Company that sued sony for rumble feature wants to help them

[8th lutz]

http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/697C...6B9F64240B4.htm.

 

Here is what it says: "In 2004 Immersion sued Sony for violating rumble patents with their PlayStation controllers. Immersion believes that it is not impossible to have rumble in the PS3 controllers, and has offered solutions to Sony. Sony stated at E3 that the tilt functionality interfered with rumble. However, Immersion wants Sony to drop the appeal, and award Immersion the $90 million in damages before they'll help Sony out.

 

Whether or not the two companies will kiss and make up is not known at this time. We'll keep you in the loop."

Edited May 22, 2006 by 8th lutz

[Jess Ragan]

I think they're barking up the wrong tree on this one. Sony's never going to relent... they'll fight the court's decision until they get the verdict they want, and if they have to sacrifice rumble features in the Playstation 3, so be it.

 

My question is this... what kind of bullshit is it that you can appeal a court decision until it's ultimately reversed? Isn't this how Sony eventually bankrupted the company that made Bleem? It's almost like the government has tailored the law so that the corporation with the most money always wins.

 

If I were in charge, I'd declare that there can be only ONE appeal in a civil court case. If you fail to win the appeal, you pay up, no questions asked. It's reasonable for people to expect a second chance, but not a third, fourth, and fifth.

 

JR

[AtariJr]

I think they're barking up the wrong tree on this one. Sony's never going to relent... they'll fight the court's decision until they get the verdict they want, and if they have to sacrifice rumble features in the Playstation 3, so be it.

 

My question is this... what kind of bullshit is it that you can appeal a court decision until it's ultimately reversed? Isn't this how Sony eventually bankrupted the company that made Bleem? It's almost like the government has tailored the law so that the corporation with the most money always wins.

 

If I were in charge, I'd declare that there can be only ONE appeal in a civil court case. If you fail to win the appeal, you pay up, no questions asked. It's reasonable for people to expect a second chance, but not a third, fourth, and fifth.

 

JR

 

I agree with you.. there are many many problems with our government's judicial system....

 

Anywho, I have one question, why couldnt they just make a rumble pack that doesnt use the technology that Immerson? I mean, nintendo, sega, microsoft, and many 3rd party developers have rumble packs.. so why cant Sony just make something like what they had but is different like all of thier competitors?

[dalton4life]

Anywho, I have one question, why couldnt they just make a rumble pack that doesnt use the technology that Immerson? I mean, nintendo, sega, microsoft, and many 3rd party developers have rumble packs.. so why cant Sony just make something like what they had but is different like all of thier competitors?

 

MS and Nintendo settled with Immerson. I'm sure 3rd parties did the same thing. Sony didn't want to pony up and pay what was just. It's not like Immerson was getting half of every controller sold. Just a small percentage. It's messed up Sony would try to rip them off like this. This is how that company makes a profit. They invent technology and license it for use in various products.

Edited May 23, 2006 by dalton4life

[AtariJr]

Anywho, I have one question, why couldnt they just make a rumble pack that doesnt use the technology that Immerson? I mean, nintendo, sega, microsoft, and many 3rd party developers have rumble packs.. so why cant Sony just make something like what they had but is different like all of thier competitors?

 

MS and Nintendo settled with Immerson. I'm sure 3rd parties did the same thing. Sony didn't want to pony up and pay what was just. It's not like Immerson was getting half of every controller sold. Just a small percentage. It's messed up Sony would try to rip them off like this. This is how that company makes a profit. They invent technology and license it for use in various products.

 

so even mad catz and them pay these people for the technology? and Nintendo was first at the rumble pack.. wouldnt it have been smart of them to have a contract with Immerson so that only they could have the rights to the technology?

 

Either way, I see how low Sony went, and its really sad that a company could do something like that... its very obvious its the same company who hired people to do psp graphiti everywhere....i cant wait till its just microsoft and Ninendo...

[NovaXpress]

Immersion would be morons to give any one company an exclusivity contract. Why get a piece of one system when you can have a piece of all of them?

[AtariJr]

Immersion would be morons to give any one company an exclusivity contract. Why get a piece of one system when you can have a piece of all of them?

 

true...

 

btw, why did it take so long for immerson to realize they were getting jipped? I mean, it should have been obvious yeaaars ago with the psx controller.

[Bill Brasky]

I hope Sony keeps the rumble feature out. I HATE the rumble feature.

[AtariJr]

I hope Sony keeps the rumble feature out. I HATE the rumble feature.

 

Funny, there is a person at work who said the same thing... btw have you noticed that in fmv sequences like in Final Fantasy and such if you put a ps2 contoller on a table it looks like its going to take flight since its way too much rumble?

 

 

I still think it should be an option, sorry.. but maybe you could turn it off... i think in systems like the Wii it is necessary since its all about "feeling", but i think the 360 and ps3 could have an option to turn it off, like sony with their seemingly meaningless annolog button ....

[dalton4life]

As I understand it Immerson patented the rumble technology 1st. It was meant to be used in medical equipment. However the rumble that came out in game controllers was too close to Immerson's orignal patent to not be a violation. It's probably easier just to settle and pay the licensing fees than to come up with new rumble technology which is why MS and Nintendo settled. Since 3rd parties already have to pay MS and Nintendo licensing fees to make controllers for their consoles Immerson's fees may already be covered as party of what was settled. Again I'm not sure on that since I haven't really researched it. Regardless it's a another reason for me not like Sony as a company even more. It's funny because I was a huge Sony fan for a long time.

