certainly be a great party title, and you can be sure that the fun will never run out with thanks to the massive downloadable selections available.

Download: [My SingStar Gameplay Demonstration Trailer]

Ten new screenshots from Sony's karaoke game entitled My Singstar have been released. Basically, this game is going to be very similar to Karaoke Revolution except it will use many of the PlayStation 3's cool new features, such as a downloadable store in which you can purchase new songs and support for the EyeToy camera peripheral as well. These screens show off the easy-to-use interface and even one screen during a song to show what the gameplay will look like.

Will the PS3 have an Eye-Toy like innovation? Yes! If rumor of Sony's secret weapon for the PS3 is not grossly exaggerated. The buzz says Sony has been involved with Prime Sense, an Israeli company that invented a technology that allows computers to see in 3D and grasp an understanding of the world based on sight like humans do.

Prime Sense’s interactive, plug-and-play, multi-platform device has the ability to see, track and react to user movements outside the computer without change of environment or wearable equipment. According to the reliable source (we haven't met a source who claims otherwise), Sony will have a PS3 peripheral using this incredible Prime Sense technology but designed for in-console gaming actions. If true, the PS3 really is a bargain after all!

When word got out that players of the Eye of Judgment trading card game will be able to use a PS3 camera peripheral called the Eye-Toy, the curiosity level about how the game works just went right through the roof. Picture this, the Eye-Toy captures all the movements on a 3x3 board. Say, if you place a card on the board, a summoned monster shows up on the screen. Impressed? Well, you can reserve judgment until you watch the E3 demo below.