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Controlling a PSP using a DualShock controller
Want to see this modded PSP come to life? Well, now you can (after the break). F00 f00 from AcidMods has crafted a PSP that has all the comfort of a full PS2 DualShock controller. How, you ask? By letting you actually attach a PS2 controller to it. Do these system transformations ever cease to amaze?I wonder what's next? LocoRoco controlled via the SIXAXIS?!See also:Watch! A PSP modded, in front of your very eyes!
Sony and Immersion reach settlement, feel good vibrations
The patent litigation saga between Sony and Immersion Corporation has at last come to a close. After being sued for $91 million dollars following the DualShock's alleged incorporation of Immersion rumble technology, Sony has paid up and entered into a new business arrangement with its former courtroom nemesis. The GameDaily BIZ report notes that both parties are currently evaluating the possibilities such an agreement would entail for the PlayStation line of products.As Sony's director of corporate communications puts it, "We are very pleased to have reached a cooperative agreement with Immersion regarding the use of its advanced vibration technology (haptics technology). We look forward to working closely with them as we explore new and innovative ways to utilize this technology in PlayStation products." A future, rumbling version of the Sixaxis remains a distinct possibility and certainly one that could easily be supported by developers in upcoming games -- even if it is a bit last-gen.
Sony's not to blame for SIXAXIS/DualShock Emmy nonsense, okay?
While it's so easy to hop on the "hate Sony" train, there's a bit of news about the whole SIXAXIS Emmy mishap you should probably take into account. Namely, Sony is just as confused as its fanbase. If only someone had a recording of the actual award being announced, this could be put to rest. Here's how it went down, hopefully convincing you Sony did not lie. This time, they were misled just as the public was.When Sony was given the Emmy for "technological innovation for device controller", they were slightly befuddled since the SIXAXIS had yet to really show off its mad skills, but accepted the honor anyway. Turns out the award was for the Dual Shock, the previous incarnation of the Sony controller. Keep in mind that, either way, they got an Emmy. Nintendo also won the same award for its D-Pad, which is more than understandable.SCEA public relations head David Karraker, upon being asked about the mishap, recounted the award that he personally accepted: "I accepted the award myself and all they said was that the award was for 'technological innovation for device controller' ... but looking back, they never really did say for which one." Heck, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences even approved of Sony's initial public statement which mentioned the SIXAXIS five times, including this title: "Sony Computer Entertainment America Wins Emmy Award for PLAYSTATION 3 SIXAXIS Wireless Controller." So, who's at fault? Quite clearly, it's NATAS. Not Sony -- they were confused too. Let's give them some ice cream and put this behind us.
Team Xtender's XFPS reviewed
You're fairly aware by now of how Team Xtender's XFPS was all set to shake up the FPS realm on the Xbox 360 by giving gamers the ability to use the undisputed king of controls (that'd be the keyboard / mouse tandem) -- or Sony's widely adored Dual Shock controller -- instead of Microsoft's own rendition, but according to Xbox360Fanboy's review, it's not quite the post-Christmas miracle we were all hoping for. While expectations were admittedly set rather high, it seems the unit simply underperforms where it mattered most, and excelled in a somewhat less important department. Using Gears of War, Halo 2, and Rainbow Six 3: Vegas Demo as tests, reviewers found the keyboard / mouse setup to be a breeze, but actual in-game results were not only poor, but relatively unacceptable. If the "slight button delays" weren't enough to turn your nose up, the simply inability for a keyboard to emulate the "analog support of the Xbox 360 controller" made critical run / crouch movements next to impossible to pull off, and the mouse aiming was purportedly dreadful as well. It was stated, however, that it worked perfectly with a Dual Shock (PS1 or PS2 flavor) controller, so folks digging the Sony design but unable to locate (or afford) a PS3 should take note. Overall, the XFPS reportedly fails fairly miserably at giving Xbox 360 owners the chance to use their keyboard / mouse combo to shoot it up on a console, and just seems relatively expensive for a simple Dual Shock-to-Xbox 360 liaison, so unless you just have to learn things the hard way, we'd suggest holding off.
