PS3's SIXAXIS goes under the knife

When it comes to consumer electronics, there are basically two types of people in the world: those folks who'd rather remain blissfully ignorant about the inner-workings of their toys, and those who rip open a product's packaging, toss the instructions in the garbage, and immediately break out their screwdrivers and desoldering kits to discover exactly what makes their new tech tick. From the sheer number of naked gadget photo spreads we've featured on these pages, it's pretty clear that we fall into this latter group, which is why our heart started beating a little faster when we came across a thorough gallery of the PS3's SIXAXIS controller cracked open and splayed out for all of us silicon pr0n fiends to ogle. Thanks to a ChinaGBA forum contributor named Panpp, we not only have close-up shots of the SIXAXIS's every nook and cranny, but a layer-by-layer dissection of all its motion-sensing, rumble-free, non-replaceable battery goodness. So keep reading for a few more pics, and then hit the Read link for even more controller carnage (spoiler: we went over every photo with a magnifying glass, and unlike those sneaky engineers over at Apple, it seems that Sony isn't in the business of hiding highly-desirable, crippled components in its hardware).

[Thanks, ChronoZaga]

[ali @ Oct 29th 2006 11:58AM]

wow, is that a cell processor in there?

[tyler @ Oct 29th 2006 12:06PM]

Hmm, that battery looks easier to replace than some ipod batteries that I've had to fix.
The only problem that I could forsee is sony hot-melting the whole case together so that you couldn't get into it.
It's a shame, though, that the controller doesn't have rumble feature- it added an interesting twist to some of the games that I've played, like waiting for the controller to rumble as a sign of approaching enemies...

[Raider @ Oct 29th 2006 12:20PM]

Hmmmm... it has to be said..

I wonder if that Sony battery will blow up in your hand?

[Bennyboy @ Oct 29th 2006 12:40PM]

i thought people only disected interesting peices of technology??

[asif5th @ Oct 29th 2006 12:44PM]

Many people in here believe that Sony didn't include rumbling in their controllers because they're engineers weren't brilliant enough. You couldn't be more wrong and it's pretty obvious when you look at those pictures, that there was more than enough room. The fact of the manner is that Sony, just like most other companies like to steal ideas from other companies, without paying them a royalty fee. After being sued by Immersion, Microsoft and Nintendo gladly paid a one time royalty fee. But what does Sony do...just like with all their stuck up behavior; they decided to remove it from their controller, and pay the company NOTHING for using their technology. http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=66648 It's all right there...yeah everyone is disappointed because the vibration is gone...but Sony ACTUALLY thinks that tilting my controller in 6 directions is going to be more immersive...than using vibration in more intrusive ways. But many people will ask, PC games don't have rumble but their just as popular? Rumble was one of the differentiating ideas that made consoles a lot different than consoles. But with web browsers and costing 600 bucks with expensive accessories, are consoles and PCs becoming the same thing..or are we more inclined to bringing a PC into our living room?

[jason @ Oct 29th 2006 3:04PM]

werd i wouldnt pay the fine specially if it was 90 million bills,also if they did put rummble in thier controller it would throw off the sensors by everytime you get hit in the game.. plus this is a good way to screw up your playing parter when he make you mad when he dose a cheap move now that side arm pushing will have an effect

[nick @ Oct 29th 2006 3:00PM]

M$ didn't just pay royalty fees.. they bought 5% of the company so they can get money out of it in the long run

[Xiath @ Oct 29th 2006 1:07PM]

Wow, I could have sworn they just taped a Kirby Tilt 'n Tumble on the inside. Guess I was wrong...

[Mattso @ Oct 29th 2006 1:23PM]

"Many people in here believe that Sony didn't include rumbling in their controllers because they're engineers weren't brilliant enough..."

...and what gave you that idea? Seems to me that most people who read engadget are likely to already know what happened. We aren't all misinformed people begging for your wealth of information, smart guy.

[roman.kim @ Oct 29th 2006 1:25PM]

No vibration? That's okay, I bet explosive battery packs will be more powerful then dualshock anyway.

[footieshop @ Oct 29th 2006 1:44PM]

I also noticed that there is a CE logo on the battery pack (picture 17 down) didn't the lawsuit against lik-sang have something to do with the products were not tested and certified for sale in Europe and the UK? if they have a CE mark they are?

