The real PlayStation 3 controller revealed

173 Comments by Christopher Grant May 8th 2006 9:48PM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, E3, Peripherals

Sony just revealed the final controller for the PlayStation 3 during their E3 keynote (which we're live-blogging here). What does it look like? Short answer: an awful lot like the PlayStation 2's existing Dual Shock.

There is one addition. The PS3's new controller contains some additional Wii-esque functionality without any sensors needed. Did Sony just gank Nintendo's secret weapon? Looks like it.

Specs include:

X-Y-Z, pitch, roll, yaw, and lateral motion detection
Bluetooth and wireless controls
It's lighter than the PS2 controller

Tags: Controller, e32006

(Page 1) Reader Comments

calpolo: May 8th 2006; 9:47PM

lol...sony just wiid all over nintendo and microsoft..

Robotic House Plant: May 8th 2006; 9:49PM

I'm a little disapointed they copied Nintendo instead of innovating.

feezy: May 8th 2006; 9:49PM

so youre saying Sony Nintendo'd nintendo? i guess ur right; they STOLE again.

Simon: May 8th 2006; 9:51PM

The Sony PS3 - Now with Wiimote and Xbox Live

That said, I'll probably still buy one. I'm trying to remain unbiased in this generation, and not just follow the Xbox crowd I live in.

Josh: May 8th 2006; 9:51PM

That's bullshit. It looks like Nintendo was right to keep their secrets.

zyx: May 8th 2006; 9:52PM

i'm just disappointed i can't frighten women and small children in my neighborhood with a shiny new bananarang.

sonofnone: May 8th 2006; 9:53PM

Amazing. I get "Wii" functinality...but I don't have to feel like a moron every time I talk about it. God bless you Sony!

iNNeR_KaoS: May 8th 2006; 9:53PM

Honestly, I don't like it. I'm perfectly happy playing games WITHOUT moving. You know, I fear change like that.

Besides, when that guy was playing Warhawk with it, the control looked all spastic, like he could barely keep control. I just hope it's an optional feature that games let you turn off, like the rumble feature.

Nuno Sousa: May 8th 2006; 9:54PM

Anyone else dissappointed?

Just looking at that guy from Warhammer I can see that you can't coordinate your thumb movements when moving the controller around...

It's kinda like trying to swing your arms in opposite directions when you were a kid.

Plus, WTF are they talking about moving to a 3D environment... they still have the analog joystick so it's the same thing. Just think about it. Picture yourself moving around in Halo with the PS3 controller. It WON'T feel right. You'll be moving the view around with the controller but you'll still need the arrow buttons or the analog to move the guy around. There's no way you're going to do that on the same hand.

Wii Wii: May 8th 2006; 9:54PM

Sorry, but 6 axis is not even Wii lite. Its crap. I had a GenCon similar to that on my PS1. Its a gimmick to try to hit Nintendo and it wont work.

bigshynepo: May 8th 2006; 9:54PM

BEAUTIFUL SKIES ON THE NEXT-GEN HORIZON.

Nintendo's secret weapon is still their entire catalog for download. I can't remember but will PS3 play PS1 and PS2 games without an emulator?

I am AMPED that each console seems different. But who will want an xbox with these other two 4D beauts?

well..i will...but just for Oblivion. :o)

Night Elve: May 8th 2006; 9:55PM

Even the price is a bit high im gonna buy a PS3 with no question, im all for it.

Zachary: May 8th 2006; 9:55PM

"The Sony PS3 - Now with Wiimote and Xbox Live"
You sir are a genius, comedy gold!

Andrew: May 8th 2006; 9:56PM

God I was pretty sure they'd be sticking with the base PS2 controller after the whole boomarang thing, but I hope they at least streamline it a bit. They could definately improve the control sticks with a few tweaks.

And I'm only really mildly interested in the motion sensing, it's definately no where near as defining as the Wii, and I can only really see it being used on select first party titles for more analogue movement.

I mean didn't microsoft release a motion sensing controller with Motocross madness? The sidewinder or something? The novelty wore off and you could play the game fine with a keyboard.

TripleTerror: May 8th 2006; 9:56PM

I knew when they said "redesigned controller" they would be taking something from nientendo's idea.

