Sony settles with Immersion

[s1lence]

Well about time for this to be done. Granted as I see it even if they get rumble going on the system (They will, don't kid yourself) I still don't see me playing my PS3 that much more.

[jajaja]

Yeah, but the original Playstation launched before rumble based controllers even existed, so comparing the situations is a little bit trickly. Also, once the DualShock 1 became standardized, they started packing it in with PS1 systems. I don't mind giving "consumers" the right to choose, I just don't like giving developers the right to choose. There are going to be developers that are too lazy, or publishers that are too into cost cutting, and they are going to use the splintered user base as an easy excuse to explain why they didn't include rumble support in their game.

Thats true, but i'd still say the situation is pretty simular now than it was with PSX. I remember looking back at the game boxes and seeing the rumble feature icon More and more games started to support supported it, something that the developers chose. At the end it wasnt many of the games that didnt support rumble. Now that they can use this feature for PS3 games im sure every developer will use it. As you say, the Dual Shock controller bacame the new standard controller. Im sure they same will happend to PS3.

[Griking]

Its more, but for some reason the article didnt write it. Sony also have to pay $97.2 million in damages (whatever that is) and interest. More details here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070302/...tation_lawsuit

I wonder how much of that Microsoft will get since they own a part of Immersion.

GOD that must piss of Sony.

[Anthony1]

I wonder how much of that Microsoft will get since they own a part of Immersion.

GOD that must piss of Sony.

I could be wrong about this, but Microsoft did own a small part of immersion for a very short period of time, but then sold it. Again, I could be off the mark on this, but I'm pretty sure Microsoft has nothing to do with Immersion atm.

[j_factor]

Let's back up a minute here.

All the article says is that Sony settled the (old) lawsuit that Immersion filed for their unauthorized use of rumble in Dual Shock and Dual Shock 2 controllers, and will "explore" the possibility of using Immersion's technology in future products.

I wouldn't bank on there being a rumble version of the sixaxis just yet. I wouldn't be surprised if they only license the technology for a force-feedback steering wheel, and/or a flight stick or something. That's if they do anything at all.

I mean, this is the company that won't fix the PSP's design flaws because they're part of the system's beauty. I wouldn't expect them to go back on their word about rumble just like that.

[Anthony1]

I mean, this is the company that won't fix the PSP's design flaws because they're part of the system's beauty. I wouldn't expect them to go back on their word about rumble just like that.

There is a big difference between redesigning the PSP and simply adding rumble to the Sixaxis controller. A PSP redesign would be a pretty radical undertaking. I'm not saying it's something that shouldn't happen, because it should, but comparing that to adding rumble to a controller isn't a valid comparison IMHO. I don't think Sony would have decided to work out a settlement at this juncture, if they didn't want to add rumble to the PS3 controller much sooner rather than later. Sony could have kept appealing the ruling against them, and delayed their judgement much further off into the future, the fact that they worked out a deal now, suggests that they felt they could gain more by paying the piper and getting rumble on the PS3, than delaying the inevitable.

[j_factor]

Companies settle their lawsuits all the time, I don't think it's a sign of anything. I mean, if they really wanted rumble on the PS3, they would've settled a year ago, don't you think?

[s1lence]

Companies settle their lawsuits all the time, I don't think it's a sign of anything. I mean, if they really wanted rumble on the PS3, they would've settled a year ago, don't you think?

No because they didn't believe they were at fault. I also believe that at first they advertised that the PS3 would have wireless/rumble controllers, way back when they first displayed the "boomerang" controller.

[jajaja]

I think the reason why this first is happening now is because of the long trial. Immersion first wanted 299 million dollars from Sony. Now that its over they had to pay 97.2 million instead.