[DarkFader @ Oct 29th 2006 1:53PM]

fail for low-res, smudging and logo

[Mike @ Oct 29th 2006 2:10PM]

So there's room in there for rumble after all...

[Chris @ Oct 29th 2006 2:17PM]

"it seems that Sony isn't in the business of hiding highly-desirable, crippled components in its hardware)."

They do have crippled components in their hardware, they just don't hide them very well. I believe they call them "features", and boy, are they crippled.

[Blaine @ Oct 29th 2006 2:32PM]

Looks quite spacious...well, you know how hot those controllers get!

[degree @ Oct 29th 2006 2:54PM]

Hey asif5th... You're wrong on your comment of "But many people will ask, PC games don't have rumble but their just as popular? Rumble was one of the differentiating ideas that made consoles a lot different than consoles."

PC games have/had rumble technology-- They also were the pioneer's of Force Feedback.. check your facts

[Zorque @ Oct 29th 2006 3:02PM]

Yeah, but when was the last time you played a PC game that actually made use of force feedback?

[Justin @ Oct 29th 2006 3:30PM]

That's simply untrue. Immersion has put out multiple solutions to make both features coexist.

I know the Wii uses different motion sensing technology, but it includes rumble as well.

[Igor @ Oct 29th 2006 3:22PM]

heh, am i the only one noticing big TOSHIBA chip?

[Digi Smalls @ Oct 29th 2006 3:44PM]

oh a black playstation 1 controller. cool..

[Keaton @ Oct 29th 2006 4:08PM]

OMG!!!

It has a sony battery! maybe it will explode!!! yay!!! KABOOM!

[Keaton @ Oct 29th 2006 4:08PM]

OMG!!!

It has a sony battery! maybe it will explode!!! yay!!! KABOOM!

[Mark @ Oct 29th 2006 4:47PM]

That's awesome. I wanna do that to my controller! lol

[myscrnnm @ Oct 29th 2006 4:52PM]

"Many people in here believe that Sony didn't include rumbling in their controllers because they're engineers weren't brilliant enough. You couldn't be more wrong and it's pretty obvious when you look at those pictures, that there was more than enough room."

That's totally wrong. SCEI did not implement vibration motors into the SIXAXIS for two reasons, neither of which was because of a lack of room within the controller. The first reason was because of fear that the motors would interfere with the controller's motion-detection system, and the second reason is because they believe that vibration is only force feedback, and not active feedback like you can have with motion-sensing.

And for those Nintendo fanboys out there who think that vibration will not interfere with the motion-sensing, this is because the SIXAXIS implements more accurate sensors than the Wii remote's.

[Billy Bob @ Oct 29th 2006 5:15PM]

um, for the record, Sony has tilt sensors, which are less accurate than the Wii's gyroscopic sensors

[asif5th @ Oct 29th 2006 6:04PM]

K...I love it how people nowadays believe everything that these corporations say. Yeah, and Microsoft claims they don't buy other businesses out; so I believe them because companies would NEVER lie. Of course not...lying to the consumer is sooo bad and NEVER happens. Please, get your facts straight; it's obvious that Sony just didn't want to pay the royalty fee. If you actually believe that this crap of, "the rumbling would get in the way of the sensors," then I hope you never go in the analyst business. If Sony's sensors are so much more advanced than the Wii's, than why can't they're brilliant engineers just add a simple rumble? The fact that you mentioned the PS3 controller will have more accurate sensors than the Wii....I find it very hard to find any of your statement credible after you typed that. Yes, a gimmick by one company...is really more technologically advanced than the company that plans to use it in all of their games. So why should I believe a company that installs root kits on my computer, can't get their new format up and running, and claims that the PS3 is cheap. Please, Microsoft used to be the company to hate, but with Sony's horrendous treatment of the consumer; WHY should I believe anything they say. I just find it, and many other people as well; preposterous that a company on the level of Sony wouldn't pay a small royalty fee for the consumer.

[hemmy @ Oct 29th 2006 5:10PM]

"After being sued by Immersion, Microsoft and Nintendo gladly paid a one time royalty fee."

Um, no. Nintendo did not get sued by Immersion, and Nintendo rumble technology isn't covered by Immersion patents.

