Rumor: “PS3mote” Secretly Tested Earlier this Year

Sony fanboys were probably feeling left out amid all of the talk of an Xbox 360 motion controller (remember, the Xmote).  Well now, PS3 owners have something to talk about because a new rumor has surfaced that states that Sony has secretly shown a Wiimote like PS3 peripheral (known as the PS3mote from now on) to a small group of PS3 owners somewhere in California (sneaky, sneaky).

According to the rumor, the PS3mote, like the Xmote, doesn’t need a nunchuck peripheral and is extremely sensitive.  It was displayed with several mini-games, such as tennis (that’s original), fencing, and paintball.  The demonstrator even used the PS3mote to play Quake on his laptop.

The PS3mote isn’t exactly the same as the Wiimote though; the tester that leaked this information (if it’s true) had some interesting things to report about it.  Apparently, when the demonstrator crouched while playing the paintball game, his character on screen crouched as well.

One of the biggest problems, the demonstrator stated, was that a mini-tripod (about 12 inches high) was needed to use the PS3mote.  The tripod connected to the PS3 via a USB cable and it stood in the middle of the gaming area.  Fortunately, the demonstrator said they were pursuing more convenient ways to use the PS3mote.

Will this rumor fall flat on its face like the Xmote rumor did?  Or will a real PS3mote surface?  I’m not as worried about a lack of support for the PS3mote as I was for the Xmote because Sony has a good track record of supporting their peripherals (the Eyetoy, for example).  So I think a PS3mote is a significant possibility.

[via PlaystationLifestyle]

Update: Apparently this rumor is picking up some steam that points to it being factual.