J. Leck: May 8th 2006; 9:56PM

Wii'll see. It sounds nice, and it's pretty amazing that, despite the added functionality, Sony actually made the controller lighter. I never thought the controller was the heavy to begin with, so I hope the new DualShock doesn't feel too insubstantial.

However, I don't believe they've necessarily stolen Nintendo's controller idea. After all, the point of the Wiimote is to make playing games simpler. The PS3 controller still requires two hands, and the motion detection may prove to be a nuisance when deeply involved in a game--but I won't know until I try it out.

Does built-in Bluetooth mean the controllers can be used to play on other Bluetooth-enabled machines? It would be cool to use a real DualShock to play PlayStation One games on my PC.

Denizenx85: May 8th 2006; 9:56PM

The Wii controller looks like it would be easier to point with.

Sizer: May 8th 2006; 9:57PM

Sorry, this is not Wii functionality (argh, still hate the name). This is half-assed. You would have a hard time using it as a light gun, pretending to pass a football with it, or using it as a sword.

MS used to have this a form of this for the PC, it was supposed to be a driving controller, but it was always inferior to using the stick.

I can see how this would be good for flight sims and space games though.

Jordan: May 8th 2006; 9:57PM

sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not wii functionality, umm, have you ever heard of kirby's tilt and tumble for gba??? yea, that's all they added to the ps3 controller, it's not a 3d pointer, it has xyz, but all he was doing was tilting it, not actually 3d space, there is no sensor to determine the controller's location, nice try though

Ace!: May 8th 2006; 9:57PM

you knew this was going to happen tho. Sony havent been able to think of their own ideas and yet again have to copy others. Plus �340-�410 for the console? A lot of my friends are playstation fanboys and have been turned off at how expensive it is.

Ace!

Mike Jenkins: May 8th 2006; 9:58PM

I bet Microsoft already has a 3D motion controller, and they;ll announce it for $60 tomorrow at E3 along with the camera, and they can be used together in Xbox LIVE arcade games.

shogan: May 8th 2006; 9:58PM

I love how NOW the motion controll on the Wii is now cool since Sony is doing it. Stupid fanboys.

Kamalot: May 8th 2006; 9:58PM

I think it is more than a little funny how, PlayStation fans have been calling the Wii controller, motion-sensing video games, lame, kiddy, weak, reatrted, gay and a slew of other names. Now, they have the same motion-sensing controllers in theit next console.

Sony PlayStation fanboys must be lame, kiddy, weak, reatrted, gay and a slew of other names!

Tim: May 8th 2006; 9:59PM

I see this as more of a way to make Microsoft behind in the next gen era. Now it's all Sony and Nintendo's world.

By the way, The PS3 controller isnt EXACTLY the same as Wii's, it doesn't even use the movement all the time, and probably not in every game like Wii.

Phil: May 8th 2006; 9:59PM

The sad part is most people on Gamespot are all like "Wow, Sony is so innovative and the PS3 isn't expensive at all! PS3 is going to kick ass!!"
Absolutely sickening. Getting a 360 tomorrow. Fuck you, Sony.

Jordan: May 8th 2006; 9:59PM

it's basically like the nunchuck attachment that's it

glandular: May 8th 2006; 9:59PM

Why did Sony have to do this? Now when I buy my PS3 I'll feel like I have a poser system thats copying Nintendo.
I don't even want the damn gyro, just give me my DS2 wireless. Do you hear me Sony? I don't want a POSER controller!!!

AJ Ballou: May 8th 2006; 10:00PM

Completely different from the Wiiiii controller--in the Warhawk demo, it seemed the same range of movement could have been controlled by the Analog sticks. So, now you have to master a d-pad, eight buttons, two analog sticks, and motion sensitivity? too damn complicated. Nintendo's big benefit is the simplicity of the Wii controller.

Also, I hope you like FPS and fighting games--those seem to be the only options on the PS3. Oh, and Madden. Give me a friggin' break. Where are the equivalents to Nintendogs or Harvest Moon or Katamari Damacy? In other words, where is the innovation? Sony seems to have proved Nintendo right--Sony and MS are going for bigger, faster, more instead of innovation.

elmer: May 8th 2006; 10:00PM

I just posted this on Infendo:

Fucking Bastards!!!!!

