PS3's Lack of Rumble May Disappoint 201
Immersion Corporation, who you may recall from their rumble-controller suit against Sony, has released a study. Engadget reports that (somewhat unsurprisingly), it indicates gamers will miss the rumble feature in PS3. The 'SIXAXIS' gamepads planned for the PS3 will only have the 'tilt' feature, as far as is known so far. From the article: "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 ... 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. " GameDaily has a further, more detailed exploration of the study.
Stop the Presses! (Score:5, Insightful)
Personally, I didn't find much value in the rumble packs in the PS2. I've always hated how they call it "Force Feedback" too, since it's no such thing. I usually leave them on, but it's not like having the controller vibrate in my hands has really enhanced the game experiance. I think the tilt sensors will be far more interesting, although most likely just used as an occasional novelty by game designers. I'm expecting fighting games where you can duck left and right by tilting the controller (which would be more natural than the shoulder buttons they use now) and lots of use in minigames.
I don't really like a rumble feature (Score:5, Insightful)
So, I for one will not miss rumble. Not for how it could be used, but for how it was too often misused.
rumble with wireless controllers (Score:3, Insightful)
Um (Score:4, Insightful)
I get 20-30 hours of use out of a charge of batteries on them.
Completely Agree (Score:4, Insightful)
Best example I can think of is Halo. Firing weapons produces vibrations, and when you're in the warthog's gunner seat and taking advantage of the unlimited ammo on the backseat cannon, it can throw off your aim a little bit as your hand starts to go numb...
But, I think I speak for everyone when I say that I will miss the rumble pack, if only because of that whole Rez vibrator thing
Here we go again (Score:0, Insightful)
Backward compatibility (Score:4, Insightful)
What that means is if you have an older game that you are used to playing with rumble, it will feel very different on your PS3 (without the rumble). In fact, since the system won't be designed for rumbling, I'm not sure if it can even developed by third parties (in the form of a new controller). It kind of takes away some of the allure of backward compatibility doesn't it?
Re:There are three types of lies... (Score:5, Insightful)
I foolishly registered my slim-line PS2, so I now receive the Official US PlayStation Magazine. They ran a similar article this month.
They came to basically the same conclusion: most gamers would miss the rumble and that some would not buy the PS3 for that reason. This is the official magazine, endorsed by Sony. They're expecting gamers will miss the rumble and may not buy the PS3 because of it.
Yes, the Immersion study is probably biased, but I know that one of the many reasons I'm not getting the PS3 at launch is because they removed the rumble feature. I'm sure they'll add it back in, eventually, and I'd rather put off buying a PS3 until they do. (And HDTV comes down in price. And good games are released for it. And it costs less than $300. And...)
But, anyway, the results aren't as suspect as you'd think. The Official PlayStation Magazine agrees with them.
Players prefer tech they're familiar with? (Score:3, Insightful)
Kid a toy store. (Score:4, Insightful)
I would think a respectable company would take Sony aside in the courts and say "Look, if you put rumble in the PS3 and license with us, we'll back off this PS2 issue a bit." This just seems to me like a shady company trying to wring out Sony's pockets. They may be right, but in the interest of their public image, and in this case, the amount of licensing money they stand to lose by not being included in the PS3, they should be trying to compromise, not stealing Sony's wallet.
That's why. (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm suspending judgement until it comes out, but I'm telling everyone I know -- I don't care if you buy a Wii at launch, but wait a month or two after the PS3 comes out before you buy one. Then you'll know how much games will actually cost, you'll have a better idea all around if the console is worth it at any price, and the price itself will have dropped like a rock.
"Sorry, Nintendo"? (Score:1, Insightful)
Meanwhile, Sony has put motion detection in their controller as an afterthought and reaction. The mainstream media talks about the PS3's price, Cell processors and HDTV. The controller's motion detection function is not the centerpiece of the system... it's just there.
If you polled me, I'd also tell you I don't care about motion detection in a PS3 controller. That doesn't reflect my opinion of the Wii.
Re:Kid a toy store. (Score:1, Insightful)
Also interesting is the fact that Sony was very close to having sale of their infringing products banned outright while they appealed this case: that this didn't happen (yet) shows that Sony should have quit while they were ahead. That could still happen, if Sony lose and refuse to pay up, although it might not matter by the time it does happen (if it does, which is likely at this point).
Lastly, and most interestingly, something that no-one seems to have touched on yet is that by infringing, Sony has opened their developers to liability for infringement. If Immersion were unconcerned with their image, they'd do what I'd have done: start suing every publisher who ever made a PS1 or PS2 game that used rumble! If the court finally upholds their case, that's an option that they will have, and that would be far, FAR worse for Sony than a $90m+ judgement or even banning the PS2 from the market. Nothing would poison the well so quickly or effectively - Immersion would single-handedly kill the PlayStation 3 before it's even released, not because of rumble, which it doesn't have, but becasue no publisher would ever publish another PlayStation platform title; even if Sony could be forgiven by publishers for "accidentally" causing the infringement, they've still had several opportunities to end this and they've absolutely refused ever single time.
Sony are (as usual) certainly the Bad Guys here.
Re:Lots of reasons to get rid of rumble (Score:1, Insightful)
Also, Immersion never got a cent from Sony for anything; the lawsuit was an attempt to do so because Sony refused to even meet with them over the patented technology they incorporated. And then Sony, as with most super-large companies faced with a suit from a small-fry, decided to fight it supposing that they could simply outlast them due to legal expenses. Well, it backfired - MS decided to bankroll Immersion and so it's now time to pay the piper.
Immersion keeps releasing these garbage surveys because they want to encourage Sony to settle. The surveys may be garbage, but the rumble tech - and the pattents that cover them - clearly are not.
Re:I agree (Score:3, Insightful)
Wow these Immersion guys won't give up! (Score:3, Insightful)
While some claim it's a gimmick and or annoying, I feel that on a sublminal level it adds substantially to games with good feedback - infact it's one of those things you simply don't realise it was good until it's gone.
Anyone need only play Rallisport challenge 2 on the Xbox 1 to see it was very very well done in that game, combined with the good noises in the game it really did sound and feel like slipping around on either rocks, grass, dirt and so on - very very well done.
Also Halo made fairly good use of rumble too.
So for the record, I WANT rumble in the PS3 quite badly actually I'm really really sad to see it go.
That being said, these Immersion people are nothing sort of being a bunch of fucking assholes.
Not only do they have a patent on something which is INSIDE MOST WOMENS BEDSIDE DRAWERS and is as simple as a weighted motor,.... they have the nerve to enforce their bullshit patent on Sony.
To add insult to injury this is the SECOND time they've antagonised Sony / the media with bullshit comments like this.
They are essentially saying "nyah nyah nyah, we won!" trying to present themselves as innocents fighting for the gamers, when it's assholes like this who cause gamers problems in the first place.
They beat Sony and now are antagonising them with this "gee people will miss the rumble that SONY TOOK FROM YOU" that's what they are saying, in an effort to try to convince Sony to license their "technology"
This article is likely true in the fact that hey we will miss rumble, hey don't we all wish Sony would impliment it but the flaw is it comes from immersion, anyone else handling this study makes this a perfectly good article but being handled by Immersion? It's just antagonism and bullshit, fuck these assclowns, I really do wish they'd disapear.
Fingers crossed there IS rumble somehow on the PS3 because I certainly want it myself - we'll see what third party manufacturers will do.