EyePet Move Edition developer interview

Discover how PlayStation Move and EyePet Move Edition work together with the game's senior producer, Nicolas Doucet.

How do you use PlayStation Move in EyePet Move Edition and in what ways has it enhanced the game experience?

We used EyePet with the Magic Card last year and one of the key aspects was the use of augmented reality, so when you saw the card on-screen it would seem like you're holding certain objects. PlayStation Move was a natural fit and brought lots of positives. So instead of using the Magic Card, you're holding the PS Move in your hand and a magic item comes up on the screen, but the tracking is a lot better - even when the PS Move sphere isn't visible it can still be tracked thanks to its motion sensing capabilities.

You can also draw toys on the screen using PS Move. The PlayStation Eye camera helps turn them into three-dimensional toys like cars and planes. Before you could only use pens and paper, but now you can copy what's on-screen or make your own drawing. So you don't have to waste paper and now you can delete lines on the screen.

Finally, we've brought five new toys that are completely based around PS Move. There's a water gun to splash your Pet, a magic hoop for your Pet to jump through and others.

How does the addition of PlayStation Move change the way you approach and play EyePet compared to other titles in that genre?

I think it makes things a little more accessible. When we released EyePet initially, we felt a little on our own - we were trying to show what you could do with the PlayStation Eye camera and hand interactions, while adding peripherals like the Magic Card. Coming into the PS Move portfolio which is supported with other titles, it feels like we're part of a bigger family of products, and also with the increasing understanding of motion sensing technology people are able to relate more to the game.

The first EyePet was so innovative that there were times where people didn't really understand it, they were looking for the Pet on the floor and things like that! So hopefully EyePet combined with PS Move may make people a little more comfortable and familiar with the concept. At the same time, the concept of augmented reality is still brand new so there's still going to be an element of surprise.

What challenges did you encounter when enhancing EyePet with something as innovative as PlayStation Move?

Most of the challenges we had were artistic and design related. Because all of the in-game magic objects were designed to fit the Magic Card's shape, things like the shower looked about the size of the Card on-screen and it felt like the Card was transforming for you. So to change that to reflect the shape of PS Move we had to reconstruct the items' shape to fit the controller and that was quite difficult. In some instances, like the shower item, it made sense because the shapes can be slightly similar but with other items like the bowling launcher we had to completely redesign as it previously was something you would lay flat on the ground with the Magic Card.

What was the coolest and most fun aspect of enhancing EyePet with PlayStation Move?

One of the things we're really proud of in the game is that because you can see yourself on the screen it shows the augmented reality to you, and PS Move is really precise so it's a great feature. It's also been great to be at the heart of the hardware and seeing new revisions of PS Move and everything that it brought. All the effort we put into EyePet became enhanced and we felt really supported because it was such a natural fit, so it felt like a nice continuation of the initial EyePet project.

In what ways does PlayStation Move help get more people involved and engaged in EyePet?

Usability is probably key. Before, if we gave the Magic Card to some people you'd have to explain how the camera worked and that the Card needs to face the camera and such... but now all of that is gone. You can really free yourself and not worry about what you're doing with your movement. It's great because it means we never have to ruin that vision or have to tell people how it works.

We've tried to make EyePet as widely appealing and universal as possible, so with PS Move I'd like to think - providing you have a kind nature - EyePet really is for everybody!