Sony Fined for Rumbling Without a Licence
The Dual Shock 2 is comfy, rugged and a patent violation.
The next time your Dual Shock 2 controller rumbles in your hands, appreciate what that sensation has cost Sony. In a recent court ruling in the US, Sony was found guilty of infringing patents held by technology company Immersion that cover the now-omnipresent controller rumble feature.
The ruling means that Sony will have to pay a total of $82 million in damages to Immersion over the next three years. Microsoft, which also uses the same technology, avoided the legal tussle by settling out of court with Immersion in 2003.
While Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft have yet to reveal the successors to their current home consoles, it's presumed that all three will still be using a rumble feature in their controllers.
All will be revealed at May's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angles, where the three companies are expected to show off their new hardware.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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