Dual analog PSP becomes gaming's hottest video
With more than 60,000 views and counting, this video of a PSP modded with two analog sticks, is gaming's hottest video on YouTube. Well, at least according to the Joystiq folks. It makes sense, though: this is the single most wanted feature for a PSP revision. Although this modification won't allow for true analog on the right hand (it's simply replicating the actions of the face buttons), it should feel quite natural for DualShock (and Sixaxis) players. However, as cool as this mod is, I wouldn't want my system to look like that.See also:Analog stick from the "ghetto"Beef jerky + magic = PSP analog stick
Connect your PS2 controllers to your Xbox 360
Have an Xbox 360 but secretly prefer your PS2 Dual Shock controllers over Microsoft's offerings? XCM's just released some photos of its latest adapter prototype, the XFPS 360, which include a pair of USB plugs, two PS/2 (the boring kind) jacks, and a place for your beloved PS2 (the fun kind) controller. In some ways, this is just a role reversal for that Xbox controller to PSP hack we spotted last year, don't you think? Anyway, the XFPS 360 hasn't quite yet entered mass production, so we've got no price or availability deets for the time being.[Thanks, Bob E., via MaxConsole]
Go all Dualshock on your 360
If for some odd reason you wish you could use your uncomfortable PS2 controller on your 360, then TeamXtender has an answer. TeamXtender is in the planning stages of creating an adapter that your Xbox 360 controller would plug into to allow full PS2 Dualshock support and would also allow keyboard/mouse connectivity. I'm in love with my sexy white controller, but would you be enticed by such an offering or are you like me and satisfied with the your current 360 controller?[Thanks, SuicideNinja]
Immersion wants Kaz to understand -- rumble + motion = possible
Immersion CEO Vic Viegas sat down with GameDaily to talk about the whole rumble vs. motion sensing vs. both issue between Immersion and Sony. What did he say? He said that Kaz Hirai is "really saying two things. One is that it's technically possible but that the cost is prohibitive-which again I find astounding-and the second thing he's saying is that they're making a decision to go with this tilt control in place of rumble because they think that's what consumers will appreciate in their gameplay. So, on those two issues again I'm very surprised and shocked because I don't believe either to be the case." Yeah, yeah. We know it's not exactly what everyone wants. But... what's the price issue?Viegas assured GameDaily that "our engineers in less than a day had come up with three solutions; one is filtering and the other is processing and neither one is incrementally an increase in the cost. Both are using software to filter out the different commands-tilt vs. vibration-so that both can work side by side, and neither solution will add an increase to the cost of the system... We knew how to technically solve their problems and now we know how to do it without adding any incremental cost." So... it can be done and not be costly? Well, if Sony won't listen, why not go through a third party?In regards to third party controllers, Immersion says they aren't entirely in control... they're at Sony's mercy, in a sense. To quote: "It appears that Sony has not yet ruled out a third-party solution... but if [developers] don't support vibration in the game, that's going to cause a problem. The controller would have no commands to receive from the gameplay. Sony's in some control there and Sony's also in control of the console, so they can filter out vibration commands; essentially if they don't want vibration they can shut it down and it appears that's what they're doing..."So, those three quotes show us a few things: If Sony stops being stubborn, we could see a rumble/tilt controller that would cost nothing extra... maybe marginally more. Also, third party controllers won't matter unless Sony and game developers decide to implement vibration into their software, or else it's useless. It is sad, but give it a year or two and we can probably see some sort of agreement. You can't possible be stubborn forever and ever, can you?
