Rumble to make a triumphant and overdue return to PlayStation.
Sony on Tuesday announced plans to release the DualShock 3 controller for PlayStation 3 in April. The new controller features the return of rumble feedback and will cost $54.95.
Sony axed rumble capabilities from the Sixaxis controller after the company became involved in a lawsuit with haptics manufacturer Immersion Corp., which claimed that Sony violated its patents. In 2004 Sony paid Immersion $82 million in damages but then appealed the decision.
Sony initially dismissed rumble as a feature of older game systems that didn't need to be in the PlayStation 3. The company quickly changed its tune after Sony settled with Immersion once and for all in March of 2007. At that time, Sony President Kaz Hirai announced that Immersion and Sony were working on "exciting new ways" to incorporate rumble into PlayStation 3 games.
The DualShock 3 controller looks the same as the Sixaxis controller and retains all Sixaxis capabilities. The new rumble feature in the DualShock 3 will work with more than 100 games already out for the PlayStation 3, according to Sony.