Immersion is all sour grapes now because their biggest source of revenue just got pulled out from under their feet. An estimated 400+ million Dual Shock controllers were manufactured (and clones) and that's a huge industry to be a part of when you get a license fee for each one.

[myscrnnm @ Oct 29th 2006 7:38PM]

"So why should I believe a company that installs root kits on my computer, can't get their new format up and running, and claims that the PS3 is cheap."

That is very lame. The PlayStation 3 is anything but expensive. What you don't understand is that the PlayStation 3 isn't a mere video game console. The PlayStation 3 is a powerful computer entertainment platform. You have no idea what kind of processing power it has. The Cell processor within the system is capable of processing FMV at three times the speed of an Intel Itanium 2 processor and twelve times the speed of an AMD Opteron. These are server-level processors that almost no one uses at home. The Itanium, after the Xeon, is pretty much the most powerful CPU a consumer can get.

Not to mention the PlayStation 3 uses 3.2GHz XDR DRAM. I'm sure someone like you can't appreciate this, but at 3.2GHz, the RAM is running at the same speed as the CPU, which means no lag. Anyone who knows about electronics will tell you that your system is only as good as your worst component, and that's why a lot of seemingly high performance systems are not as fast as they should be. With the PlayStation 3, there is no latency.

And last of all, the most obvious reason why the PlayStation 3 is cheap is because of the Blu-ray disc drive. Most Blu-ray players retail for $800-1,000, and even the cheapest drives will cost you $750-$850. At $600, the PlayStation 3 is the most viable option to get next-generation video.

[asif5th @ Oct 29th 2006 8:02PM]

Sorry, but if you go take a look at the codecs and compression used for the next-gen formats; HD-DVD clearly wins, and it looks a lot more clear. Not only is the format far cheaper, but it has more than enough space for High Def movies. These first-gen PS3 games claim to be taking up 16GBs of space, but it is just poor programming on the developers part who don't use compression; to convince the consumer they NEED blu-ray. It's evident that Blu-ray will end up another Beta Max. Your average ignorant consumer walks into a local best buy: HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray. Hmmm, DVD....a name that the consumer recognizes right away..but this thing called Blu-Ray..cost more! Face it, I agree that the PS3 is cheap for all the components it has. But we are talking about a video game console. Now that both consoles have GTA, Madden, and Halo 3 is on the 360; why should the average gamer buy a PS3 for 200 dollars more? The PS3 will go down as one of the biggest failures in the history of video games...Blu-ray is not for games, its another way for Sony to push their propriotory format. Also, the PS3 might look better on paper...but the 360 can push out visuals on par with the PS3. Just take a look at the new trailer for Gears of War..all In-game...unless the CGI that Sony shows us. http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=14418&type=mov&pl=game

[James @ Oct 29th 2006 8:06PM]

I'm sure someone has already said it but I just thought I would add another two cents. I am sure that Sony will be able to add the rumble feature in futrue controllers. Just another reason why you don't pre-order consoles or games without through reviews.

[Chris Chance @ Oct 29th 2006 10:06PM]

looks... like a ps1... but somehow cheaper

[Don Irwin @ Oct 29th 2006 10:07PM]

To myscrnnm & asif5th ...

first of all myscrnnm, your post sounds like it was was by a Sony employee (paid to post it) because, one, most people in the world could only afford to make a down payment of what? $500 for A CAR?!

how the hell does sony expect people to pay $500 for a GAMING CONSOLE? Sony is just pushing this "new tech new tech NEW TECH = EXPENSIVE = GOOD" thing on people.

to asif5th I agree with you Sony is doing a lot of BS lately and they are soon becoming (if not already are) the laughing stock of the 3 big console gaming companies...

Okay, I can't do this, I'll admit I'm a Microsoft fanboy... but ONLY because they are the only company that's doing things right at the moment (and makes games I like ;)). Anyway, the cell MIGHT be able to destroy a single core Intel or AMD server level processor, but that is not what it is (a supercomputer) it's a gaming console (and FYI most servers have multiple processors, if not multiple dual/quad core processors). But you have a valid point, and...

WE WILL SEE 11/7!!! (GoW, baby!... oh yeah, and PS3...)