Immersion survey suggests Sony better get ready to rumble
Press releases are boring. We go through literally hundreds of them a day, and for the most part, they're self-serving documents full of half-truths and inflated claims about products and services. So imagine our delight when we stumbled upon this little doozy of a release from marketing firm Ipsos Insight, which details a study done on behalf of the Immersion Corporation concerning gamers' preferences and purchasing plans with regards to the trio of next-generation consoles. You probably remember Immersion as the company that successfully sued Sony over the use of computer-controlled vibration technology in its PlayStation and PS2 Dual Shock controllers, and since Sony has apparently neither paid Immersion the $90 million it owes nor licensed the rumble tech for its SIXAXIS PS3 gamepads, the release comes across as a thinly-veiled reminder that gamers really, really like playing with input devices that shake and buzz in their sweaty hands. Not only does the (completely unbiased) poll report that 72% of the 1,075 respondents agree vibration feedback enhances their game experience, it goes on to note that 59% of those surveyed would prefer rumble on the PS3 controller, while only 8% care about motion / tilt sensing (sorry, Nintendo). As if these numbers didn't paint a clear enough picture of the message Immersion is trying to convey, two further questions spell it out even more explicitly: when asked if the lack of rumble capabilities would affect their buying decisions (apparently 74% of those polled weren't even aware of the "no rumble" policy -- clearly no Engadget readers amongst that bunch), 5% said that it would definitely cause them not to buy a PS3 and 32% claimed that they were less likely to pick one up for this reason and this reason alone. Now obviously Immersion knew exactly the results that it wanted before it conducted this "study," and probably phrased the questions in order to get the most desirable data set, but even non-statistics majors like ourselves could have figured out that gamers accustomed to the fun of Dual Shock would be in for a letdown the first time they picked up a rumble-free SIXAXIS controller. Okay, Sony, the cards are on the table, and even if these numbers are skewed, you know full well that you can't be the only player in the game without a little vibration action going on. So what's it gonna be: are you going to keep hoping that some appeals court finally overturns the numerous prior decisions against you, or are you going to shell out some dough just like Microsoft and Nintendo did, and finally give the majority of your target audience what it wants? To us, it doesn't really seem like much of a choice at all.
Sony pulled rumble from PSOne controllers?
After the CliffyB coincidence, we thought to give you another look at a retro article with modern application. From the very first issue of PSM Magazine from September 1997 (found as a PDF on Retro Gaming -- click on the image to the right), a Kotaku reader pointed out an article on page 16 talks about the then-imminent US release of the PlayStation One dual analog controller. The US version had one slight difference than its Japanese brethren: no rumble. The article cited "another company" (Immersion?) who owned the patent to the vibration technology -- my, how times have changed. However, the other theory (not from Sony) is that the new-fangled vibration technology, "however slight, eventually causes the controller to break" after extended use. Obviously, with such a powerful seismic force, there's no way Sony could figure out how to combine rumble and motion sensing. Oh, wait a second ...
Dual Shake may rumble still
Skin of your teeth, white-knuckle and overly elaborate escapes can be made all the more engaging and memorable by the subtle rumbling of the controller in your hands. Of course, having just stolen a Dual Shock 2 from the lonely demo unit in your local games retailer, palpable excitement is something you have in droves, not to mention rampant kleptomania. The vibration emitted by most of today's controllers also adds an extra level of immersion to games like Silent Hill and Halo -- just ask Immersion, they named their company after the idea. Don't ask Sony, however, since it's a touchy subject. Currently appealing against a court ruling in favor of Immersion's claims that they treaded upon specific patents when they created the Dual Shock controllers (like the one you stole), Sony has come under some fire for dropping rumble functionality from the PS3 controller entirely. An accusatory finger was pointed at the newly implemented motion sensing technology, a move interpreted by some as Sony being unwilling to hand licensing fees over to Immersion. Whether or not that's the case is still up for debate, though Immersion has now unveiled new technology which indicates, at the very least, that a rumbling Dual Shake may still find its way into hands (especially thieving ones).The "TouchSense" technology for use in next-gen controllers promises added realism in addition to full compatibility with motion and tilt sensing devices. "Because the speed at which a user moves the controller is much slower than the frequencies generated by TouchSense technology, the two signals can be differentiated using filtering and other techniques." Their statement goes on to say that Immersion "offers engineering services to implement the technology within a particular console system." Will Sony grab this opportunity, or let it slip through their fingers? Is it really that big of a deal?[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Immersion ready to rumble with PS3 controller
Why doesn't Sony's Playstation 3 controller give you the shakes? According to the company, the familiar DualShock-style force-feedback was dropped from the new controller in favor of motion-sensors. However, Immersion Technologies -- which sued Sony for using its haptic tech in earlier controllers -- believes that the controller could be made to rumble, and has some ideas for Sony about how to do it. The catch: Sony needs to drop its appeal of the verdict in Immersion's 2004 lawsuit, and pay Immersion the $90 million that the judge in that case awarded the company. And, of course, Sony would have to pay Immersion for whatever technology they use in the PS3 controller. Frankly, it doesn't sound like a bad deal. By continuing to appeal the lawsuit, Sony's risking another loss and piling up legal fees, and by dropping the shock, they're left with a controller that many have called a weak attempt to copy the Wii. Working with Immersion on a haptic solution could solve both problems.
