Goodbye SIXAXIS, Hello DUALSHOCK3
So my PlayStation 3 DUALSHOCK3 controller arrived in the mail today, and I have to say, it's actually kind of heavy. No, no heavier than it ought to be, no heavier than a PS2 DUALSHOCK2 or Xbox 360 controller or anything like that. But given how accustomed I've become to the featherweight SIXAXIS controller -- especially when winging it around in games like Heavenly Sword or Ratchet & Clank -- I'm a little weirded out by the heavy if "higher-quality" feel of the new DUALSHOCK3. Weight tends to be pretty subjective, but it's hard to argue that an increase of almost a third (137 grams for the SIXAXIS vs. 193 for the DUALSHOCK3) won't alter your perception of things.
Anyway. The good news, if you haven't been following the controller, is that despite Sony's calculated lawsuit-related excuses public claims that rumble was a "last-generation" feature a while back, the DUALSHOCK3 in fact supports both force feedback and SIXAXIS motion sensitivity. I can't find the quote where someone purportedly said combining the two was "impossible," but given that the Immersion vs. Sony patent lawsuit ended on March 1, 2007, it's hardly a surprise that Sony's engineers figured out how to put the two together.
How well it works in practice and whether the rumble motor affects the motion-sensitivity features at all remains to be seen. I'll weigh in if I have any problems, but I'm assuming it shouldn't since, like Nintendo's Wii, the motion sensing fineries in these things are pretty broad and loose.
In the meantime, a couple more things:
- The DUALSHOCK3 doesn't come with a USB cable, which isn't a big deal for most of you, but I'm still a little grumpy that the default PS3 cable's barely long enough to tie a knot in. On the other hand, at $55, the DUALSHOCK3 is only $5 more than the $50 SIXAXIS, which makes it a pretty good deal if you're not cynical about the fact that you had to wait over a year just to get your hands on one.
- The DUALSHOCK3 rumble engine is literally identical to the DUALSHOCK2's. But the fine print on the DUALSHOCK3's packaging reads "The vibration action when playing compatible PlayStation and PlayStation 2 format software on a PS3 system may be different from when playing on a PlayStation system or PlayStation 2 system." Could this have something to do with early feedback that the vibration amplitude is weaker on the DUALSHOCK3? If that's the case, is it to save battery life? Avoid interfering with the motion-sensitivity controls? Both?
- You can turn the vibration function on or off from the PS button menu.
- You'll need software version 1.94 or later to use the controller with PS3 games, but software version 2.00 or later to play with PlayStation or PlayStation 2 games.
- And lastly, here's the current list of DUALSHOCK3 compatible PS3 games:
Formula One Championship Edition*
MotorStorm*
PAIN
High Velocity Bowling
MLB08: The Show
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
Resistance: Fall of Man*
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Go! Sports Ski*
Folklore*
Heavenly Sword*
Warhawk*
Super Stardust HD*
Snakeball
Toy Home
PSOne Emulation
Piyotama
PixelJunk Monsters
Blast Factor*
Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Lost: Via Domus
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2*
Burnout Paradise
Dynasty Warriors6
Devil May Cry 4
DragonBall Z Burst Limit
Turok
*Titles will be given rumble functionality through an update.
Replay
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I'm hoping that they decide another "last generation" feature is worth bringing back now... Full PS2 hardware back compatibility.
tsk tsk tsk sony..... tsk tsk tsk... and what would be the point of hardware compat. when people who already bought 40 gig versions would have to mod their PS3s to get that to work. software emulation is the way to go i think.