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Yoshida: DualShock 3 won't work with PS4
"No, [PS4] doesn't support DualShock 3, but it does support PS Move," Sony worldwide studios president Shuhei Yoshida has confirmed. Considering the design of the DualShock 4 and the functionality within, we can't say we're too surprised.Obviously we knew about the PS Move compatibility, seeing as how it was featured during last night's event, but this is the first definitive word on DualShock 3 support. Last night Sony announced that PSOne, PS2 and PS3 games would be playable on PS4 through technology developed by Gaikai, but that PS3 discs would not work natively.
PS3 controller goes 'metallic gold' at GameStop
All right, here's the setup for a classic prank. First, buy this GameStop-exclusive "metallic gold" PS3 controller when it comes out in October. Then, invite a friend over. When he or she is out of the room, swap the normal PS3 controller you were using for this new one, then start crying loudly.When your friend comes in to find out what's wrong, explain that you've been suddenly granted the Midas Touch and you're cursed with a life devoid of contact with anything but gold.Then – and this is crucial – yell "GOTCHA" before your unwitting target can ask what's wrong with you or note that the controller looks an awful lot like plastic, and that they can see the hastily hidden packaging anyway.Those of you in Europe can play along too: it's being released as a "limited edition" this month. Have fun!
N-Control's Avenger goes Elite, keeps classic good looks
Competitive gamers are always looking for a way to sharpen their edge, but few solutions provide leverage like the N-Control Avenger, a controller attachment known for rigging gamepads with actual levers. This quirky clamshell impressed us last year with its customizable trigger pulleys and finger flickable appendages -- allowing us to command the controller's face buttons without taking our thumbs off of its analog sticks. Today the outfit silently unveiled the Avenger Elite, a familiar looking successor that promises to offer more of the same, albeit better. Company founder David Kotkin explained that the new unit features higher quality materials, a more sensitive hair-trigger system and a new "spring against spring" button depression to give its button levers some extra oomph. The new unit's arms are also stronger, says Kotkin, and shouldn't have to be adjusted between sessions. The Elite sells for the same steep $50 as the original unit, although N-Control is offering a discount on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier when bundled with the plastic peripheral, $75 nets you both. Kotkin was kind enough to send us a few shots of the unit ahead of its May 5th Update: May 12th launch date, check them out in the gallery below, or click past the break for the official press release.
N-Control's Avenger for PS3 begins pre-sale, officially debuts November 8th
Been just a teensy bit jealous of your 360-owning, Avenger-toting friends? Well, Playstation owner, that resentment ends now -- sort of. Having promised a DualShock 3 version by the end of 2011, N-Control's gone and soft launched its controller appendage with a limited production run before it officially goes on-sale. Apparently only 5,000 of the $48.99 extras will available early, which means you'll have to act quick to get one. Those of you missing the pre-sale will have to wait until November 8th, when it'll hit retailers alongside the release of Modern Warfare 3. In the interim, hit up our review of its Redmond-friendly relative to see the gaming greatness that awaits you.
Receipt Racer makes printing fun, wastes more paper than you ever thought possible (video)
Sure, you could use your printer to spit out spreadsheets, but how about hooking up a DualShock 3 to play it like a video game? That's exactly what Joshua Noble and the undef duo did during a workshop related to OFFF last week, and the result is stunning (if not hilarious). The trio coded a game in openFrameworks, titled Receipt Racer, which uses a thermal receipt printer modded with a "light beamer" to display game info and represent a car, a DS3 to control it, and a laptop to connect the devices and run the software. A random track with obstacles gets rapidly printed while a player attempts to navigate it without crashing -- sort of like Lane Splitter -- or until the paper roll runs out after 164 feet. There's a tree-loving web browser version and the full details of how it works in the source link below. We scored just over 1,400 1,752 points; let us know how you do in the comments. [Thanks, Jesse]
PlayStation Move Sharpshooter hands-on: a first-party SMG peripheral coming in February
This isn't the first PlayStation Move peripheral to replicate a firearm, but the Sharpshooter is brought to you by Sony itself, so you expect a higher degree of quality than from the third-party deluge. And if you're the sort who like to accessorize, it's a pretty good offering. We had a chance to check it out this morning over a brief round of Killzone 3, which Sony says was the inspiration (along with the upcoming SOCOM). Overall, it's pretty light and sturdy. The Move controller slides into the front, and the buttons then become mapped around the gun: RL is under the grip, the Move button is just under the trigger, start and select rest on opposite sides of the barrel, and Square / Triangle are mirrored above the trigger, making it easier to reach regardless whether you're right- or left-handed. There's a cradle under the stock for the Navigation Controller to rest, the butt is adjustable, and the top has a mount for a scope (no details on that peripheral of a peripheral). There's additionally a lock button and what seems like burst-fire mode that won't be used by Killzone 3; the reps told us they spoke with various other developers to make sure the accessory fit their needs as well but couldn't elaborate more. So, how did it handle? We'll say the buttons were all easy to get to, but this accessory is fundamentally not for us. Having to move the entire submachine gun (or your whole body, as it were) to aim felt more unwieldy than simply twisting a wrist like you would with the first-party Shooting attachment (or the Move controller by its lonesome). Speaking of which, the Sharpshooter is lacking in retro aesthetic, something we really liked in the "1950s laser pistol" replica that came out last month. We get the feeling this wasn't made with us in mind, anyway. Sharpshooter should hit store shelves in February (same month as Killzone 3) for a penny under $40. Looking for something more traditional? A jungle green DualShock 3 is also coming in February for $55. Press release after the break. %Gallery-110228% %Gallery-110247%