Use a PlayStation controller on your lappy
For PC gaming on the go, you could always use the USB version of the superlative Xbox 360 controller (there's even a Mac OS X driver) but where's the fun in that? Instead, follow these simple (?) instructions to get your Dual Shock rocking on your laptop. You'll need: a spare parallel PCMCIA card; the "controller module" from a PS2; hacksaw; belt sander; lots of glue; a strong desire to have built-in Dual Shock support in your laptop.We feel obligated to remind readers there are USB adapters that deliver such functionality sans belt-sanding (like this one), but this was never about convenience. This gets us to wondering if Sony's Bluetooth HID-compatible DualShake will work with computers that support Bluetooth. Seems like a sure thing, right? Tell that to the Bluetooth Microsoft mouse that refuses to work on my Mac. C'mon Sony: computer-compatible DualShake FTW![Via hack a day]
New PS3 controller loses DualShock vibration
According to Sony's latest press release, the new PlayStation 3 controller -- or the 'DualShake' -- will not feature DualShock (vibration) support. It should be noted that the Wii controller will vibrate rumble. Here's the official explanation:"Pursuant to the introduction of this new six-axis sensing system, the vibration feature that is currently available on DUALSHOCK and DUALSHOCK 2 controllers for PlayStation and PlayStation 2, will be removed from the new PS3 controller as vibration itself interferes with information detected by the sensor."Might we also add that this is a convenient way for Sony to distance itself from the troubles surrounding the DualShock technology?[Via Sony news release; included in press kit distributed at E3 keynote]
PS3 pad loses DualShock name and vibration but picks up Wii-esque motion detection and wireless connectivity
In a shocking turn of events, the PS3 controller has gone from banamerang to wireless DualShock 3, except without the DualShock name and vibration.If you take a good look at the back of the new control pad (see the close-up above), you'll notice that the DualShock 2 brand name imprinted on the old controller has now been supplanted by a row of LED lights to show which input has been set, either wirelessly or via the wired USB recharge port. Sony's now the only name in-line for PS3 controllers either on the pad or in the press releases (see "the new PS3 controller").
Shocking DualShock case still not going Sony's way
Sony's attempt to overturn the 2004 ruling on Immersion's haptic technology patents and receive a new trial was denied in court recently.The Wall Street Journal tells quite a tale concerning another force-feedback inventor, originally a paid consultant of Immersion, who allegedly received advance royalties from Sony in exchange for testimony against his former client. There's enough drama in this case to fill a television soap opera--or, better yet, a police or crime-scene procedural.For the full contents of the article, you'll need to log in as a subscriber to the Journal through the picture above or the Read link below. We don't know to what extent this courtroom drama will affect the "boomerang" PS3 prototype controller design, future DualShock 2 availability and compatibility, or any possible delays to the new system itself, but Sony's separate appeal in federal court has yet to be ruled on, leaving the company one more crucial legal avenue to pursue in this matter.[Via Joystiq]
