Sony confirms plans to chuck boomerang controller (and it won't come back)
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Mar 22nd 2006 at 9:30PM }
Sony today confirmed they plan to toss the much-reviled boomerangamajig PS3 controller thingy, according to CNNMoney.com reporter Chris Morris. A redesigned controller is expected to be unveiled at E3, in May.
What's funny about this is that the decision was most likely fueled by gamer reaction to the controller's mere looks. The controller might have turned out to be the most comfortable ever released, but the world will never know because gamer reaction to the design of the thing was nearly unanimously negative after its unveiling at E3 in May 2005.
Was Sony unfairly slapped down by gamers and the video games press for being too forward-thinking? We all sure talk a big game about wanting change, but we've shown (over and over again) very little acceptance of schemes that represent a true visual or mechanical departure from the norm. The Nintendo DS touch-screen interface, for instance, also faced quite a bit of negative reaction prior to its release.
[Image comes from Joystiq PS3 controller redesign
contest. This particular concept was designed by Joystiq reader Adam Portilla of Chicago.]
[Via Engadget]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
joefro72 @ Mar 22nd 2006 9:41PM
yay!!!! but i was kinda hoping my controller would come back to m when i throw it...lol
shiftup @ Mar 22nd 2006 9:47PM
whaaa!!! a lecture with our news??? what are you my mother? but ya.. I kinda agree I wonder what the controller was gonna be like. it seemed kinda like a steering wheel.
Tyler Mills @ Mar 22nd 2006 9:53PM
...
This is a joke, right? NO?????
HAHAHAHHAA
Jeff @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:00PM
So can we assume that the idea is to steal the revolution type interface then?
boots (former bd (former b)) @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:03PM
Actually, it looked better than the Xbox 360 controller (which looks too conservative), and it was partially proven to be more comfortable. Regardless, thanks to the inane prejudices of people without even giving time to testing the controller, it was scrapped never to be seen again (or at least for the foreseeable future)); and people blame the industry for not trying something new and bringing sequels. Unbelievable.
Stu L Tissimus @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:09PM
Maybe they'll finally make a Dual Shock that has an analog stick in a place that *isn't* retarded.
Ipod fanboy @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:09PM
Damn it i knew sony was going to dump the boomerang controller. Stupid fuckin sony fanboys cried and wine about the ps3 controller, ps3 controller getting bad rap from sonys hardcore fans. Casual gamers would not mind if the ps3 came out with a new controller. The dualshock2 controlelr sucks badly, My gamecube controller and my xboxduke controller from launch still works, wow nintendo and microsoft know how to make durable controllers. I really hope sony dont copy off nintendo again. Casual gamers and hardcore playstation fans talked about how the revolution controller sucks and they never even touched it or seen how it looks. If sony makes a controller simular to the rev casual gamers will say thats the greatest controller ever made in gaming history, and hardcore playstation fans will say the i never knew nintendo made a motion sensing controller before I thought that was sony's idea all along. I hope rev launches soon.
Vince -UK @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:09PM
Maybe they'll eventually release it for the "banana-curious" market.
I'd buy one!
Loban @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:13PM
Wow, so I guess this leads to inevitable stealing of the Revolution's controller. I mean, I assumed Sony would steal the idea eventually, but not so soon.
Magera @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:13PM
I wonder if this has anything to do with the lawsuit against them and the PS2 controller. (assuming the ps3 is based off of the same specifications).
Or is it their attempt to make nintendo's controller obsolite??
Or maybe then again they ARE just changing the controller because of consumer reaction.
I'd REALY like to know their true motivation behind the change but I guess we'll never REALLY know. (well not until E3 at least).
bob23 @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:14PM
Chris Morris? So close to Chuck Norris.
:P
Momus @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:16PM
Why not skip all this useless speculation and just come out and announce the DualShock Remote.
RemoteShock.
DualRemote?
Something lame like that.
w00gy @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:24PM
I hope the keep the analog sticks where they are. I like the symmetry having both analog sticks down low, instead of one up high and one down low. (Like XBox and GC)
32_Footsteps @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:26PM
You know, I'm personally suspecting that Sony isn't going to completely abandon the boomerang. They're just going to put it to the side until they feel the market will support it.
Imagine it now - Sony creates a crappy clone of the DualShock (and I've had a few break or malfunction on me - the only first-party controller I've had issue with) to package with the PS3. Gamers finally get fed up and demand a new controller.