PlayStation Move Racing Wheel adds mass to your motion
CTA Digital continues its domination of all PlayStation Move accessories with the release of the PlayStation Move Racing Wheel with stand. As you can see above, the wheel comes with a slot across the center to store a Move wand, thus making you feel as if you're using a plastic wheel rather than one, you know, made out of air. We kid, actually -- the grip can instead hold a DualShock 3 (with SIXAXIS!) controller, so if you want to use it for tilt steering rather than motion control, you can do that as well. The wheel also detaches from the stand if you'd rather just hold it by itself. And we don't know how cheap it is yet, since there's no MSRP listed. For more information (and a chuckle at the expense of some poor commercial actors -- "COOLER!"), head after the break for a promotional video.%Gallery-106853%
Sony sued for cheating man out of rumble patents
Two years after we thought it was all over, it sounds like the saga of Sony, Immersion, and the rumblin' DualShock has yet another chapter: a New Jersey electrical engineer named Craig Thorner is now suing Sony and its attorneys, claiming that he was more or less duped out of one of his patents in a shady deal designed to help Sony and PDP/Electrosource beat Immersion's cases against them. Oh yeah, it's a tangled mess -- Thorner first signed over his patent to Immersion, hoping to score a little slice of royalty pie when the lawsuit settled, but then took it back when he decided Immersion wasn't pursuing it hard enough and signed it over to PDP/Electrosource, who promised him $150,000. So where does Sony come in? Thorner says PDP and Sony were teamed up to beat Immersion, and that Sony was secretly the one licensing the patent but trying to remain out of the picture to keep the price down -- and he's got proof, in the form of a $150,000 wire transfer between the two companies. Not only that, but Sony's attorneys apparently promised Thorner that they could "wear two hats" during negotiations and represent both him and Sony, which is ten kinds of shady. You can guess what happened next: Sony lost, PDP settled, and Immersion sued Thorner for breaking his agreement -- and Sony's attorneys didn't help him defend the lawsuit. Did we say ten kinds of shady? Eleven kinds. Of course, it's doubtful that Thorner is totally innocent here, so it'll be interesting to see how Sony responds, but at this point we're treating the DualShock 3 as a miracle of nature and leaving it at that. [Via Joystiq]Read - GamePolitics article (with PDF of the complaint)Read - Law.com article
GameStop offers up silver DualShock 3 controller for North America
If that all-black DualShock 3 controller has just grown stale, and you're not about to drop any coinage to have Colorware liven things up, GameStop has a fantastic solution -- so long as you're a fan of silver, that is. As of today, the firm's website has a clear listing for a satin silver version of the wireless SIXAXIS, and anyone familiar with the silver PS2 controller will no doubt notice the striking similarities. Just so you know, this one's been available in the Japanese market for eight centuries now, but it looks like the North American crowd can finally yell "me too!" when parting with $54.99 on June 24th.[Via Joystiq]
Sony's DualShock 3 controller hacked to work in Windows
Love your SIXAXIS controller? Wish you could just plug it into your PC and enjoy the spoils of familiarity when engaging in PC gaming sessions? You're in luck, so long as you're not terrified of branching out a bit and loading up some new drivers on your rig. A Japanese coder has whipped up four drivers that not only enable Sony DualShock 3 controllers to operate within Windows, but also support rumble and enable all sorts of tweaking. Hit the read link to get the show started, and be sure to let us know how it goes.[Thanks, craig]
Deal: DualShock 3 controller for $41, Nyko controller for $15
DualShock 3 controllers are currently on sale at Amazon -- you can snatch one up right now for $40.96 with free shipping. That's more than $14 off the MSRP of $54.99. Take advantage of this deal here now.$40.96 still a bit steep for you? Amazon also has third-party Nyko controllers for sale. They contain the vibration function and SIXAXIS just like a regular DualShock 3, though they are considerably less sexy. But at $14.98, you gotta make some sacrifices. It looks like they only have a certain number of the controllers for sale at this price, so hurry up if you are interested. The deal you want is right here.[Via Slickdeals and thanks to Joshua M.!]
Immersion to pay Microsoft $21 million, Sony groans
Immersion, the company that owns virtually every vibration and haptic tech on earth, is getting a taste of its own medicine now that it owes Microsoft $21 million. You may remember back in 2003 when Microsoft floated an unknown sum of cash in the direction of Immersion in order to include patented vibration technology in its Xbox 360 controllers. Around the same time, Sony told us all that we don't need no stinkin' vibration and passed on paying up. Last year, though, Sony bowed to customer pressure and paid Immersion $121 million in order to unleash the Dual Shock 3. Immersion was supposed to share some of that Sony booty with Microsoft -- and they didn't. So there we have it: we all got a piece of Sony and we have the DualShock 3. Everyone happy now?
