One of the biggest surprises at the E3 convention last year was during the time when the GamerNode staff first picked up the new PS3 Sixaxis controller.
We all scratched our heads and said, "Whoa, how come it’s so light?" A few moments of playing Gran Turismo HD with the new controller answered that question quite quickly — there was no rumble/dual shock feature.
Sony explained the "Great Omission" by saying they couldn’t figure out a way to keep the rumble from affecting the motion sensors inside the SixAxis.
Right. The guys, who arguably, developed the most advanced gaming machine ever, (according to them), couldn’t figure this out.
Since then, we’ve learned that Sony was in the midst of a big-time patent infringement lawsuit filed by the originators of the rumble technology – Immersion Corp., to the tune of about 91 million Simoleans. Sony subsequently lost and was ordered to pay up in addition to other incidental fees and court actions.
However, news has surfaced that Sony and Immersion have been in talks "…to explore the inclusion of Immersion technology in PlayStation format products." Previous to this, Sony was also ordered to cease all further development and manufacturing of rumble equipped devices and controllers.
Victor Viegas, CEO of Immersion said, "We are pleased to have put this litigation behind us…"
Kaz Hirai, Sony’s newly crowned king of Sony Computer Entertainment remarked, ""We are very excited about our new partnership with Immersion and the potential for new and innovative products incorporating their technologies."
The two companies have reached an agreement where Sony will pay Immersion Corp. $22.5 million regarding the patent infringement case.
Bottom line: new rumble controllers are on the way for the PS3. But what about everyone who has the old SixAxis devices? Will they have to buy another one? Chalk up another $50 to $60 to the overall cost of the PS3.
[via gameindustry]