Suddenly, the boomerang is available in stores. Sony intentionally makes it much more durable, and maybe they're right when they say it's more comfortable to hold. People try it at some demo stations, and they're instantly hooked to the boomerang design. They fly off the shelves, and before long it's the only PS3 controller you can find.
It may all work out; I just wish I had a chance to try the boomerang to see if it was decent.
kyle @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:32PM
why do some of you guys hate playstation so much?
And why do you have to say something bad about evry single bit of PS3 news.
John @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:40PM
"Was Sony unfairly slapped down by gamers and the video games press for being too forward-thinking?"
You're kidding right? Slaping some wings on what is essentially the same controller we have been playing with since N64 is considered forward-thinking? come on!
Ahms @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:43PM
I do find it silly as well. If it works well, is comfortable, and is effecient, then they should be keeping it. If they chucked it for *not* having all of these qualities, then props to them
If they simply did it out of not wanting it to be mocked, well, they only have to look to the Revolution "nunchaku" and see how much player/media bashing has affected their design
Ok, it looks like a boomerang. But if it's fun and works, then it's a very fun boomerang :) Has anyone ever actually held one besides the designers to try?
Jonn @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:49PM
>8. I wonder if this has anything to do with the lawsuit against them and the PS2 controller. (assuming the ps3 is based off of the same specifications).<
No, that's why the Boomerang in the first place, I think.
>It may all work out; I just wish I had a chance to try the boomerang to see if it was decent.<
Ironically, that's what several hundred Nintendo fans have been saying since last fall.
Desidus @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:49PM
"14. why do some of you guys hate playstation so much?
And why do you have to say something bad about evry single bit of PS3 news.
Posted at 10:32PM on Mar 22nd 2006 by kyle"
Let's see....why indeed....
Nintendo announces Rumble Pak...Sony releases DualShock.
Nintendo announces 20 years of downloadable games, Sony announces downloadable PSone games.
Nintendo unveils the Free-hand Controller, Sony suddenly has a redesigned controller that will be "revealed at E3" [quote by Phil Harrison of Sony, with emphasis on "revealed"]
Why do we hate Sony so much....
And now the latest word is they're all for in-game advertising. Great. Who wants to bet they'll still charge 60 bucks per game while making money off of advertisements?
Jonn @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:53PM
>14. why do some of you guys hate playstation so much?And why do you have to say something bad about evry single bit of PS3 news.
ck @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:55PM
There's no way they're going to "steal" Nintendo's remote now, it's way too soon to be obvious and they'd would be throwing away A LOT of their fanbase by copying the small engine that could that is Nintendo by doing something radical.
I want to know now what this will do for the delay of the PS3? Will it affect development? Surely they can't stray too far away from the Dual Shock design if they still want developers to deliver on a holiday date this year.
And from this announcement, is Sony saying that the PS3 will NOT be launched this spring? Did they make an official announcement yet? I haven't heard anything...
Kevin @ Mar 22nd 2006 10:55PM
I agree with Kyle, to many people ripping on playstation, why? The dual shock isnt perfect, but its pretty damn good! Or is the library of great games?
Even with my reservations, I did want to try the new controller redesign. I hope it may still be available eventually.
PS I dont give two fcuks if Sony steals the Revolution ideas, you can bitch about unoriginality when I am playing GTA with it. (And you cant say that wouldnt be bad ass)
ck @ Mar 22nd 2006 11:02PM
Scratch my comments about release dates. Man, I feel stupid.
Michael @ Mar 22nd 2006 11:11PM
#19 ck: Yeah, the date is officially "early November" for the entire world.
And the new controller will be at E3, so it shouldn't delay anything.
And to all the little girls pre-whining about some apocalyptic nintendo rip-off; get over it. damn.
If sony wants to "rip-off" the revolution, they'll do it with the PS2, since the gameplay will be more important than the graphics. It will be much cheaper and already has the largest console user base in history.
Reading these comments makes me want to slap people.
I can't wait to own a PS3 and a Revolution.
Paul @ Mar 22nd 2006 11:20PM
Kevin... let me steal ur mom and play with her. And when I bitch slap her GTA style "you cant say that wouldnt be bad ass".
Keep ur stupid thoughts to yourself and so will I.
Patents Block Sony Idiot.
-for now atleast...
Mintz @ Mar 22nd 2006 11:31PM
Before you start slapping us on the wrist for not accepting change, ask yourself, did YOU want to play games with that thing?
gadget boy @ Mar 22nd 2006 11:35PM
This sucks... I was looking forward to trying out the new Boomerang design. Now Sony will most definitely put out something more conservative.
mike @ Mar 22nd 2006 11:49PM
Now sony is going to release a more "conservative" controller and everyone is going to be whining that the boomerang is better.
