DualShock 3 trickles out to US retailers

Oh great lorf of the mighty rumble, the DualShock 3 has finally been spotted on US retailer soil. The one above caught the attention of Stephen at a Maryland Circuit City. Now best get on the horn with your local big box, no telling how long supplies will last.

[Thanks, Stephen B.]

[RCL1221 @ Apr 7th 2008 7:21AM]

Yay? Waiting on Logitech's version.

Cheaper and more ergonomic than that essentially 10+ year old design.

[Guimo @ Apr 7th 2008 8:01AM]

I have to agree with this. It's too bad they didn't stick with that boomerang design.

[Hashbrown Hunter @ Apr 7th 2008 7:53AM]

Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Arno @ Apr 7th 2008 8:00AM]

Oh, it's plenty broke trust me.

[Chebwa @ Apr 7th 2008 8:09AM]

"Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

If it ain't perfect, keep improving it.

[Hashbrown Hunter @ Apr 7th 2008 8:33AM]

Really? I think the DualShock design is one of the best in the history of gaming. It's the most comfortable and it gives you more of a sense of control.

...but then again I have hands the size of blimps so it could be just me.

[hickhamt @ Apr 7th 2008 8:40AM]

what's a "lorf"?

[sinjinn @ Apr 7th 2008 9:15AM]

it was a great design but somethings are wrong. the left stick and dpad need to swap position.

i think the xbox 360 controller is the best one out there.

[hrt @ Apr 7th 2008 10:51AM]

I also find the PlayStation controllers to be of the best design and ergonomics I've ever encountered. I do have HUGE hands though. :P

[MosquitoControl @ Apr 7th 2008 12:24PM]

I am shocked that huge hands love this piece of crap.

For me the analog sticks are too close together, which feels awkward. Beyond that the trigger buttons are just aggravating. With the 360 controller your hand somewhat rests on those fingers, making them easy to move. With the PS3 they're gripping the pad, making them harder to move. Not hard, but harder, and more tiring over time.

Not a fan. Ergonomics have changes so much, but we get the same shoddy design.

[Ignatius @ Apr 7th 2008 2:08PM]

My Circuit City got them in the UPS today. :P

[Jake @ Apr 7th 2008 2:18PM]

Dualshock/Sixaxis is excellent design, fits hands nicely, weighted right.

The Xbox360 controler is designed for obese fat American hands. Try less fast food, more excercise, and the Playstation controllers will be just fine.

[Jamesology @ Apr 7th 2008 3:10PM]

LMAO Jake FTW

[Player1 @ Apr 7th 2008 4:33PM]

I have owned several logitechs for the PS2 and orginal Xbox because I had people over weekly for games like Soul Calibur. The logitech buttons do not stand up well to button mashing (some of the players had no skills). I went through several of them actually. The stupid buttons cut through the rubber contacts below, and fail pretty quickly. I loved those when I got them, but hated constantly having to replace them. So enjoy!

[Jimbo @ Apr 7th 2008 5:47PM]

The PS3 controller is not broken. It's the symbol of video games now. Sony has a very nice, nostalgic, recognizable game controller. You know exactly how to control GTA4 with it, even if you've never played it. The value of the consistent image alone is worth a ton.

I've heard so many talk about switching the dpad with the left analog, but this is a bad idea. symmetry is what makes the dualshocks so great. It's industrial instead of natural looking, so it's very easy to learn and looks great. Third parties don't offer this adaptation either because they agree that this would not be as great as it sounds.

If anything, I think Sony screwed up by deviating from the dualshock 2's shoulder buttons. I understand this is so I can control a throttle and brake pedal, but it just ain't workin' for me. The 360 is a decent controller, but like all things 360, I think public opinion is radically skewed by the xbots. It's also an obvious ripoff of the dualshock (as is the wii's classic controller). nothing wrong with that, after all the SNES is the mother of them all.

Anyway, tons and tons and tons of playstation fans love the idea of a consistent controller.

[WiiFTW @ Apr 7th 2008 7:06PM]

@ Jake:

Being fat doesn't make your hands bigger or your fingers longer, dumbshit.

I've got long fingers, and I am a prime example of being fit, not fat.

How GC/360 has joystick/d-pad placement is the better way to do it.

