Videogame gun peripherals sure have come a long way, from the humble beginnings of Nintendo’s Laser Clay Shooting System and Light Gun Lion toys in the 70’s, to the light gun arcade games of the 80s through to the 90s, and home offerings like Namco’s GunCon that let gamers experience the thrill of this arcade action in their own living room.

Nearly forty years after these peripherals first surfaced, the PlayStation 3 has received a(nother) dedicated gun peripheral of its own with the PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter, but unlike previous devices that only allowed you to play static and on-rails shooters like Mad Dog McCree and Time Crisis, the Sharp Shooter is tuned to allow gamers to immerse themselves in games that are designed for full 3D movement - modern-day first- and third-person shooters that require you to be running, jumping, looking, aiming and shooting all at the same time.

The Sharp Shooter is different, too, in that it’s not a standalone unit, like the GunCon for example, but rather makes use of the PS3’s PlayStation Move Navigation and Motion controllers to bring the unit’s plastic carcass to life.

Is the Sharp Shooter able to pull off so many tricks at once in order to make shooters easier to play, more immersive than a regular controller, and more accurate than twin analog sticks and buttons? I put the device through its paces in Killzone 3 and the SOCOM 4 beta to find out.

Do you remember the first time you played a PC first-person shooter with a keyboard and mouse? How about the very first time you tried to navigate your way around a first-person game on a console? Both occasions must have been pretty awkward and even slightly frustrating (or very frustrating), but you eventually got the hang of it because you knew that your time trying to learn these newfangled contraptions would pay off, right?

This is the closest analogy I can think of when trying to convey the experience of trying the PS Move Sharp Shooter for the first time – awkward and a little frustrating, but with the potential for rich, immersive gaming rewards. It’s difficult to pull off the exact actions you intend to when first aiming down the plastic casing of the peripheral, but as you get more accustomed to the button placements and sensitivity options you’ll become more au fait with what’s required of you to get the most out of it.

But what exactly is the Sharp Shooter? As mentioned (a couple times) it’s a physical gun (or rifle) peripheral for the PlayStation 3. You’ll need a PlayStation Move Motion Controller (which slots into the top of the gun) and a Navigation controller, too (which slips snugly into the bottom handle of the peripheral).

A little something like this (keep in mind the Sharp Shooter I used is red and doesn’t have the ‘sight’ on top):

The Sharp Shooter feels natural to hold (well, as natural as any weapon can feel) and you’ll have great access to the Motion Controller’s trigger button as it’s connected (by magic) to the peripheral’s physical trigger, while the Move button is similarly connected to a button below the trigger. Square and Triangle buttons on either side of the gun are also available above the trigger, and Select and Start buttons are located on either side of the front of the device. This all means that you never actually have to touch the Motion Controller while it remains safely housed in the comfort of solid plastic.

The Navigation Controller is another story – located just below the Motion Controller, you’ll be able to place your thumb on the single analog stick (used for in-game motion) as well as the two buttons on the front of this control (the left trigger and ‘shoulder’ button), with easy access to the Cross and Circle buttons for in-game actions.

Additional features of the Sharp Shooter include a button on the bottom of the gun’s forend grip (used for reloading), a retractable butt that locks into place when fully extended, a ‘rate of fire’ toggle switch (choose between single, burst and fully automatic in-game firing with the flick of a dial!) and a pump action forend (where the Navigation Controller is located) also used for anything from reloading to throwing grenades (simply pull back on the forend and push forward on the grip to pump).

The Sharp Shooter itself is very solid and definitely looks the part of a real rifle – even with its bright red and white appearance – and attaching and removing the two Move controllers is very easy. But… how does the peripheral work in-game?

Playing a first-person shooter like Killzone 3 with the Sharp Shooter offers the best test for the device, and kicked me back to the first time I played Black on PlayStation 2 – very unfamiliar and wobbly. After fiddling around in Killzone 3’s bounteous Move controller sensitivity settings, I eventually got a good combination so that on-screen aiming felt precise. Of course, your aim is used to direct your movement in the game, while the Navigation controller’s analogue stick is used for directional movement (forward, back and side-to-side), so getting the sensitivity just right is vital.

Standing still in-game and firing with the Sharp Shooter works just great and thanks to Killzone 3’s aim assist functionality for the Move, putting yourself into a shooting gallery situation will help you clear rooms of enemies quickly… but the Sharp Shooter wasn’t created to better facilitate the playing of on-rails shooters of the past – you’re meant to be moving and aiming at the same time, just as you would with a regular controller.

