Immersion CEO on next-gen rumble and possible Nintendo IP infringement

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 3rd 2007 at 9:00AM }

Immersion CEO Vic Viegas says in an interview with GameDaily that he doesn't understand why Sony decided to put the DualShock 2's rumble technology into the DualShock 3, considering he believes the new next-gen rumble technology is cheaper. Viegas says, "The old technology utilizes two motors to create the complex set of sensations, whereas Immersion's new TouchSense technology utilizes a single motor, but we drive the motor in unique ways so that you can get stronger yet crisper effects." He says the one motor uses less power, "the cost to implement is less expensive than the old tech" and he says they won't charge Sony extra.

Viegas also talked a little about handhelds and implementing rumble into the DS or PSP. Currently Nintendo does not license its vibration tech from Immersion and may be working on their own ways of bringing rumble to the DS. As to whether Immersion might sue Nintendo one day like they did Sony, Viegas says, "We have not yet formally taken a position on whether it's infringing or not infringing any of our IP." Then again, if Nintendo can afford $18 million in Wiimote jackets, licensing some next-gen rumble might be an afterthought for them.

Tags: immersion, infringement, ip, nintendo, rumble, sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Ignatius @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:12AM

I wish Immersion and its copyrights would just die, they seem to just have little board meetings like this:

"Hm. Who should we sue today?"

"Well, it looks like Nintendo is making the most money out of the three and we've already killed Sony, let's go after them, they're not paying for our technology, even though they're making their own!"

"Great idea, I'll call our lawyer."

JodyAnthony (FDF - Hedonism Bot) @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:14AM

the DS already rumbles

I have my rumble pak in my ds lite right now

baby sea tuna @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:37AM

I think "rumble" is a bit of an exaggeration when talking about the DS. It's more of a tiny little buzz.

I do appreciate the effort they made though...i just wish the damn thing would fit flush into the DS Lite. Then again, I also wish I hadn't lost my DS Lite...

Prime @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:17AM

Sony likely never did that as it would mean actually bothering to redesign the controller, as the current one does not lend itself to a single motor design.

But we all know sony will never redesign that controller don't we...

marcandrer @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:40AM

why would they change the controller design ?.. it's perfect as it is imo.. not to small not to big.

Prime @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:49AM

It wasn't the size I was referring too, the dpad/left stick plcement is awkward since most modern games use the left stick instead of the dpad.

The original PS1 controller was simply a snes controller, with 2 extra shoulder buttons, then they tacked on 2 sticks, that was fair enough, but to still have a controller design that wasn't designed with those sticks originally in mind 12 years laters strikes me as crazy, due to the afformentioned bad stick placement.

Prime @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:49AM

TRUTH @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:58AM

Maybe they'll whip out the Boomerang agian.... lol
Sony needs a redesign, the controller SUCKS. Like we're stuck in the 90's or something.

JL @ Oct 3rd 2007 10:05AM

"It wasn't the size I was referring too, the dpad/left stick plcement is awkward since most modern games use the left stick instead of the dpad."

Its all personal preference. Its much easier to reach your thumb out for the joystiq than it is to reach your thumb out for a d-pad. The 360 d-pad is damn near unusable. That makes fighting games on the PS3 controller better. And if you seriously have a problem reaching the thumbstick on a PS3 controller, you need to grow a little. My personal preference: PS3 controller. The 360's controller is nice, but a little too bulbous.

Mr Khan @ Nov 20th 2007 4:10PM

For me, the whole "left-stick placement" thing wouldn't be a problem if they simply shifted primary stick steering to the right analogue stick

that'd solve the problem quick (and cheap) enough IMO

Konny @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:18AM

Once the old rumble patents run out everyone can use them for free... why go to a newer tech and get burned again 5 years later. I doubt touchsense is any better or cheaper... the old PS2-style rumble has had 7+ years of cost reductions; it costs nothing to implement.

megaStryke @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:31AM

Sour grapes, they must be a bitch to choke down, huh?

rdj75 @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:58AM

It may not be better and the cost difference may be minimal at most but whats important is that they said it uses one motor instead of two which means longer batter performance, which is important to all of use isn't it?

megaStryke @ Oct 3rd 2007 10:07AM

I wouldn't know. He doesn't return my calls. I haven't seen him in years.