Edited May 23, 2006 by dalton4life

[Starscream]

I still think it should be an option, sorry.. but maybe you could turn it off... i think in systems like the Wii it is necessary since its all about "feeling", but i think the 360 and ps3 could have an option to turn it off, like sony with their seemingly meaningless annolog button ....

 

 

I am pretty sure you can on the 360. It would be under your gamer settings.

[JB]

My question is this... what kind of bullshit is it that you can appeal a court decision until it's ultimately reversed? Isn't this how Sony eventually bankrupted the company that made Bleem? It's almost like the government has tailored the law so that the corporation with the most money always wins.

Actually, several of Sony's Bleem suits got dismissed outright.

 

Rather than continuously appealing one case, they kept filing more and more new cases. They weren't even trying to find legitimate legal points, just slapping buzzwords together.

 

 

 

But yeah, it's broken. Sony should've paid Bleem's expenses on the vast majority of the cases they filed.

[shadow460]

I wouldn't miss the rumble feature myself. It tires my hands quicker and makes FPS aiming that much harder.

And yes, I, too, have noticed that the Dual Shock 2 will vibrate itself off the table if you set it down. The amount of rumble is about right, but it's still annoying. Now Dreamcast pads...those can lay the shake on you.

[AtariJr]

I wouldn't miss the rumble feature myself. It tires my hands quicker and makes FPS aiming that much harder.

And yes, I, too, have noticed that the Dual Shock 2 will vibrate itself off the table if you set it down. The amount of rumble is about right, but it's still annoying. Now Dreamcast pads...those can lay the shake on you.

 

dreamcast and playstation rumble numb my hands lool, hydro thunder anyone?

 

as far as gamecube and xbox rumble i think its more tolerable... i use rumble to recognize when im shot in rogue squadron... i cant play that game with a wavebird as i die without realizing i took more than one shot! Xbox.. i dont play a lot of fps.. but battlefront is subtle enough to notice but just barely that... i think the xbox has the most tame rumble feature out there.. its very soft.

 

I think that the n64 was always fun and astonishing in starfox 64.. you got to the end of the level just to wait for that huge explosion

Edited May 23, 2006 by AtariJr

[Atarifever]

I've gotten used to rumble now and like it being in games. I've never found my hands bruised from the constant agonizing attack of my controller that's for sure. It plays an important part in some games. Like in Animal Crossing it's the signal that a fish is on your line. On the DS you don't get that signal and the fishing is much less enjoyable. Also, I find it useful in racing games where it indicates when you start to leave the pavement. It isn't a necessary thing in most games, but I certainly don't think not having it as an option is somehow an advantage for the PS3.

Edited May 23, 2006 by Atarifever

[sega saturn x]

Can't sonys appeals just be denied eventually?

[JB]

Can't sonys appeals just be denied eventually?

Yeah. But someone has to decide to do it, and no one has yet.

[blastermaster]

Rumble makes some games better, amplitude and frequency would not be the same without it! it should always be optional though, cause i can see how it could become annoying..

 

~Jon

[shadow460]

It's good for Sega Bass Fishing, uh, umm, and games like that. Hydro Thunder is one of the really bad ones for rumbling. It's not as bad on the N64, but the DC version will leave you wondering what you just hit.

Rumble isn't good for KI Gold.

 

Really, though, Sony did have the best integration of the rumble feature. A pack doesn't weight your controller down (anyone ever used an Ultra Racer 64 with a Rumble Pak?), but still I just don't have any games that use it properly. The racing games need a wheel, which has force feedback built in.

 

I don't use the N64 rumble pak much anymore due to the weight. It and the Transfer Pak (especially with Perfect Dark attatched...it's a rumble cart) pull the top of the controller down just too much to be comfortable for me to use.

 

I'm not sure which is hardest on the hands: DC Hydro Thunder or N64 Perfect Dark with the Transfer Pak and CGB cart.

[Gabriel]

I hope Sony keeps the rumble feature out. I HATE the rumble feature.

 

It's one of those things that most people don't care for, but it looks good when listing controller features so it gets slapped in there.

[JB]

Really, though, Sony did have the best integration of the rumble feature. A pack doesn't weight your controller down (anyone ever used an Ultra Racer 64 with a Rumble Pak?), but still I just don't have any games that use it properly. The racing games need a wheel, which has force feedback built in.

 

I don't use the N64 rumble pak much anymore due to the weight. It and the Transfer Pak (especially with Perfect Dark attatched...it's a rumble cart) pull the top of the controller down just too much to be comfortable for me to use.

 

I'm not sure which is hardest on the hands: DC Hydro Thunder or N64 Perfect Dark with the Transfer Pak and CGB cart.

That's a pretty good point. WHERE the weight winds up matters as much as how much you have. The DualShocks stuck it in the handles where it wasn't putting leverage against your hand.

 

I hope Sony keeps the rumble feature out. I HATE the rumble feature.

 

It's one of those things that most people don't care for, but it looks good when listing controller features so it gets slapped in there.

I think a lot of people DO care, actually. Why else would there be piles of N64 and DC force-feedback modules out there(including 3rd-party knockoffs). People care enough to spend extra cash on it.

Sure it's a crappy simulation, but it beats the heck out of nothing.