Filed under: Video Games
For a long time it seemed like there wasn’t a chance the PlayStation 3 would ever have rumbling controllers, if only because Sony executives seemed to say the technology was lame every time they opened their mouths. One said that rumble is a “last generation feature”, another that it was a “passive, reactionary … technology.” They said it was too expensive, and then just over a month ago went out of their way to deny reports that rumble was something they were considering. But, we now have official confirmation that all of this was just spin, as Sony will be releasing a wireless PS3 controller in Japan this November — and the sucker has rumble.
When the PlayStation launched back in 1994, one of most widely-praised features was the DualShock controller that rumbled in your hands according to the on-screen action. It grew to become one of the system’s most beloved features and was included in the controllers when Sony launched the PlayStation’s successor, the epic PS2. Unfortunately, a company named Immersion Corp. owned a patent for the technology and it sued Sony for using rumble in its controllers without paying royalties. Immersion even went so far as to prevent Sony from selling PS2 consoles for a few months. This, many believe, is the real reason Sony scrapped DualShock in the PS3 and instead gave us the motion-sensing SIAXIS controllers, which have still yet to prove themselves as fun or useful.
However, Sony recently settled its long-standing dispute with Immersion, and DualShock for PS3 is on the way. As mentioned, the new controller is due to hit Japan in November of this year, with a U.S. and European release in Spring of 2008. Interestingly, Sony is allowing existing games to be updated to work with rumble through software updates, though it hasn’t said which games. Sony also hasn’t priced the new controller yet, but given that the current, rumble-free version goes for $50 we figure $60 is a fair guess.
From Joystiq
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