Immersion offers to teach Sony's DualShake to dance
Immersion Corporation is a thorn on Sony's side -- in September of 2004 they won a lawsuit against Sony, arguing that the videogame giant had used their "haptic" (read: rumble) technology without consent. Sony is appealing the verdict, which requires that they pay $90 million to Immersion and prohibits Sony from selling games and controllers that specifically used Immerison's technology, including the PS2 DualShock controller.
Coincidentally (or perhaps not), Sony unveiled at this year's E3 that the PS3 controller, which we are dubbing the DualShake for its motion-sensor properties, would lack a rumble feature. Immersion President Victor Viegas has offered to work with Sony to add rumble to the PlayStation 3 controller, adding that they have "numerous solutions" that they have offered Sony. The catch? Sony has to drop the appeal and accept the court decision from 2004.
Sony's line of reasoning has been, publicly, that they had to drop the rumble feature to make way for its last-minute inclusion of motion-sensor technology. However, as many have noted, the controller now feels flimsy, and the inclusion of rumble technology seems very viable. Its absence is a step backwards for the console, and we hope that somehow (by hook or by crook), Sony backs down and includes haptic technology with their final product.
