Sony Flip-Flops on Rumble for PS3

Proving that you shouldn't trust what companies say.

Forget what you may have heard about Sony not being interested in adding rumble to the PlayStation 3 controller. Despite numerous comments on how it would be technically difficult to do so and how the Sixaxis' tilt controls offer a better gameplay experience, it now looks like the PS3 controller will be rumbling soon after all.

Sony and tech company Immersion jointly announced on Thursday that they had ended their wrangling over Sony's unlawful inclusion of Immersion's rumble technology in past versions of the Dual Shock controller. More importantly, the two are now working together to use Immersion's "advanced vibration capability for the benefit of the PlayStation gaming community", hinting at a rumbling PS3 controller.

Sony president Kaz Hirai said the company was looking forward to working with Immersion on, "exciting new ways to bring the largest and best range of gameplay experiences to our customers."

Despite the deal, the company hasn't yet confirmed any PS3 games in development that will include rumble.

Sony's flip-flop on rumble comes just days after Sony executive Phil Harrison called it a "last-generation" feature in an interview with GameDaily. Harrison's carefully chosen words during an interview that took place just before this week's announcement suggest that perhaps a new rumble-enabled PS3 controller would be sold as an accessory at first, much like the original Dual Shock controller was.

"We have no plans to do so in the standard controller that ships with PlayStation 3," Harrison said in the interview.

"I believe that the Sixaxis controller offers game designers and developers far more opportunity for future innovation than rumble ever did. Now, rumble I think was the last generation feature; it's not the next-generation feature. I think motion sensitivity is. And we don't see the need to do that."

This preference for tilt-controls over rumble was echoed by comments from a spokesperson for Sony in Europe who said: "We still feel strongly that 'active' rather than 'passive' gameplay options are the wave of the future. However, we look forward to exploring additional functionality in our products through our Immersion partnership."

The deal between Sony and Immersion brings to an end a legal tussle that began in the winter of 2002, when Immersion took on both Sony and Microsoft. Microsoft later settled with Immersion for $26 million and gained a 10 per cent stake in the company in the process. Sony lost its appeal in 2005 and was ordered to pay $82 million in damages.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo