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Sony has pushed back the release of its highly anticipated motion controller for its PlayStation 3 console until the autumn of 2010.

The controller, which tracks the movement of a "wand" to play a game, was planned to go on sale in spring.

The delay will mean that it will launch around the same time as Microsoft's hands-free games controller, known as Project Natal, for its Xbox 360.

Both are seen as rivals to Nintendo's popular system for its Wii console.

Although demand for Nintendo's game's machine has slowed recently it still dominates console sales.

It has sold more than 56m units worldwide, compared to Microsoft's Xbox 360 which has sold 39m units and Sony's PS3 which has sold around 30m units.

Nintendo's console was the first to have a mass-market motion-detecting controller, allowing the gamer to control the onscreen action with body movements rather than controlling a joystick.

Sony's device is similar to Nintendo's controller. A camera sits on top of the TV and detects the motion of a coloured orb attached to the end of a wand held by the player.

It will be available in North America, Europe, Japan and other Asian countries. Sony has not confirmed its cost.

Unlike its rivals, Microsoft's Natal does not use a controller. Instead, a series of sensors allow the gamer to control the action using gestures, movement and speech.

It will be available in November this year.