I just want to punch the next Sony employee I see in the face.

GRRRAAAAAAKKKK

Obviously they'll cheapen the whole thing.

All the same people whoe bought playstations before will now see no reason to buy anything else, but we'll still live in a world of identical shooting games that don't make any use of the 3d control, or imagination.. Ever.

Shit heads.

Well fuck the industry.

It can just die.

DIE.

SC: May 8th 2006; 10:01PM

Shame on Sony for ripping Nintendo off like that. I can't believe those fucking bastards, especially for raising the price like that also. They're also ripping off XBOX Live as well as iTunes/Front Row.

Fuck em...BUT...

will I get the PS3 anyways? Yes. Why? I don't give a shit about their policies or their integrity or any of that shit. The package is impressive though overpriced. Yes, very dirty move that Sony pulled, but I'm still going to get the system. Tekken 6 won me. The controller, though a rip-off, works for me. And Wii + 360 all have their own flaws, and Sony seems to be the lead over them.

Crux: May 8th 2006; 10:01PM

This is like saying ps2 had online capabilities and thus is the same as xbox live. Which it isn't. The shape of the controller makes it impossible to do practically anything the wii can. You can't aim properly in a fps for example because you are having to move Two analog sticks at the same time, with both your hands on the controller. Its a very poor attempt and stealing nintendos thunder.

bamby: May 8th 2006; 10:02PM

History repeat again

aegies: May 8th 2006; 10:02PM

just to clarify, they did say the controller detected lateral movement, not just tilt. the dev was pointing it up, down, left, and right, and also rotating it (remember the barrel roll?). this smells like a lawsuit. that's two controllers in a row for them, if so.

Master X 24: May 8th 2006; 10:02PM

I guess sony just made nintendos day

bv: May 8th 2006; 10:02PM

big fat lol@ the warhawk guy trying to play his game via kirby tilt and tumble. looked incredibly innacurate and jerky. just goes to show you that motion detecting aint what its cracked up to be. I'd wager my wallet that the wii is going to have this same exact innacuracy problem. Overall, I can't believe i held my breath a year for trailers that weren't realtime, demos that looked 360 gen (which is awesome but no reason to buy the ps3 over whats already available), and a controller that is basically the tilt and tumble crap from the gameboy advance. Overall, a boring press conference and a year of wasted anticipation.

Jordan: May 8th 2006; 10:02PM

it's basically like the nunchuck attachment that's it

ben furneaux: May 8th 2006; 10:03PM

WHAT DOES THIS MEAAAAAAN!

NINTENDO = DEAD

Kevout: May 8th 2006; 10:04PM

So Sony has stolen from Nintendo:

-Shoulder buttons
-Analog control
-Force Feedback
-Motion sensing

Am I missing anything else

Jordan: May 8th 2006; 10:04PM

TO AEGIES, yes they said lateral, but you can say lateral when you TILT it in a lateral direction, it is impossible to detect 3d movement without a sensor, and they specifically said no sensor, it's essentially an accelerometer

Pretty Obvious: May 8th 2006; 10:04PM

Honestly I expected this to happen, just not so soon. I thought they would copy off the Wii for the PS4. This explains all the hush hush and delay behind the PS3.

Not only that they just took a big shat right on Nintendo, all the fanboys hollering innovation, well you got it right here. The total package. Not a souped up Xbox with a Gyroscopic controller but an Xbox 360 with a gyroscopic controller. All those third party Rev titles can be ported over to the PS3 in HD (like I predicted). And you also have a service that copies directly off of Xbox Live. You gotta love Sony... Lol.

Whats left for E3?? Lets see, Nintendos gonna floor everybody with their Gamecube title TP (yeah right), which coincidently will also usher their not so next gen console. Microsoft will show of Halo 3 and Gears of War which honestly at this point after Sonys conference will also blow Nintendo away.