[Allen @ Oct 29th 2006 10:38PM]

AWW KEWL! Now I don't have to take it apart when I get one. I got dibs on the PS button!

[tekdroid @ Oct 29th 2006 10:40PM]

this dissection is all well and good, but I'll only buy the console when I see Oprah and Bono promote it.

[myscrnnm @ Oct 29th 2006 10:47PM]

"HD-DVD clearly wins, and it looks a lot more clear. Not only is the format far cheaper, but it has more than enough space for High Def movies. These first-gen PS3 games claim to be taking up 16GBs of space, but it is just poor programming on the developers part who don't use compression; to convince the consumer they NEED blu-ray. It's evident that Blu-ray will end up another Beta Max. Your average ignorant consumer walks into a local best buy: HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray. Hmmm, DVD....a name that the consumer recognizes right away..but this thing called Blu-Ray..cost more! Face it, I agree that the PS3 is cheap for all the components it has. But we are talking about a video game console. Now that both consoles have GTA, Madden, and Halo 3 is on the 360; why should the average gamer buy a PS3 for 200 dollars more? The PS3 will go down as one of the biggest failures in the history of video games...Blu-ray is not for games, its another way for Sony to push their propriotory format. Also, the PS3 might look better on paper...but the 360 can push out visuals on par with the PS3. Just take a look at the new trailer for Gears of War..all In-game...unless the CGI that Sony shows us."

First of all, you don't really know how HD DVD works. The storage medium in this case doesn't determine the clarity of the video, the clarity is predetermined by how the video was captured and what codec is used to store it. And HD DVD isn't far cheaper than Blu-ray. Yes, in the beginning, it is slightly cheaper, since some of the components can be produced on existing DVD production lines, but as history shows us, the production costs will get to nearly or completely the same after a few years.

Now, with Resistance: Fall of Man, the developers have already used mor ethan 22GB of the 25GB available on a single layer of Blu-ray disc. This is not a result of poor programming, but the developers' choice to use very little compression. From personally experience, I can tell you that compressing stuff can deteriorate the quality of images and videos, and in other types of media, change the load speeds due to the need to decompress the files.

Also, contrary to popular belief, Blu-ray is NOT Betamax. These are two completely different situations. With Betamax, the storage medium featured less storage space than VHS, and Sony refused to make the thing unproprietary. With Blu-ray, they've got a whole association, with more than one hundred members, and the board of directors includes Philips Electronics, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Dell, Pioneer, Apple Computer, et cetera. Sony is not alone in this venture, they even have TDK, which is one of the best optical media manufacturers on the planet.

Also, the console with all the good games is the PlayStation 3, which will also give it an edge. Let's face it, the Xbox 360 only has two good exclusives, Halo 3 and Dead or Alive Xtreme 2. Everything else it has that's good is also going to be on the PlayStation 3. But as usual, the PlayStation 3 will have all the good exclusives, i.e. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Resistance: Fall of Man, Final Fantasy XIII, Gran Turismo HD, et cetera. Not to mention MGS is the best stealth action game series, Final Fantasy is the best role-playing series, and Gran Turismo is the best driving simulator series. The PlayStation 3 is in the bag.

[asif5th @ Oct 29th 2006 11:34PM]

You are an idiot...I mentioned the fact of the different compression and codecs for the two formats. With uncompressed data, your going to be looking at massive loading times in most games. With the compression techniques used nowadays, you can virtuall tell no difference between an uncompressed...and compressed video. Please go take a look at the recent release of MI:3. Reviews are showing that the HD-DVD version has a better picture..and has more interactivity than its blu-ray counter-part. Resistance developers decided to drop the PAL FMV videos off the disks...because they said the real-time conversion of NTSC to PAL for FMVs would do nothing to the quality. So thats just 6 GBs of stupid FMVs...it makes you wonder why else they could of taken out. BAD PROGRAMMING. No, I'm not calling you an idiot because of your opinion of Blu-Ray being the winner; but your opinion of the PS3 winning the console war. You mentioned DOAX2 as a premier game, LOL; thus proving you are a Sony Rep. Hmm..have you ever heard of games for the 360 galled, GEARS OF WAR, GTA4, and read the latest EGM: There's talk of MGS4 coming to the 360. So get the hell out of here you rep...you should be shot for mentioned DOAX2 as a AAA game, idiot.

