Immersion Queries Lack Of PS3 Controller Rumble

simoniker writes "Following the announcement that the PS3 controller will lack a rumble feature, Gamasutra spoke to Victor Viegas of Immersion Corporation, which is currently suing Sony over the PS2 rumble functionality, about what he feels the company's reasoning truly is. He claims of the PS3 controller having both rumble and tilt: 'I don't believe it's a very difficult problem to solve', and also said that his employees thought the PS3 controller 'felt light, that it felt cheap and flimsy, and that it lacked weight or substance.'"

Comments

Re:Of all the things

[DanHibiki]

The first thing you do when you start a game tends to be turning off the rumble feature.

Re:MGS4

[Dorceon]

Sony's motion detection is based on accelerometers. That's why it can detect tilt, but not position. Nintentdo's is based on triangulation. This is probably why Nintendo can have it both ways and Sony can't.

Re:Of all the things

[maumedia]

I agree. I can't imagine some games being the same without it.

In some games, there's a lot of information coming at you, and not all of it is visible. Rumble isn't perfect, but it's a way to convey information that you can't see or hear. Tire grip and side/rear impacts in driving games is a prime example, but more than that, it means you've hit the ground after a jump in Oblivion, tells you how well you connected with a hit in DOA, it's your heartbeat in Indigo Prophesy, and it's how you escape from cops in The Warriors.

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of motion sensing, but not at the expense of feedback.

Re:Of all the things

[palutke]

Perhaps some ballast in the controller to give the feel you want, without expensive motors. . .