Hacker stuffs a wired 360 controller in a DualShock 3 shell
Console modders out there have been doing crazy things with controllers for a while now, and while this latest piece isn't as crazy as the one-handed Access Controller, it's still good for a double-take -- check out this wired 360 controller shoehorned into a DualShock3 shell, complete with green LEDs. THe modder, RDC, says it works great, rumble included, but that there's no headset connector and the L2 and R2 triggers aren't analog -- both things he's hoping to fix in the next version. We'd suggest keeping the DS3 buttons as well -- while the colorful 360 buttons look pretty hot against that black case, we'd rather break this thing out and blow minds stealth-style.[Thanks, Aguiluz]
Europe gets DualShock 3 July 2, UK on July 4
Sony Europe announced this morning that the DualShock 3 will release in the land down under over there on July 2 and in the UK on July 4. The rumble-licious controller will cost £40 -- there is currently no price given in Euros.So, happy American Independence Day merry ol' England! Crack open a can of Bud, prep some barbecue and go down to your local games shoppe and pick up a DualShock 3. Yes, it's everything the Sixaxis was supposed to be.%Gallery-16981%
Sony dumping off old SIXAXIS controllers in MGS4 "Welcome Box" PS3 bundles
Now that the Dual Shock 3 is finally here, it looks like Sony's finding creative way to dump off old SIXAXIS stock -- like tossing 'em in MGS4 PS3 bundles. Japanese PS3 buyers will be able to choose from three "Welcome Box" MGS4 bundles in Satin Silver, Ceramic White, and Clear Black, and in addition to Snake's latest adventure and a Dual Shock 3, they'll find a SIXAXIS inside. The bundles will cost ¥49,800 ($470), compared to ¥51,800 ($492) for the gunmetal gray bundle that doesn't include the extra controller, so basically Sony's giving Japanese buyers $20 to take a SIXAXIS home. That's quite a deal, but honestly, we'd rather drop the Jackson on that super-hot gunmetal unit than have another (obsolete) controller lying around.[Via Joystiq]
Deal of the Morning: DualShock 3 for $50
While it might not be much of a deal, Amazon currently has fresh DualShock 3 controllers listed at $50 (pre-order only, of course). From the looks of the webpage, the deal looks permanent, at least, until pre-orders end (MSRP is $54.99). The Sixaxis has been cut down to about $44, so we can assume they're trying to create a hierarchy of controllers. A fiefdom, if we may. Anyway, if you're looking for a DualShock 3 pre-order, this is probably good news for you.
Poll: What's it going to take to make you buy a PS3?
Dare we say it, the tide is turning. With some hot numbers projected for 2008, the PS3 is seeing a lot of wins lately, most notably that little format-war scuffle you may have heard about. Now that we've (finally) got wind of a release date for the DualShock 3, and an SKU that includes MGS4 sweetening the deal, the still-pricey PS3 is looking mighty alluring. So, what's your story, what's it going to take? %Poll-10460%
New Japanese PS3 targets Satin worshippers
Never one to cast judgment upon any potential customers, Sony has announced a new PlayStation 3 color aimed at Japanese kids in service of Satin. Packing a 40GB hard drive and a matching SIXAXIS wireless controller, the "Satin Silver" model is scheduled for release on March 6th at the price of ¥39,980, or approximately $666 $376. Those hoping to feel Satin's rumblings in their idle hands can also pick up a similarly colored Dual Shock 3, which releases on the same day for ¥5,500 ($52). If you were foolish enough to pledge your allegiance to that Ceramic White model, consider this your chance to repaint. %Gallery-15364%[Via Engadget]
New PS3 SKU practically confirmed by GameStop
According to a report, the next iteration of PS3 packages has been all but confirmed during a GameStop conference call recently. Apparently, the 80GB version of the console is dead, and is due to be replaced by a 120GB model bundled with the Dual Shock 3 controller -- just like we mentioned a few days go. There's no set price or release date, though speculation is that it will turn up by GDC. Instead of a denial, Sony has gone for a "no comment" in regards to this news, though it certainly looks like this is the direction they're heading in, regardless of what they say.[Thanks, Khattab]
Rumor: Gamestop conference call mentions 120 GB PS3
Adding to earlier claims from an Ars Technica mole, IGN reports various sources have told the website that a recent Gamestop conference call reportedly confirmed the death of the 80 GB PlayStation 3 model. The sources also allege that in its place Sony will release a 120 GB version packaged with ready-to-rumble DualShock 3 controllers.Sony told IGN that any talk about new consoles iterations is rumor and speculation, and therefore no comment. We haven't seen any patents filed for a new PS3 model (each one has a different model number; see our fancy SKU chart), but the circumstantial evidence is starting to add up.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
