Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s Project Natal announcement, Sony entered the motion capture battle with their very own…Wiimote? In fact, yes, and from the looks of their demonstration, it’s a pretty slick little device.

The presentation wasn’t groundbreaking, and reused a lot of the “motion is the future of gaming” hype, but Sony did highlight the main difference between their wand and Project Natal: buttons. In a shot across Microsoft’s prow, Sony said, “buttons are needed for some experiences.” They followed up by showing off the motion capture games we all expect: tennis, swordplay, baseball, and painting. Control looked pretty solid, and offers some benefits (like the ability to grab) over Natal (along with the aforementioned buttons), like the ability to control your game when you’re outside Natal’s viewing area.

According to CEO Jack Tretton, Sony’s version of the Wiimote, which seems to still be nameless, will be available in Spring of 2010. I’m surprised it’s so late. Though the tech seemed solid, and the level of control impressive, releasing it so late gives plenty of time for people to get entrenched with a Wii Motion Plus. And though it is hard to imagine a game without buttons, it was also hard to imagine a game without analog sticks, or a traditional two hand controller, and look at the device Sony’s announcing – a deviation from those conventional forms of control.

Can Sony win the future of motion control, or will they just be a Wii with excellent graphics?

Image: Electronista