But you keep saying you didn't want TouchSense. Keep thinking that plain rumble is better or just as good. Keep telling yourself that you didn't actually want the "new" DualShock to have TouchSense so you can tout it as a next-gen achievement. If you had, I'm sure you and GodisaMyth/Hard Gay/whatever-bullshit-he-is-now would have become your best friend.

Oh, and change that dumbass Mario avatar already.

d-pad @ Nov 20th 2007 3:21PM

Konny,

Aside from godisamyth/hardgay/beeble or whatever lame ass name he's decided to hide behind now, you're quite possibly the last person on earth who should attempt to paint people as fanboys.

You've been gobbling Sonys cock since your first post here. Sony cock soup, Sony cock on rice, Sony cock salad - anything and everything is on the menu with you.

So STFU.

d-pad @ Oct 3rd 2007 4:06PM

Megastryke,

I swear I didn't even see your post before I wrote "godisamyth/hardgay/beeble or whatever lame ass name he's decided to hide behind now"

Great minds think alike...

Mabui @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:27AM

Wasn't Nintendo always using a single wheel to create rumble since the beginning? If Immersions new tech only now does that, does that mean they could be crossing into an area where a lawsuit could be brought up against them?

Wouldn't that be interesting that they get their butts burned by someone over rumble.

Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 3rd 2007 5:45PM

Yeah Nintendo's always made their own rumble since the original Rumble Pak. If Immersion steps up to the plate, they'll get their ass counter-sued, like so many MCA Universals and Tengens before them.

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:33AM

These Immersion clowns are really, really slimey. I wish Sony would have done the principled thing and invented their own Rumble tech rather than continue to give these jackasses another red cent.

Anyway, I HOPE they try to sue Nintendo. Nintendo's been doing the rumble thing longer than they have and they invented their own version of it. Nintendo could and should then counter-sue their asses out of existence.

Phranctoast @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:39AM

unless nintendo is in fact using immersions technology.

I still rather not have rumble. There are few games I feel that actually benefit from using it. I likes its use in SOTC.

JodyAnthony (FDF - Hedonism Bot) @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:42AM

if nintendo was using immersions tech, it seems immersion would know by now

oncnawan @ Oct 3rd 2007 10:58AM

Of course they should have invented their own rumble tech instead of using Immersion's tech - 'cause the market is really upset over the lack of rumble in the PS4... You think they can just snap their fingers and some engineer says, "eureka, I've figured out how to make a controller rumble in a fashion totally independent of the tech made by Immersion and Nintendo"? If they want rumble this generation they have to pay for it.

Also, Immersion slimey? We're talking about Sony here. Swamp Thing, meet the Blob.

Nicolas Redfern @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:35AM

In fact, Nintendo have their own patent for rumble, it was once thought that they could sue Sony and M$ over it.

vinny @ Oct 3rd 2007 10:29AM

i was playing heavenly sword last night at circuit city, i really have to say that the ps3 controller is utterly horrible, the analogs are to big and my thumb kept slipping off so i just used the dpad which felt almost as bad, the triggers are absolute trash and the controller in whole just feels very cheap, sony is in dire need for a redesign

ThornedVenom @ Oct 4th 2007 2:16AM

Bring back the boomerang!

Mr Khan @ Nov 20th 2007 4:13PM

Honestly, if they had just moved the analogue sticks further down the horns of the boomering, that controller would've felt perfect

Look wierd, of course, but felt perfect

Shidarin @ Oct 3rd 2007 10:30AM

Immersion: I know why no one wants to use your new tech... it's because everyone really, really hates you.

-Shidarin
http://www.grenadehop.com/

Jechtshot78 @ Oct 3rd 2007 10:30AM

Interesting..

prateeko @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:01AM

You think maybe they haven't sued Nintendo yet because Nintendo came out with the Rumble Pack for Star Fox 64 waaay back in the day? Not sure, but if a money grubbing company like Immersion hasn't sued you by now, then odds are, you could probably sue them and win.

