Zilla Man
05-27-2006, 05:44 PM
PS3 could have rumble - Immersion president
Sony has been offered help introducing "rumble" technology to its PlayStation 3 controller by a very unusual source - the president of the company that sued it for using the technology in the first place.
In a press release shortly after its pre-E3 conference, the platform holder said the addition of tilt sensors to the PS3 controller meant it was impossible to implement rumble technology - something balked at by a number of commentators, and widely criticised following the show.
Speaking to Gamasutra, Immersion president Victor Viegas said he'd "offered them numerous solutions to the problem". "I don't believe it's a very difficult problem to solve, and Immersion has experts that would be happy to solve that problem for them."
AdvertisementFor this to happen, however, Sony would have to drop its current appeal against the 2004 lawsuit that saw it told to pay approximately USD 90 million in damages to Immersion, which had alleged it made illegal use of its "haptic" (rumble) technologies.
Sony is currently appealing against an injunction that would prohibit it from making or selling PlayStation controllers featuring rumble technology. Microsoft, originally named in the same lawsuit, settled with Immersion for $26 million, also taking a 10 per cent stake in the company and becoming a licensee of its technology. Immersion has taken no action against Nintendo at this time.
"[Sony has] taken aggressive positions with the use of patents to try to invalidate our claims, and have argued that Immersion committed fraud," Viegas told Gamasutra. "There's been quite a lot of legal activity and a lot of unnecessary energy expended over this."
Viegas feels that the removal of rumble from PlayStation 3 is a backwards step for Sony, telling Gamasutra, "to take vibration out of a driving game or a first person shooting game, I can't imagine how people will be able to view that as an advancement in gaming".
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64869
I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Then came this:
Sony's controller claims disputed
Gaming accessory manufacturer eDimensional has told our sister site, GameIndustry.biz, that it is possible to create a six axis motion-sensing controller which also has a rumble feature - despite Sony's claims to the contrary.
Sony recently announced that the PlayStation 3 DualShock will not vibrate, as this would "interfere with information detected by the sensor".
This was disputed by technology firm Immersion, who in 2004 won a lawsuit that claimed Sony had illegally made use of its "haptic" (rumble) technologies. Sony is currently appealing against the decision.
AdvertisementNow Immersion has granted eDimensional a patent license to use "advanced vibro-tactile, spinning-mass gaming technologies" in its products. eDimensional will make use of Immersion's TouchSense feedback technology together with virtual reality motion-sensing technology in the forthcoming G-Pad Pro Gyroscopic controller for PC and PS2.
"This announcement is of interest because Sony has said that they will remove vibration from their new PS3 controller because it interferes with the six axis sensing capability of the product," an Immersion representative told GI.biz.
"But as is demonstrated by the eDimensional announcement, making these two features work together is not difficult but requires knowledge of haptic technologies."
"Based on that information, it sounds like there is more to the story than Sony is telling us."
Immersion's Mark Belinsky commented: "Adding eDimensional as an Immersion licensee means that we're supporting the combination of touch feedback along with motion sensing."
"Together, these technologies define what most gamers would call 'next-generation,' and we're pleased to be working with eDimensional to make it happen."
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=65131
Are they saying that Sony might've lied? Say it ain't so, Joe! Next thing you know some idiot will be claiming the 2000 Presidential Election was stolen. Sheesh.
Based on these two articles and the fact that the rumble feature is so important, I'm thinking Sony will settle just before PS3 production ramps up. They're too proud to not have something this simple that MS and Ninty have that people expect in games now (largely because of them).
BTW, guys, I'll have full reports on the PS3 controller and the games in the next day or so.
Sony has been offered help introducing "rumble" technology to its PlayStation 3 controller by a very unusual source - the president of the company that sued it for using the technology in the first place.
In a press release shortly after its pre-E3 conference, the platform holder said the addition of tilt sensors to the PS3 controller meant it was impossible to implement rumble technology - something balked at by a number of commentators, and widely criticised following the show.
Speaking to Gamasutra, Immersion president Victor Viegas said he'd "offered them numerous solutions to the problem". "I don't believe it's a very difficult problem to solve, and Immersion has experts that would be happy to solve that problem for them."
AdvertisementFor this to happen, however, Sony would have to drop its current appeal against the 2004 lawsuit that saw it told to pay approximately USD 90 million in damages to Immersion, which had alleged it made illegal use of its "haptic" (rumble) technologies.
Sony is currently appealing against an injunction that would prohibit it from making or selling PlayStation controllers featuring rumble technology. Microsoft, originally named in the same lawsuit, settled with Immersion for $26 million, also taking a 10 per cent stake in the company and becoming a licensee of its technology. Immersion has taken no action against Nintendo at this time.
"[Sony has] taken aggressive positions with the use of patents to try to invalidate our claims, and have argued that Immersion committed fraud," Viegas told Gamasutra. "There's been quite a lot of legal activity and a lot of unnecessary energy expended over this."
Viegas feels that the removal of rumble from PlayStation 3 is a backwards step for Sony, telling Gamasutra, "to take vibration out of a driving game or a first person shooting game, I can't imagine how people will be able to view that as an advancement in gaming".
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64869
I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Then came this:
Sony's controller claims disputed
Gaming accessory manufacturer eDimensional has told our sister site, GameIndustry.biz, that it is possible to create a six axis motion-sensing controller which also has a rumble feature - despite Sony's claims to the contrary.
Sony recently announced that the PlayStation 3 DualShock will not vibrate, as this would "interfere with information detected by the sensor".
This was disputed by technology firm Immersion, who in 2004 won a lawsuit that claimed Sony had illegally made use of its "haptic" (rumble) technologies. Sony is currently appealing against the decision.
AdvertisementNow Immersion has granted eDimensional a patent license to use "advanced vibro-tactile, spinning-mass gaming technologies" in its products. eDimensional will make use of Immersion's TouchSense feedback technology together with virtual reality motion-sensing technology in the forthcoming G-Pad Pro Gyroscopic controller for PC and PS2.
"This announcement is of interest because Sony has said that they will remove vibration from their new PS3 controller because it interferes with the six axis sensing capability of the product," an Immersion representative told GI.biz.
"But as is demonstrated by the eDimensional announcement, making these two features work together is not difficult but requires knowledge of haptic technologies."
"Based on that information, it sounds like there is more to the story than Sony is telling us."
Immersion's Mark Belinsky commented: "Adding eDimensional as an Immersion licensee means that we're supporting the combination of touch feedback along with motion sensing."
"Together, these technologies define what most gamers would call 'next-generation,' and we're pleased to be working with eDimensional to make it happen."
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=65131
Are they saying that Sony might've lied? Say it ain't so, Joe! Next thing you know some idiot will be claiming the 2000 Presidential Election was stolen. Sheesh.
Based on these two articles and the fact that the rumble feature is so important, I'm thinking Sony will settle just before PS3 production ramps up. They're too proud to not have something this simple that MS and Ninty have that people expect in games now (largely because of them).
BTW, guys, I'll have full reports on the PS3 controller and the games in the next day or so.