The only thing saving them right now is the announcement of a new Gameboy, if there actually is one.

rfruit: May 8th 2006; 10:05PM

Sony steals Nintendo's secret weapon? I think not. Pitch and yaw sensing in the controller seems like a nice, albeit knee-jerk addition, but there's no way it will come close to the Wii-mote. Remember Nintendo spent millions of dollars in R&D developing their their tech along with dev tools. Sony's pitch and yaw controller is meerly an attempt to steal some of Nintendo's thnder, but it will in no way approach what the Wii is attempting.

Don't get me wrong - PS3 could be a monster, but it'll be so in more traditional ways (better graphics, integrated online support, massive 3rd party support, etc), not because it has a 'Revolution'-ary input device.

trey: May 8th 2006; 10:06PM

Yeah, they "copied" Nintendo. Because, 3D motion detection is brand new and everything.

Give me a break.

JimJimBinks: May 8th 2006; 10:06PM

Ummm, this is only half of the Wii controller functionality.
This controller can't sense where you are in the room.
So no, Nintendo doesn't have anything to worry about here.

Curtos: May 8th 2006; 10:08PM

Hey Sony, ever heard of this word....."innovation" No, well call Nintendo up then.

Tyler M.: May 8th 2006; 10:11PM

Imatation is the highest form of flattery.

Jordan: May 8th 2006; 10:11PM

i find it laughable that everyone is putting nintendo in the ground, very nice, very nice, because it can do what kirby could do on the GBA, very funny, look the game up, the guy acted high with the controller, he was flailing around and everything, check out kirby tilt and tumble here: http://www.gamespot.com/gbc/puzzle/kirbytiltntumble/review.html?sid=2701119

striegs: May 8th 2006; 10:11PM

Can I just say it? Sony, listen. The dualshock is terrible. It was never a good idea. Just because it looks symmetrical does not mean it is a good design.

Now... Sony? SONY! You look at me, young man. Don't you roll your eyes at me! It's 2006! You haven't changed your fucking controller in over a decade! Those buttons with analog sensitivity on the PS2? Nobody used those. Ever. The people who say they used those? Liars, all of them. It doesn't look good for these motion sensors, either.

GIVE ME THE BOOMERANG, SONY. IT'S BETTER THAN THE LOG OF SHIT YOU'VE HAD HANGING FROM YOUR ASS FOR THE PAST TWELVE YEARS. Now go to your room! No! No dinner for you, little man! Go!

Jarrod: May 8th 2006; 10:12PM

Didn't they do the same thing with wifi in the psp? If I recall correctly, they didn't throw in wifi until they heard the Nintendo DS was going to have it. They really know how to play dirty, but I don't think this will change much.

I HATE SONY: May 8th 2006; 10:13PM

SONY SUCK. THEY NEVER INNOVATE GAMES, THEY COPY NINTENDO! I HOPE THE PS3 FAILS CAUSE IT SUCKS AND SONY SUCKS AND THEY ALL SUCK.

SONY SUCKS
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Jesse: May 8th 2006; 10:13PM

Pssh, as long as you all keep falling for the PSOne remakes with new numbers attached to the end, Sony will never go beyond their basic design. Hate the name all you want, but we can say that without a doubt Nintendo's new controller doesn't look anything like the N64 controller with motion sensors. I'm a fanboy, so discredit me all you want, but hell, I liked Sony's other controller and as a former GStop manager I know alot of Sony fanboys that did too. This old look is outdated, and is just rehashed. Imagine if Nintendo and Sony switched places, no name attached people, would you still diss the remote and love this "new" one? Nah, you'd say Nintendo is "lacking individuality" and that Sony is "the true innovator" . It's a dissapointment really to me. Even though I'm a fanboy, if Ninty gave me a GCN controller for the new console, I'd be pretty letdown, especially after the DS.

I guess I'm more dissapointed that "gamers" can't just stop the hating of Nintendo simply because they are the last "original" game company with no strings attached (I.E. backups as Sony and Micro call'em).

Although, I would love the iBoy or the iTendo, so here's the Nintendo and Apple becoming a happy couple one day (this nerds dream....)

Ok, sorry for the rant, continue hating and point out all my flaws that way you feel smarter. I'll be playing with my wii (I couldn't help it :P).

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