Merus @ Mar 22nd 2006 11:59PM
Just one more example of the hardcore ruining gaming for everyone else.
No, for serious: the hardcore are some of the least adventurous game players, because they're still playing long after everyone else has gotten bored. So they get upset when developers try and do something new, because they want more, please.
ndreamer @ Mar 23rd 2006 12:15AM
well they allready have the name TriShock just add anouther analog stick some more buttons and anouther rumble pack and there set.
Eric @ Mar 23rd 2006 12:16AM
People have got to be kidding themselves if they think that CONSUMERS changed Sony's mind. Sony doesn't care about what the gamers and media think (as far as hardware goes anyway--bravo listening to everyone's cry for unified online) otherwise they would have dumped all the useless technology (7 wireless bluetooth controllers, dual 1080p output...cell processor..?) that is going to drive its price sky high!
I know I just came across as a 360 fanboy, so I must say I fully intend to purchase a PS3...but people c'mon, open you eyes.
I'm almost postive this has a lot more to do with the dualshock lawsuit that they just got raped by.
Jago @ Mar 23rd 2006 12:24AM
"What's funny about this is that the decision was most likely fueled by gamer reaction to the controller's mere looks."
...funny how people forget that there was a small sign that 2 little words:
CONCEPT DESIGN
J @ Mar 23rd 2006 1:36AM
It was obviously a bad design because the L and R shoulder buttons were way too high up on the controller. I wouldn't say it was unfairly slammed. It looked lie a cheap piece of crap to me and I am not sayin ghtat because it was shaped funny. I had no real problem with the shape other then it looked like it needed more grip and the L and R buttons should have further down the sides of the controller. But it looked cheap plastic and looked like another crappy cut back on money plastic product that has become an unfortunate trend for today. Sometimes I really feel they don't make em like they used to (quality wise, not button configuration layout wise and blah blah). The analog sticks looked wierd too. I don't know how good they worked but they looked scaled down. I got 4 brothers at home and I just loooked at the controller and couldn't seeing it last with all those people playing with that controller without breaking it down the line.
Its not Like I expected Steel with aluminum buttons and chrome analogs. But it did look richety. I definitely knew it was small, which is why I didn't trust the analogs too much. I have never used this controller. THat does not mean that I can't look at it and size it up by eyeball. Reaching that high on the controller for shoulder buttons is ridiculous is the bottom line.
Hart704 @ Mar 23rd 2006 1:37AM
I don't see a problem with the original controller design. It had the same button layout that has worked for Sony since they entered the gaming market.
Rare Hare @ Mar 23rd 2006 2:16AM
this actually kind of makes me sad.. i had my own reservations about the controller, but Sony is a good company and they know what works. i trusted them with this. if they say the thing is good, i believe them. i was really looking forward to trying it out for myself..
here's hoping they at least do some good and scrap the spider-man font too.. and that maybe they'll make the boomerang available later!
jb @ Mar 23rd 2006 2:32AM
I actually hope they don't change it too much. It seems like it could actually be pretty comfortable and IMO, it's not that ugly. They've just taken the smooth, one-piece design aesthetic a little too far and it could use a bit more structure.
Kye @ Mar 23rd 2006 2:48AM
Man if sony try to rip off Nintendo or Microsoft with their "new" design im gona rip Ken's balls off with my bare hands.
WITH. MY. BARE. HANDS!
I frickin hate their "Oh, me too!" attitude to other peoples hard work. They musta been the kid at school that borrowed everyone's homework to copy it just before it was handed in.
Thats partly why we (or at least I) hate on PS so much, Kyle.
Rare Hare @ Mar 23rd 2006 2:51AM
wow... now the sadness is starting to set in, along with the reality that i'll probably never be able to hold the boomerang.. just to see how it feels.
i've resorted to looking it up on google images to get final looks at it from multiple angles, and imagining how it would have felt in my hands..
and those aren't tears in my eyes. i have allergies.
allergies to a fear of change..
Rare Hare @ Mar 23rd 2006 3:01AM
BASTARDS!! yeah, i'm talking to you, Mr. Complaining Consumer and Internet Whiner. why must you kill innovation? why??
