For the past couple of years there have been constant rumors and analyst predictions that a high-definition Wii (Wii HD) was on the way; rumors Nintendo has repeatedly squashed, saying the Wii does not need to be replaced. Well, I'm happy to report the Wii HD is coming to your home September 2010. It's called the Playstation 3 + Move. Really, that's all Sony has done is turn their flagship system into the Wii with HD graphics (and, oh yeah, regular controllers too, which is a big deal).

What’s really remarkable about this is the scorn being ladled on Sony for aping Nintendo. It’s as though the past two years when every gaming press Web site and countless gamers were begging for a Wii HD existed only in some alternate universe. Now that we have a Wii HD, it’s just a “gimmick.” Well, motion control as a whole is just a gimmick—a gimmick which has helped propel the Wii to the top of the home console heap. (Which, apparently, Nintendo seeks to abandon as they push all their energy into a battle with Apple over handhelds where their new 3D on a tiny screen really is a gimmick.)

Reggie Fils-Aime, in the Nintendo conference, talked about “bridge” games—games that would take a casual gamer and move them toward hardcore gaming. The problem with this is twofold: first, moving into hardcore gaming requires hardcore hardware, which the Wii does not have; second, it requires hardcore games, which the Wii is desperately short of. The PS3 + Move is that bridge hardware and the PS3 has loads of hardcore games. (Too many, in fact. Hopefully the Move will spawn more family-friendly fare.)

The most interesting tidbit from Sony’s Move presentation, though, was the pricing for games. New Move games will be coming out at $40, undercutting Nintendo’s $50 regular price point. Yes, shovelware on the Wii can be had for cheaper, but this isn’t shovelware Sony is pricing at this point. I also like the Move nunchuck* is automatically wireless. Watching Miyamoto flailing around in the Zelda demo while that cord flapped around getting in his way brought back too many painful memories. Price point is similar to the Wii—by the time I add Wii Motion Plus to my existing controllers, I will have spent around $85 on them. (More if I make the Wii nunchuck wireless.) Not that I’m in a hurry to add Wii Motion Plus—Sony just game me a reason not to bother with it.

UPDATE: You can use a Dualshock 3 controller in place of the Move nunchuck. I don't know how comfortable or useable that will be, but it cuts the cost of getting full Move equipment by $60 (for two nunchucks).

The less said about the 3D extravaganza the better. Sony Entertainment’s hand is forced by Sony’s movie and TV divisions, which are pushing the super-expensive 3D in the home scenario. It’s all irrelevant to me anyway, I can’t see fake 3D images, so I’m definitely not going to be spending my money on it. What is interesting is every existing PS3 becomes 3D-capable; so, if you’re going to spend the money on 3D TV and glasses, then you don’t have to spend more money on 3D gaming hardware.

Sony presented a solid lineup of games (though heavy on the sequels, ala Nintendo). The Playstation Plus subscription service could be interesting. I’ll at least buy a year and see how it goes. Four years ago Sony shocked the world with its original price point on the PS3 ($600). That misstep was born of an arrogance from being the king of the hill in the last generation. Sony, it seems, has learned their lesson and is producing things people actually want rather than things they think people ought to buy. Too bad the gaming press is still sore over that betrayal in 2006.

*Sony marketing department: get your act together. Until you find a better moniker than “navigation controller,” I’m calling it the Move nunchuck.