Details regarding Sony\'s rumoured "wand game" begin to emerge as the company batons down the hatches
18:46 As we revealed a few months ago, Sony London (the new title for the recently merged Soho and Camden teams) has been working on a top secret project for some time built around the PS2 camera peripheral, with sources pointing towards the existence of a "wand game," that used the camera to detect wand-like motions and transfer them into actions in the game.
We contacted Sony Europe for comment and when questioned regarding iToy, a spokesperson stated that: "That\'s one of several versions I\'ve heard floating around [but] I don\'t know if that\'s the name of a product or technology. All we\'ve been showing is technology demos, and we haven\'t been showing them further afield. The thing that\'s been shown is a technology demo of the latest version, but they are working on commercial products."
There you have it: confirmation from Sony that the technology is in existence and in a complete enough state to be demonstrated. What is less clear is what the game itself is. Last year strong rumour pointed towards a Harry Potter tie-in, but both Sony and EA were quick to dismiss such reports, EA having the exclusive rights to the franchise for the foreseeable future. Talk of a major licence being involved has continued, however, and other names mentioned have included the likes of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
The problem with a sword or lightsaber fight is that it seems unlikely the technology will be advanced enough to simulate contact between objects, or indeed cope with the speed of movement. More likely is something along the lines of Harry Potter, where a wand is used to trace the shape of a spell to cast it. Which brings us right back to where we started. But, if Sony has this technology, who\'s to say EA won\'t make a game utilising it? And with sources previously indicating Sony\'s desire to bundle the camera with PS2 hardware, who\'s willing to put money on a Potter/PS2 bundle in time for the second movie this Christmas? Too farfetched?
Understandably, Sony is clamming up like Fort Knox regarding the specifics of iToy, but rest assured we\'ll keep you posted on all developments. The plot thickens...
WHAT TYPE OF GAME WOULD YOU WANT TO USE THIS TECHNOLOGY?