FINE.. stick with the DualShock design. yeah, it's good. but we'll never know if maybe the boomerang was better!
people complain about a lack of innovation in the industry but then they won't accept it when it comes. fine then.. i hope everything is fucking repetitive from now on.
and, @ Kye: get a damn grip on reality.
shaka @ Mar 23rd 2006 3:12AM
that was for me the best looking controler ever in any console in history if ,fixes the only problem i had with the dual shock 2 which is it was 2 small for me ,when i saw this i was like this is freaking sweet perfect for me ,i hope sony doesnt change it ,it looks like the best and most comfortable looking to date.
''The controller might have turned out to be the most comfortable ever released, but the world will never know because gamer reaction to the design of the thing was nearly unanimously negative after its unveiling at E3 in May 2005.''
i 2nd that and totally agree.
shaka.
R @ Mar 23rd 2006 4:41AM
Since all next-gen controllers (except the 360 standard package ones) are wireless, do they even include the rumble functions that have caused Sony and MS's legal battles? If not then they'll just release the wireless, rumbleless dual shock III.
I know the Rev is going to have rumble, but what about the other two? Can any 360 owners answer this question?
jadenguy @ Mar 23rd 2006 5:13AM
i wanted to try the banana out too...
and as for perfect controller, i'd have to say that if somebody would meld the 360 with a saturn controller, they'd be win. the circular d-pad, 6 buttons on the face, 4 on the shoulder, non-game buttons like start and select and xboxbutton or whatever in the center, wireless with rumble, in a milky white look...
that'd be drool. unrelated, the dreamcast controller was a dream to hold. i think the revolution is gonna take on similar ergonomics with two fully graspable chunks of controller, and i sure hope so.
MegaWatts @ Mar 23rd 2006 5:14AM
Nintendo I can respect. They have a plan and hardware ideas that are different then everyone else. New controller and different hardware than the rest
Xbox I can resepect. They also have a plan and hardware ideas that are different then everyone else. XBLive and marketplace and different chip and HDef gaming.
Sony I cannot respect. They have been a me too company and bring nothing new to the gaming world. They look at their competitors and say yeah were doing that. They are trying to copy LIVE features verbatim, Hdef gaming, different revolution controller and so on. nothing is new with them. And even theyre copying is full of lies like our LIVE service will be better than xbox. In 6 months your gonna create something that took MS 4 years? HAH! 1080p? Hah!
Sony is a me too also ran company. How can you not hate them. I would sooner buy from my used car dealer than sony. Im not a fanboy of any platform. Sony is a whiney bitch that I would love to kick in the nuts and leave for dead on a back road.
Jago @ Mar 23rd 2006 5:15AM
I dunno if anyone has noticed this but that "orb" controller design is not entirely original. The guy got the idea from a "Slime" controller that Square-Enix released for Dragon Quest VIII.
http://ployer.com/archives/2004/10/dragonquest_sli.php
http://www.gamebrink.com/images/hp2158_assorted_f.jpg
I played with it at E3 2005 at the Dragon Quest VIII demo kisoks and was actually quite surprised by how comfy it was. I dunno if it would work as a controller for all games but for that short I was using it, it was kinda neat.
Jago @ Mar 23rd 2006 5:20AM
"In 6 months your gonna create something that took MS 4 years?"
They did not JUST start creating the PS Network...why is it that people are THAT naive to think that?
Sure Sony doesn't have a lot of originality for its system BUT it has the games that MOST people want AND Sony as a brand usually is appealing as a "quality" product. Now whether that "quality" is true or not depends on each persons personal experience. Me personally I like Sony's products EXCEPT for the fact that they are way overpriced. If they dropped their prices to more acceptable levels (especially dropping the PS2 to $99) I would buy more Sony stuff.
Fan @ Mar 23rd 2006 7:08AM
@ 42
Yeah because we all know MS invented online gaming... They also invented voice chat and video chat. MS introduced the WORLD to downloading stuff. INFACT MS invented the INTERNET! Hey wait didnt MS ripp off Nintendo and Sony when they decided to release a gaming console?
Please you should shut up. MS is buildt upon ripping off ideas or just buying the company and claiming the idea for their own.
I agree that Nintendo is a innovative company but claiming MS is a innovative company is just IGNORANT. Saying Sony is ripping of MS is like saying Yahoo is ripping of Google because their improving on their search technology. Every single feature in LIVE is a feature ANYONE with buisness sence can come up with.
How long do YOU think it will take before MS ripps off Sonys Connect Store for the PS3? Oh wait Sony is ripping of iTunes cause Apple invented music downloading.................... MORONS
kizza kutaragi @ Mar 23rd 2006 7:28AM
"and, @ Kye: get a damn grip on reality."