While using the Sharp Shooter to navigate and aim, it became apparent that I had to learn a different way of playing and really concentrate on the actions I wanted to perform from moment to moment, as well as seconds from my current position. For example, with a regular controller it’s easy to twiddle the twin analog sticks in unison in order to move and aim in-game, but with the Sharp Shooter and I had to be conscious of the fact that I was moving in one direction and aiming in another to effectively strafe around corners, while remembering to physically ‘lean into’ turns to see what was ahead.

I also had to learn that you’ll either need to find a comfortable sitting position (preferably without a backrest to free up your arm movement) or be content with ten to fifteen minute bursts of gameplay while standing up and aiming at the TV – it may not seem like it, but your arm and back muscles will soon start to feel the strain if you play for too long. There were definitely a few moments of frustration as muscle fatigue set in and my in-game abilities began to deteriorate as a result, leading to a worse play experience (and feeding back into that frustration). You’ll need to recognise that particular brand of aggravation to avoid it and rest for a while.

This process took some getting used to, and even after many hours and many game sessions with the Sharp Shooter, I still wouldn’t call my ability with the device ‘second nature.’ That evasive ‘immersion’ factor did start to kick in once I started to think of the game as a fully 3D world to navigate and look around, rather than a flat 2D screen I was simply looking at. The extra niceties like the pump action functionality really help sell the idea that you’re holding a weapon, and deftly tapping (or smashing, as you wish) the reload button on the bottom of the grip completes the fantasy.

As with any brand new device, there are bound to be a few issues and the Sharp Shooter has a few, starting with the Motion Controller’s vibration. When shooting, or getting shot (or moving around Killzone 3 in one of the exoskeleton mechs), the Motion Controller vibrates and causes a very noticeable and restricted rattling sound as it wobbles around inside the plastic casing. Sure, you can turn off vibration and negate this noise (which ranges from amusing to very distracting), but then you receive zero feedback. It would have been amazing if the entire Sharp Shooter offered a vibration function, but then it would have had to include the necessary inner electronics (which it doesn’t), making for a higher manufacture and retail price.

Another issue is the placement of certain buttons, with the Start and Select buttons in particular being a hassle to reach in the middle of a firefight, and depending on your finger placement over the trigger, reaching the Square and Triangle buttons, too, can be a problem. And while the reload button on the grip is awesome for that immersion factor, that can also be difficult to use without disorienting yourself with the resultant movement of the device as you tilt it slightly sideways to reach that button.

For whatever reason, playing the SOCOM 4 beta with the Sharp Shooter offered a more immediate response to the device (although I’ll admit that I played this game after many hours in Killzone 3, so I was probably more used to the gun than before). SOCOM is a third-person shooter and this perspective may just offer an ‘easier’ way to play as you’re much more aware of your surroundings and are able to more quickly decide where you’re going to move and aim. In a first-person shooter like Killzone 3, your view is much more constricted forcing you to be that much more aware of your actions.

Different combat scenarios also offer better results and rewards with the Sharp Shooter, and I found during my time with the device that more action-packed in-game sequences with lots of targets and areas to move into were more fun than stealth missions that require precision and movement proficiency. Again, I wouldn’t say I’m 100 percent capable with the Sharp Shooter just yet and still feel a little shaky, so as a player’s skill with the gun improves, so too will their ability to perform particular, exact actions and movement.

The Sharp Shooter is peculiar in that it really does seem as though it’s a ‘new’ type of input device. Maybe not on the scale of importance as the mouse/keyboard combination or the trusty joypad, but certainly a peripheral that has the potential to offer great gameplay rewards if you learn to master it. Everything about the Sharp Shooter may at first seem unfamiliar and difficult to use and get used to, but it’s an awesome experience holding a physical gun peripheral to aim at on-screen enemies and take them down with a twitch and a pull of a ‘real’ trigger, reload with the pump action, and jab the gun forward to perform a melee attack.

As it stands, I’m still more effective in Killzone 3 and SOCOM with a regular controller than with the Sharp Shooter (and I’m hesitant to go online again against human opponents until I feel that I’m fully capable with it), but it’s an experience that’s worth spending time getting used to because the return in fun and immersion is remarkable.

(Note: Certain of the images on this page were found on the official PlayStation Blog, and do not one hundred percent represent the Sharp Shooter I used for review.)