BTW I own a PS2, Wii, have played PS3 and 360, am fit, play tennis and ice hockey, and am a vegetarian. Sorry to break your stereotypes so swiftly.

[tekdroid @ Apr 7th 2008 8:08PM]

Guimo
@ Apr 7th 2008 8:01AM

I have to agree with this. It's too bad they didn't stick with that boomerang design.
----------
Hmm. To me the boomerang controller looked like an ergonomic nightmare, and that's being nice. Just because it's a newer doesn't mean it's better.

I have to agree with "sinjinn" that the xbox360 controller is the better design, ergonomics-wise (the original xbox controller was a bit of a nightmare, tho).

It helps that the xbox360 controller has got a freely-downloadable Microsoft-provided driver for it, too. Windows use without any additional 'adaptor' hardware. Works well with most modern games that call for a gamepad, IMO.

[Esat Dedezade @ Apr 7th 2008 7:25AM]

Pff. I don't care for last gen technology.

[renmimby @ Apr 7th 2008 10:04AM]

Pff. Yeah, using your hands to play video games is, like, so overrated...

Last-gen compared to what, exactly?

[Esat Dedezade @ Apr 7th 2008 10:30AM]

It seems people need their memory refreshed. This is a real quote from Ken Kutatagi. I can't remember the exact date but it was just prior/after the PS3 launch.

Ken Kutaragi:"rumble is last generation, this generation is motion sensing"

I didn't think my earlier comment needed a '/sarcasm' at the end but I didn't expect people to forget that classic Kutaragi quote!

[phanbouy @ Apr 7th 2008 3:43PM]

my problem with the PS3 is that i can't put AnyDVD on it

[jo3 @ Apr 7th 2008 7:39AM]

why is this such a big deal, its just a controller.

[Mikey @ Apr 7th 2008 10:23AM]

it shakes

[Jake E. @ Apr 7th 2008 10:39AM]

It vibrates :)

[tiuk @ Apr 7th 2008 12:24PM]

It's a big deal because it should have been included at launch.

[fred @ Apr 7th 2008 7:53PM]

@ Jake

lol...."it vibrates"

[TubeTop100.com @ Apr 7th 2008 7:39AM]

Wow, it has been found at an US store? How about just heading over to Amazon, which has them in stock. FAIL.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-98050-Playstation-Dualshock-Controller/dp/B0015AARJI

Besides that... Sony should do a trade-in program for their existing customers. Way to screw your early adopters.

[Chebwa @ Apr 7th 2008 8:12AM]

You buy a new piece of technology and it will inevitably be upgraded replaced by something better. If you think Sony owes you something because they are bettering their product over time, you're quite mistaken, regardless of whether or not you think it should have been included originally. Otherwise I guess TiVo should give me a free Series 3 since I bought a Series 2 a while back, or Intel should upgrade my processor for free.

[TubeTop100.com @ Apr 7th 2008 8:19AM]

Well, the difference is that Sony told everybody that Rumble was soooooo last-gen. So people bought it because they thought it wouldn't be added anyway. So they bought a overpriced console with less functionality. The least thing is to do a trade-in for their early adopters who supported the console from the start.

But who cares? I don't have a PS3. Let those dumbasses pay 55 bucks for something that should've been included in the first place.

[Chebwa @ Apr 7th 2008 8:28AM]

"...they bought a overpriced console with less functionality."

Oh. A hater. Should have figured that in the first place. Nevermind I said anything at all.

[TubeTop100.com @ Apr 7th 2008 8:44AM]

Yeah you got to be a real hater to figure out early adopters payed way too much after disappointing sales, Sony dropping their prices with a few hunderd bucks and adding a rumble-feature.

[sinjinn @ Apr 7th 2008 9:18AM]

they sold the system at a loss, so how could early adoptors be paying way too much. does not compute.

[LiqwidZero @ Apr 7th 2008 9:27AM]

If you had one of the original PSX models, then you would know that this would never happen. Those of us that did get one, we got a controller with no analogue sticks or rumble. The dual shock controller came out a year or a year and a half later, just like this.

You would want Sony to owe you something, but, sadly, they don't.