No more should be said after this, because it pretty much is perfect & sums what we all think up.
All these sony bashing, hating fanbitches need a good hard slap on the forehead & an irreversible wedgy that reaches their underpants up to their necks.
Losers like kye seem to think that sony has never done anything but copy everyone else.....
Hahhahahahah
If it wasn't for sony showing others how it can be done, then MS would never have entered the console market. I'm not a MS basher, simply a realist & a gamer, hell I got a 360 & love it. It's just simple truth I state. Sony took huge risks & enetered the waters of the 2 dominant sharks that were sega & nintendo, & basically ate them up. This was a move forced upon sony by nintendo when ninty screwed them over the add on cd for snes (ain't kama a bitch) so sony came in with PS & cleaned up big time. Meanwhile, the biggest idea thief & unoriginal, typical american was watching the whole time & thought, "jeez, sony did that easy, I'll give it a try with my 50billion". So Bill releases a machine with dvd playback (duh, wonder where that original idea came from, also online capabilities (anyone remember dreamcast), a really original controller (not a rip off bastard hybrid child of the DS & dreamcast controller at all), now Bill abondons the xbox1 like a hot rock to offer a console with limited backwards compatibility (wonder who done this near flawlessy before them......no not sony, they never do anything half original or risky or to satisfy their customer base. Whats that?,... the 360 will have a camera soon similar to eyetoy (can't quite remember where that eyetoy idea was seen first, which console was it again??? Surely not them bastards at sony, they never innovate, they just copy everything.
What's that? the DS's motor was stolen by sony by a company that MS has major shares in just recently & that were more than likely struggling before that, so decided to bring the overly fair american judicial system into it....just ask O.J & MJ how fair it is. Then ask Ruben Carter.
Face you sad ass nintendo & MS fanbitches, most ideas stem from somewhere these days, there is hardly an original thought (just look at movies & game content), everything is an idea off an idea off an idea. Sometimes innovation will come with expanded ideas & hardly ever will we see a revolution, & I'm betting we will see anything but a revolution when ninty releases their new toy. All it will be is a turbo charged cube with a harry potter style wand to play it with. So all you 12yr olds that think nintendo invented games, the wheel & the universe can stand around in your skidmarked, crusty, mario underpants waving your wand around like complete fruitloops.
boots (former bd (former b)) @ Mar 23rd 2006 8:46AM
"This was a move forced upon sony by nintendo when ninty screwed them over the add on cd for snes"
Nintendo didn't screw them. Nintendo pretty much saved Sony's ass by not making the peripheral that would have been a failure just like the Sega CD, and in the process Nintendo saved themselves from the rip off that Sony tried to inflict upon them: Get all the royalties, and make Nintendo 2nd party. So it's not like Sony had no experience at all, they knew how this shit worked. Oh, and the Dual Shock is a SNES controller with N64 thumbstick multiplied by 2, same with the triggers.
"I'm betting we will see anything but a revolution when ninty releases their new toy. All it will be is a turbo charged cube"
First you say "let's slap this anti-sony crap" because you consider Sony an awesome innovator (and they are in some way), then you say Nintendo won't succeed... as opposed to how they did with pretty much every controller? lol, ok Kizza. Please tell me you are not a hypocrite.
The truth is, I'm waiting for the PS3 to come out (with PS2 and Gamecube games that are better than anything out on the 360 as for now), and if it isn't better than Xbox 360 (at least in the games, and perhaps graphics, not just as a media hub), then I'm not going to turn to 360; rather I'm going to be disappointed by Sony, and turn to Nintendo... at least they'll have something original, which is usual.
Spidey @ Mar 23rd 2006 9:18AM
"They did not JUST start creating the PS Network...why is it that people are THAT naive to think that?"
You got anything on prove that? Or does your faith Sony go with it?
"Sure Sony doesn't have a lot of originality for its system BUT it has the games that MOST people want AND Sony as a brand usually is appealing as a "quality" product."
Quality as in PS2? Then save it. Probably another reason why I wont buy a Sony product for a long time. Dear Sony, another pissed off consumer.
troc 59 @ Mar 23rd 2006 9:40AM
KIZZA, you'd better get used to waving your arms around like a fruitloop too because you know where the PS3 is heading!! It's gonna be another REV! If you can't see that one coming, you had better brush up on your ROCKET SCIENCE 101!! Thank your lucky stars we've got the 360-at least it has maintained some degree of saneness.