Sony's Wiimote competitor to come as break-apart DualShock 3?
By Ryan Block 
posted June 13th 2008 10:13PM
posted June 13th 2008 10:13PM
posted June 13th 2008 10:13PM
Sony PlayStation 3
Sony PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS
Nintendo Wii console
Nintendo Wii Remote controller
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From what I can tell this site has two kinds of primary loud-mouthed morons;
A) Those who puff themselves up with all kinds of smug over how they saved $50 by buying some piece of crap that doesn't work properly, has vastly inflated operating costs and fails whenever you're using it for something intensive - they're likely to support Microsoft, Ford, Chevy etc.
and
B) Those who think that when you pay more for something, that thing is automatically better than it's competition by virtue of it being "of a higher calibre" than the competition. Such people tend to think that if you surround yourself with expensiveness it somehow reflects on you as a person. They're likely to support Apple, BMW, Mercedes, Sony, Bang & Olufsen etc.
is everyone forgetting the fact that the sixaxis/dualshock is SUPPOSED to have motion control, except it is absolutely worthless!
i for one will never shell out any more money for sony controllers after buying 4x SIXAXIS on the release date, and now 2x more dualshocks
i'm not changing camps or anything but sony royally screwed up on this controller business
Pawn shop.
Sounds intriguing, but i think once put into reality it'll blow hard. Come on Sony all these different controllers. It was ok with the ps1 we had an upgrade from the norm to something out of this world dual shock was amazing and pervs could get off lol.
This motion sensing stuff ehhh idk it didn't do well in the games I've played that had it, it was more like hey look what i can do... just leave the ds3 and call it a day and lower the price of the bugger i didn't know they cost as much as a friggen game minus 5 bucks.
Agreed. I don't think they need to be wasting more money on another controller, esp. anything that comes apart. But who knows, I'll just wait and see. Sony makes mistakes but they aren't stupid, so you never know with them.
If they do this, it'll be a waste of time. Optional accessories never get a lot of support from third party developers, because by their very optional nature, not everyone owns one...and why make a game that relies on something only some PS3 owners have bought? You're limiting the audience for your game out of the gate, which most third party developers simply can't afford to do.
No, if you're going to do a special controller and you want a lot of games to be designed for it, you have to pack it in with the console, and do it early in the console's lifespan.
Sony is obviously going to position it just like they did with eye-toy games and PSN titles. It'll be its own niche - motion controlled games - and it'll co-exist with everything else out there. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see most of these titles being PSN releases.
Exactly, JoeBlow, and Sony's niche devices never end up going much of anywhere. The EyeToy, for example, has a very limited number of mainly first-party titles. And that's why I don't see this controller mattering much.
The eyetoy is a very unique device - you can't make games that support both devices. I wouldn't be surprised to see games come out that can be played with either or (DS3 or motion controls).
LOL, and the Wii doesn't have already enough useless gadgets and controllers...
The editors obvious hatred of anything Sony is clear, and understandable, now it's clear now the path is clear to decimate the 360...
I seem to recall the original XBox had 2 controllers, I also seem to recall many users were "bullied" into buying harddrives, and HD DVD add-ons for the 360...
Jesus, some people need to get a grip on reality and take off the rose tinted Xbox glasses at times..
Do you know what you sound like?
Just asking... ;)
Awesome, let's release a totally game-changing mechanic more than a year into the life of the console, and yet another hassle for developers on a console they already hate programming for. Also, let's do it like 2 months after we released our hot new controller featuring 90's tech.
John Carmack must be furious.
Sony plz do not make a toy(wii) controller.There is nothing wrong with the sony controller,it works.What is the point in changing the sixaxis\DS3 controllers if they work,so what if its 90's tech at least the PS3 isn't and that's what counts.To PsychoAnalYst how can you put sony in the b category their amps,dvd players and music players are priced well.
I never understood why Sony (or developers themselves) just would support the Wiimote, I mean the PS3 can handle the wiimote without a problem (their both BlueTooth capable), the only problem ofcourse would be you couldn't really advertise with it with the real names (unless you would be able to convinve nintendo to give you a license to mention their names)..
Nintendo would even go on making the big profits on the sales of the wiimote (which are sold with BIG profits)..
otherwise, it's not like the wiimote is anything new at all (as some people might think), it's been done before, even by Microsoft (just around when the gamecube was presented)..
Because controllers are a profit center.
Besides, what's so great about the Wiimote? $40 for that and it has criminally bad battery life and no 1st party rechargability capability?
@SuperDre
Microsoft's FreeStyle Pro sensed tilt on two axes; NOT motion sensing. I can tell you from first-hand experience that it is *HORRIBLE*.
@whynottheLS2LS7?
"Criminally bad battery life" is an exaggeration.
Also, there *is* an official rechargeable pack that the Wii remote was engineered to be compatible with. It's a Japan-only accessory that was originally released for the Game Boy Advance (the older, horizontal version). Both the Wireless Wavebird for Gamecube and the Wii Remote have battery compartments that are specifically engineered to be compatible with the GBA rechargeable packs.
Go here and search the page for models "AGB-003" and "AGB-004":
http://maru-chang.com/hard/agb/english.htm#AGB
Neither of those are chargeable in-device. That doesn't add rechargability, it merely adds the ability to put in a rechargable battery, which it already had since it takes AAs.
And the Wiimote has the shortest battery life by far of current-gen controllers. And that's only in use. In standby it's horrible too. It'll eat a set of alkalines just by sitting on the shelf a bit over a month.
This writeup is ridiculous.
First, it portrays that somehow PS3 owners can hardly sleep at night over the controller situation. Really? As a PS3 owner I didn't notice. I play games, I enjoy them.
Second, saying Sony clearly owned Immersion money is ridiculous. Immersion didn't invent rumble. Even Nintendo didn't invent it. It has been used on airplanes to indicate additional information (impending stall) for decades. Immersion made sophisticated force-feedback systems like the old force-feedback joysticks. They didn't care about rumble until their other business failed, then they turned patent troll.
Additionally, MS bought 20% (roughly) of Immersion. Would you pay a patent troll if they are going to give it straight to your competitor?
Finally, you complain the PS3 has too many controllers? Why not look at the Wii? Wiimote, Wiimote+Nunchuk, Classic Controller and Gamecube controller. And I'm not even counting the wheel or the fitboard. Nintendo has to print a controller compatibility chart for their games! And yet the Wii seems to do okay in the marketplace.
Wow that pic what mad photoshop skillz........................
...or MSPAINT skillz ;)
I've always wanted a dualshock two that could split apart so I could exercise on a treadmill or elliptical while playing the PS2
why damage a good controller design
OK I agree the break-apart controller is a bad idea, but I really have to disagree with the statement "because they spent so much time fighting Immersion over the money they clearly owed in the first place". Immersion is a patent troll of the worst sort -- one that doesn't actually make anything new. The fact that their patent wasn't thrown out due to prior art or obviousness is just a sign of the failure of the US Patent system, nothing more. I applaud Sony for fighting them, even if it resulted in Immersion getting undeserved money anyway, and delaying the DualShock3.
Input
Primary analogue
Right place
Not in
I challenge Sony to rearrange this and make a sentence.
if this picture is even close to the actual design (doubtful), it would be sorta cool if when you split it into two halves there was a trigger of sorts behind the R3 or L3 button, so it would be a gun/pointer, with the other using the L1 and L2 and anolog stick (or R, depending on left handed/right handed) to move and cycle through weapons or items...my unrealistic two cents