[Jay @ Oct 30th 2006 12:06AM]

HD-DVD - Makes DVD's with both formats regualr dvd on flip side. Can be watched on any existing player.

Blu-Ray - Can only be played on blu-ray players.

If I buy a movie, I went to be able to watch it anywhere or take it over a friends house. Especially at the price of 29.99. With Blu-Ray your stuck at buying more players for different rooms in your house, unless your going to lug around your ps3. If you want you can buy HD-DVD movies now, watch them on a normal player, and when your ready upgrade to the cheaper HD-DVD player.

This is why HD-DVD will win.

Oh and i'm glad Micro didn't put the drive in the console. Can you imagine the wear and tear from peeple who watch a lot of movies, and play a lot of games on the drive?

[++good @ Oct 30th 2006 9:33AM]

A shiny new penny to the first modder who puts rumble in the sixaxes or who mods a dual shock for the PS3. Let the mods begin!

[Peter Steffens @ Oct 30th 2006 10:20AM]

The two reasons Sony has given for no rumble, expense & incompatibility with tilt, are both lies. Immersion helped eDimensional with a PS2/PC controller, the G-Pad Pro, that tilts & rumbles & costs $29.99; a PS3 controller is $50. Kaz Hirai admitted later the two could co-exist, so price now is Sony's only reason for lack of force-feedback.

Immersion says [we know of ways to combine these two technologies without incremental increase to the cost. We�ve helped at least one other party [eDimensional] do this as well. It doesn�t really make any sense to me to say that the solution is really more expensive. I just don�t believe it is."]

[Burt Reynolds @ Oct 30th 2006 10:23AM]

asif5th:

The codec/compression commonly used on HD-DVD right now is also available on Blu-Ray. They would look identical if the content on the discs were produced in the same way. And unlike you claim, there are reviews of MI:3 stating they look AS GOOD even if MI:3 uses MPEG2 on Blu-Ray. They could've used the same codec/compression for an identical result as well.
And no matter what Microsoft does, they'll NEVER win the japanese market because they have very few titles that interest japanese gamers (even if they have managed to sell a console or two in japan lately). And without the Japanese market, well they may still take a cut out of Sony's market share (based on last generation) but they'll never win it. And if you haven't lived in Japan, dont come claiming you know the market there.
BetaMax lost for one reason. Sony refused to let the porn industry use BetaMax. They've learned their lesson and invited the porn industry to do so this time (although some smaller porn studios favor HD-DVD either way, as it's cheaper to buy the equipment for manufacturing initally). Sony will win the Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD war. They'll likely come ahead in the PS3 vs XBOX360 game world-wide too, but it may be at a lesser extent than the XBOX vs PS2 where they crushed Microsoft.

[myscrnnm @ Oct 30th 2006 6:10PM]

"You mentioned DOAX2 as a premier game, LOL; thus proving you are a Sony Rep. Hmm..have you ever heard of games for the 360 galled, GEARS OF WAR, GTA4, and read the latest EGM: There's talk of MGS4 coming to the 360. So get the hell out of here you rep...you should be shot for mentioned DOAX2 as a AAA game, idiot."

When you say premier game, I'm assuming you mean 'good', cuz that's how I intended to speak of Dead or Alive Xtreme 2. Yes, I have indeed heard of Gears of War, a very overrated game that is inferior to Resistance: Fall of Man. Also, it doesn't matter that the Xbox 360 will have Grand Theft Auto IV, cuz the PlayStation 3 will have it too, but with superior graphics and probably more features anyway. Also, I am a subscriber of EGM, and there is no talk of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots being released for any console other then the PlayStation 3. Perhaps later on (as done with Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance), but not at launch time, or anywhere near it. And if by "AAA", you mean "very good", then yes, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 is a very good game. And as I'm sure you've heard, Tecmo has gone to the trouble of giving each breast their own physics, it's all about the attention to detail.

[k1four me @ Oct 31st 2006 7:29AM]

HO my goodness!! You've killed it..... you bastards

[S34N @ Feb 8th 2007 8:43PM]

its got potential

but if it doesnt end well

always got the rumble to come back out with

with stronger rumble

warhawk will be good use of it

it had the idea before nintendo

geeks

wii blows