Sony is poised to bring its rumble pack controller back to life. Rumours about a 'Dual Shock 3' for the PlayStation 3 have been circling the web for some time, ever since Sony first announced that the PS3 controllers would not have rumble technology included.
And now the word is that Sony is ready to make an announcement at this week's Tokyo Games Show.
We spoke to Daniel Dawkins, editor of our sister magazine PSM3 who said: "It's all a shade embarrassing, but at least Sony are seeing sense. In February this year, Sony's worldwide software chief Phil Harrison declared rumble 'a last-gen feature' in what you can only presume was an attempt to gloss over their ongoing legal dispute with rumble patent holders Immersion.
Rumble pack to return?
"When [the legal dispute] was resolved, it was only a matter of time before rumble came back - at the recent Leipzig Games Show, legendary producer Hideo Kojima [working on the PS3 exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4] openly lamented the lack of rumble, half-joking that they had a 'full-time rumble programmer with nothing to do'".
Dawkins said that bringing rumble back to the PlayStation franchise is only good news for PS3 gamers.
"Sony's (assumed) move will placate developers, and delight fans," he said. "Personally, I'm delighted they're bringing rumble back, presuming the rumours are true.
"It really adds to driving games - when you clip the rough, for example. Or in FPSs [first person shooters] it helps create a genuine feeling of solidity and scale when wielding weapons - or in beat-em-ups. In fact, it adds to just about any gaming experience.
"Without rumble, we'd have never have had the classic Psycho Mantis 'moving the pad with his mind' bit in MGS on PS1. That said, my sneaking hope is that they do something a bit more innovative than just bringing back traditional rumble - maybe integrate it like force-feedback when using the Sixaxis tilt function perhaps, almost as if you can 'feel' your way in 3D space."