[Mike @ Apr 7th 2008 9:30AM]

sinjinn, this means that the systems cost too much initially to penetrate the market, albeit with a crippled controller. making a system that you don't have to sell at a loss (lol nintendo) and taking care of your customer (lol stronger wiimote straps) are only something that good companies do.

i have a PS3, a 360, and a Wii, and I can clearly say that the SNES is still better than them :P And the controller was so awesome it didn't even need rumble :) L and R FTW :D

[John @ Apr 7th 2008 10:10AM]

could everyone quit bitching and moaning for two seconds?

[renmimby @ Apr 7th 2008 10:19AM]

Yeah, way to screw early adopters...
Companies like, for example, Nintendo would never do such a thing.
As long as you don't mention the DS and DS Lite...
Crap.
Sony should offer a trade in scheme only if Nintendo gives me a DS Lite in exchange for my DS.

Oh, and Mike, just because a controller doesn't shake around a bit does not make it 'crippled'. I never cared much for rumble. It doesn't exactly convey the feeling of having a machine gun in your hand, or of running over the rumble strips at Brands Hatch in a touring car...

[TubeTop100.com @ Apr 7th 2008 10:44AM]

Too bad the big difference is that the DS lite is only a cosmetic change. It doesn't change the way games are played. Besides that, the DS didn't have a launch price of $500-$600. Rumble has been included in every console since the PS2. And now people are saying it's ok(hence my low ranked posts) for Sony to leave it out of their original controllers and charging their costumers afterwards $55 for a controller with rumble functionality. I can't imagine you don't feel screwed if you bought 3 additional PS3 controllers without rumble.

[Chris @ Apr 7th 2008 12:07PM]

"The dual shock controller came out a year or a year and a half later, just like this."

Not too be a pedant, but the DualShock actually came out about 3 years after the PS.

[phanbouy @ Apr 7th 2008 1:51PM]

@john "could everyone quit bitching and moaning for two seconds?"

Is that the macho version of "can't we all just get along?"

[Kris @ Apr 7th 2008 7:55AM]

What Maryland Circuit City?

[Stephen Beyer @ Apr 7th 2008 8:46AM]

the ellcott city one

[Gus @ Apr 7th 2008 7:58AM]

On a side note, don't buy Mario Party 8 unless you have LOTS of friends and LOTS of booze.

[Marvin Quach @ Apr 7th 2008 8:24AM]

Well, duh! I could've told you that and I don't even own the damn game! It's the same with a majority of the Nintendo Wii games...

And the only reason why I'm bashing the Wii is because I have one and I regret buying it. UGH. (see Buyer's Remorse)

[Gus @ Apr 7th 2008 8:53AM]

Actually, it's the same with the majority of ANY console's games. Not every game on the X360 or PS3 is a brilliant game, believe me. I bought the Wii with no intent of playing it more than a few hours a week, and I love the system. I never owned a Gamecube or many of the older Nintendo systems, so a lot of the games I play are $15 or less backwards-compatible or Virtual Console games. Plus, my dorm room is a popular place now since Brawl is out and I have four controllers. I think my Wii was a great investment; rather than spending close to a thousand dollars for extra controllers and games for the more expensive systems, I have all the games I want right now for several hundred dollars less. :)

[DrXym @ Apr 7th 2008 8:06AM]

That depends if Logitech produce a proper USB charged, bluetooth controller or produce some shitty 2.4Ghz thing with a USB dongle. It should be a drop-in replacement for the DS3. Do it right or don't bother at all.

[Rick @ Apr 7th 2008 8:07AM]

Who cares?

[Maestro @ Apr 7th 2008 8:09AM]

Well, allow me to post the mandatory "but there are no games for this" post. (To which the PS3 police will tell me how they are running Folding@Home and saving the human race).

[sn1per @ Apr 7th 2008 8:15AM]

Rock Band, GH3, Ratchet and Clank, CoD 4, Uncharted, DMC 4, Warhawk....

[harveyhanson @ Apr 7th 2008 8:18AM]

Most games have now been patched to include the rumble feature... (I have a DS3 controller and its good btw, now feels more solid in the hand due to the extra weight, thought battery life suffers a bit but I can live with that)

[roach @ Apr 7th 2008 8:36AM]

@sn1per:
Rock Band (on 360), GH3(on 360), Ratchet and Clank, CoD 4(on 360), Uncharted, DMC 4(on 360), Warhawk....


sooooooo just R&C, Uncharted and Warhawk hmmm????