ShortFuse @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:20AM

Exactly. If Nintendo fought hard enough, they'd say Immersion infringed on their Rumble Pak copyright and then bankrupt them.

Slaziman @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:27AM

Obviously Sony thinks TouchSense isn't compatible with motion sensing, even though Immersion says it is.

Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:32AM

Sadly, I'd trust immersions's engineers over sony's PR in this matter.

Chris @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:38AM

So PS3 rumble is the exact same as PS2.

God this shows what a sick fanboy Shane from 1Up is. On 1Up yours he went on and on about how next gen rumble in PS3 felt so good, how you can feel where everything in the battlefield from the rumble. What a tool. Since it was PS3 he just assumed it was better and different.

I used to like Shane, but he has seriously gone off the deep end with his Sony love. It's unnatural.

bm @ Oct 3rd 2007 6:22PM

Haha really? That's awesome. "Wow this is so next gen, Sony is awesome and innovative." "Dude... they just put in the PS2's rumble."

Spitkicker @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:58AM

Hey even SONY doesn't understand why SONY decided not to go with Dualshock 3...

FermitTheKrog @ Oct 3rd 2007 12:10PM

Immersion. Justifying our existence through lawsuits since 1993.

Viridium @ Oct 3rd 2007 9:49AM

Hey they're just ripping off Rambus, who've been justifying THEIR existance through lawsuits since 1990!

FermitTheKrog @ Oct 3rd 2007 12:14PM

Joystiq, why was my comment deleted (and as you can see, I readded). Does immersion have a controlling stake in you or something? Just curious.

OrganicShadow @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:38PM

Well if it's not TouchSense and it's not plain jane DS2 rumble, then what the heck is it? DS2 never had location specific rumble capabilities other than left or right, so how is MGS4 doing it?

Spitkicker @ Oct 3rd 2007 2:13PM

@organicshadow..
through the power of the cell!!! That's right, they have finally unlocked it.

Brandson @ Oct 3rd 2007 2:22PM

I was under the impression that Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, and whoever else always used their internally-developed rumble systems, only that Immersion's patent on rumble technology was general enough to encompass any possible practical implementation of a rumbling game controller, hence why Immersion forced everyone to pay licensing fees. Just because Sony hasn't implemented Immersion's version, doesn't mean the rumble in the new controllers won't also be improved over its last effort.

Easo @ Oct 3rd 2007 4:51PM

"through the power of the cell!!! That's right, they have finally unlocked it."

Its actually through the power of suggestion. 1ups Shane believed it was better, so to him it was. And now that the seed of directional rumble has been planted, when MGS4 releases, fanboys will swear it rumbles "in stereo".

Easo @ Oct 3rd 2007 4:56PM

"Just because Sony hasn't implemented Immersion's version, doesn't mean the rumble in the new controllers won't also be improved over its last effort."

Yes, that's exactly what it means.

http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=136748

Maybe with all this backlash, Sony will delay the Dual Shock 3 and use the better rumble, but honestly I really dont care how they do it, as long as the damn controller shakes.

ThornedVenom @ Oct 4th 2007 2:21AM

Sony used Dualshock2 rumble just to send a giant FUCK YOU to Immersion. ;P It's not necessarily logical, but it's symbolic.

rich U.K. @ Oct 4th 2007 5:12PM

The rumble fiasco is ridiculous. Nintendo had the Rumble pack introduced with Lylat Wars/Starfox 64 long before I ever heard of immersion! Why only think about suing them now??? Ahh because they have money and success and you (immersion) don't!!!!!!!! Would be wicked if Nintendo were able to sue Immersion...Hhahahahahahahaha

Aberu @ Oct 6th 2007 2:51AM

Why do so many people keep getting orgasms over a controller shaking? Your supposed to hold it in your hand, not shove it up your ass people... Rumble=Most pointless and overrated feature of all time in controllers.