Zipper Interactive: SOCOM 4 supports both Move and DualShock

When SOCOM 4 was first announced at last years GDC, a lot of skeptics and fans alike ponder to the fact that the game will support the upcoming PlayStation Move motion controller. But no worries folks, Zipper assures SOCOM fans that the game will also be compatible with your good ole DualShock controller.



According to Travis Steiner, Lead Designer at SOCOM 4, Zipper Interactive developed the game more than three years ago with DualShock in mind and only supported the motion controller when it was announced to see if it fits with the SOCOM experience:



"First and foremost, SOCOM 4 was designed with the DualShock in mind. When we started this game over three years ago, Move didn't even exist yet. I cannot emphasize this point enough: the game supports both controllers. And again, we designed SOCOM 4 with the DualShock in mind. What ended up happening is that when we found out about the Move, we decided to try it out and see if it fits with the SOCOM experience very well. And so far, the reaction of the people that have tried it is that it's actually integrated quite well. The key there is that it's an optional control mechanic, and in no way is any other part of the SOCOM game being hindered or negatively affected by Move's integration."

"It's hard to know how well it works in SOCOM until you actually try it. I think people have some preconceived notions about how effective motion controls are in a shooter game, because up until now, the response time just hasn't been there, the accuracy, as well as the graphics. The PS3 can deliver the kind of realistic HD gaming that I think serious shooter players would want. And I think when you try the Move in SOCOM 4, a lot of people become pleasantly surprised by how effective and accurate it can be."

"I know talking to a lot of people that used to be PC gamers, people who used to say "I want my mouse and keyboard," and I think in a lot of ways the kind of fluid motion and precision you get from the Move is similar to a mouse and keyboard type experience. At the end of the day though, our goal is to make the Move an immersive, intuitive and fun way of playing SOCOM. But, we do want to balance things so that the level of effectiveness is pretty much the same, whether you're using the DualShock or not. We don't want Move players to have some kind of crazy advantage, in the same way, we don't want the Move players to have a disadvantage. Our goal is to tune them to be about as equal as possible."



Well, there you have it guys. Look out for SOCOM 4 when it arrives sometime this Fall 2010.