Sony re-specs PS3 hardware

The wireless gamepad for Playstation 3 has the same motion control features as the previous 'SixAxis' controller, but adds the rumble feedback function that the SixAxis dropped.

Sony was previously embroiled in a legal action with Immersion, the company that owns the rights to gamepad rumble technology, and opted to drop the feature from the PS3 rather than settle.

Indeed, at the time, Sony's own Phil Harrison rather bullishly (and some might say foolishly) called gamepad rumble a 'last generation' feature, saying that:

"We have no plans to do so in the standard controller that ships with PlayStation 3. I believe that the Sixaxis controller offers game designers and developers far more opportunity for future innovation than rumble ever did. Now, rumble I think was the last generation feature; it's not the next-generation feature. I think motion sensitivity is. And we don't see the need to do that."

Well, apparently Sony changed its mind, and now things rumble is, actually, quite a good idea after all. It has now settled its issues with Immersion and delivered a rumble-capable controller to boot.

The times, they are a-changin'. µ