From
IGN.com E3 2006: Sony reveals the PS3 controller
Say goodbye to the Batarang! Say hello to six degrees of freedom!
by Andrew Alfonso
May 8, 2006 - Today at SCEA's E3 press conference, Ken Kutaragi came on stage near the end of the conference to deliver the final piece of the PS3 puzzle: the controller. Last E3, Sony showed off a completely different controller from the usual Dual Shock 2 rev, and was reminiscent of a Batarang.
However, it seems that Sony has listened to the criticisms of fans and its clients and have reverted back to the traditional Dual Shock design for the PS3, which will make gamers happier. In addition, the new controller will be wireless, with a USB connection in case you want to be wired. When connected, the controller can be charged automatically. The controller can be connected and disconnected at any time.
The biggest surprise was when Phil Harrison joined Ken Kutaragi on stage to show off the secret feature of the Dual Shock 3: six degrees of freedom. Using technology similar to what we've seen in past games, players can now move the controller freely in order to manipulate the action on the screen.
This was shown by Dylan Jobe, who is the producer/director of Warhawk, which will make an appearance on the system. In the short two minute demo, Jobe was shown flying his craft by handling the controller in a similar fashion to that of an aircraft stick. Before that, Harrison also showed two demos using this feature, with a helicoptor and the traditional rubber duck.
While the new Dual Shock will gain motion detection, it will be losing its shock. Sony confirmed that the rumble feature will be disabled, as the vibration apparently interferes with information detected by the motion sensor.
Sony has also made a few fine adjustments to the controller. The L2/R2 shoulder buttons have been enlarged, allowing for increased stroke depth. The analogue sticks allow for greater tilting angle, a change that will apparently give more delicate controls to games. Both the sticks and the L2/R2 shoulder buttons benefit from an increase in precision from 8 to 10 bits.
We'll have more information on the new controller as soon as we get our hands on it!
That's GREAT news! I wasn't too keen on the whole "bat-a-rang" design of the PS3 controller.
I was unable to find any pictures of the controller.
Bad news for Nintendo...I'm afraid. The whole "motion sensitive" controller thing seemed to be Nintendo's big selling point for the Wii. Now Sony has pretty much taken ALL the wind out of their sales. You can bet that Sony's decision to make the DualShock 3 motion sensitive is gonna but a MAJOR dent in Nintendo's sales. Could this be the final year for Nintendo as a hardware developer?
