PlayStation Move sub-controller renamed 'navigation controller'

At the 2010 Game Developers Conference last month, Sony at last announced the official name for the PlayStation Move, having first shown off its camera-based motion-sensing controller at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo. The announcement put to rest months of speculation as to what Sony would call its new device. However, it also raised a few eyebrows, considering Sony referred to the controller's off-hand complement simply as the decidedly less catchy "sub-controller."

As it turns out, the use of the term "sub-controller" was itself a placeholder. Yesterday, Sony submitted a finalized ID label to the Federal Communications Commission, revealing that the sub-controller will in fact be known as the "navigation controller." Sony has since updated its Web site to reflect the device's new name.

The core of Sony's new push into motion-sensing gaming will be the Move controller itself, which detects and translates movement by way of the PlayStation Eye camera. Designed to augment this experience with more traditional controls, the navigation controller includes directional buttons, an analog stick, and two shoulder buttons. And unlike Nintendo's nunchuk add-on for the Wii Remote, the navigation controller is not tethered to the primary controller.

Sony plans to launch the PlayStation Move and navigation controller this holiday. The publisher said that it expects to offer the Move, the PlayStation Eye, and a game bundled together for less than $100. For more on the new controller, check out GameSpot's in-depth look from this year's GDC.