The PS3 Controller has won an AWARD!

gord · 9 Jan 2007 at 10:49

I really dont know what to say, taken from dailytech (are we allowed to mention them?)

The controller with no boogie to its dance wins an award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

Sony Computer Entertainment America today announced that it has been recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Technology and Engineering Emmy Award for the PlayStation 3's SIXAXIS wireless controller. SCEA will receive the honor at an awards presentation being held tonight at CES 2007 in Las Vegas.

"The overwhelming consumer demand and critical acclaim for PS3 is a testament of the platform's strength and the industry's desire for a true next-generation entertainment system," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. "The full potential of this powerful machine has yet to be realized -- what you've seen so far is just a taste of what will be on the table for 2007 and years to come."

That’s not the only award that the PS3 is garnering for the company. SCEA will be honored with several other awards at CES for the engineering behind PS3 including the CES Best of Innovations Award for 2007, PC World's 20 Most Innovative Products Award, Sound & Vision's Editor's Choice Award and Digital Entertainment Group's (DEG) Emiel N. Petrone Digital Innovation Award.

Some may be scratching their heads over the award choice for SIXAXIS. The PS3 controller has been criticized for its continued use of a slightly dated design and the lack of force feedback. Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series, has publically expressed his disappointment in the lack of rumble in the SIXAXIS. The long-fought legal battle between Immersion and Sony over vibration technology is commonly seen as the reason for the missing feature.

The only new innovations brought about in the SIXAXIS controller are Bluetooth wireless connectivity and built-in motion sensing. Wireless controllers were first standardized by Microsoft in its premium line of Xbox 360 consoles, and the motion sensing technology is implemented to a far greater degree in Nintendo’s Wii console.

Doug · 9 Jan 2007 at 10:52

Shocking, and these people are supposed to know what they're talking about! :eek:

TheMagicPirate · 9 Jan 2007 at 10:56

ha ha, thats almost unbelievable. I guess someone gettin a big payoff. :rolleyes:

Nismo · 9 Jan 2007 at 11:05

Everytime I see SIXAXIS in type, I imagine people shouting it when they actually say its name

yaboy · 9 Jan 2007 at 11:09

TheMagicPirate said:
ha ha, thats almost unbelievable. I guess someone gettin a big payoff.

Indeed.

GTCole · 9 Jan 2007 at 11:13

WTF!!!!

Are they mad??? or just stupid?

Fubsy · 9 Jan 2007 at 11:28

What was this legal battle then? And why isn't Microsoft being bothered with this "Immersion" lot?

DaveyD · 9 Jan 2007 at 11:34

Fubar said:
What was this legal battle then? And why isn't Microsoft being bothered with this "Immersion" lot?

From what I remember, it was a patent infringement on the rumble system used in the PS2 controller, and Immersion sued Sony and Microsoft. Microsoft settled out of court with the company, and now own a big stake in them I think. Sony went to court and lost.

Fubsy · 9 Jan 2007 at 11:38

I see, so hardly Sony's fault they can't pay off whingy little companies.

It's a shame really that, I do like the PS Dual Shock design, still use one now on my PC, I'm finally getting used to the 360 pad, but in all honesty I can't pick between the two of them, the 360 is slightly more comfortable, but I find the PS pad more accurate for FPS, well I can't really compare until i get hold of one of these new ones.

Werewolf · 9 Jan 2007 at 11:44

Fubar said:
I see, so hardly Sony's fault they can't pay off whingy little companies.

It's a shame really that, I do like the PS Dual Shock design, still use one now on my PC, I'm finally getting used to the 360 pad, but in all honesty I can't pick between the two of them, the 360 is slightly more comfortable, but I find the PS pad more accurate for FPS, well I can't really compare until i get hold of one of these new ones.

wingy little companies?

it was a patent dispute, not "wingy little companies".
Sony no doubt had the option to settle early but decided to take it to court (probably in the hope Immersion would'nt want to risk the court costs).

Sony could probably still licence the tech even now if they wished, but it would cost them.

lordrobs · 9 Jan 2007 at 11:59

Werewolf said:
wingy little companies?

it was a patent dispute, not "wingy little companies".

Exactly. Infringing on a patent is extremly serious, especially for a relatively small company who've put money into something just for a huge corporation to think it can throw its weight around and do what it likes.

As for the PS3 controller, I've never used one but can't imagine it being that innovative compared to whats out there. The only thing thats a bit different to the controllers of the last decade or two is that of the Wii.

ic1male · 9 Jan 2007 at 12:03

I just wish I could use my Xbox 360 controller as a PS controller. Hehehe.

Hellsmk2 · 9 Jan 2007 at 12:09

It's a nice controller, but come on... it's virtually the same as the PS1 controller. Hardly innovative for a 13 year old controller that's undergone minor changes with each console. The addition of the "wireless" capability really doesn't make it innovative, especially when the "rumble" feature has been removed for this incarnation of the controller.

I find it extremely difficult to believe that this won the award over the Wii controller, which is actually innovative.

I highly suspect that Sony have paid quite a few folks off in order to be given this award. I wouldn't put it past them with their past attempts to gain publicity.

Again... it's an excellent controller and extremely comfy to use, but it is not innovative in any way at all.

WatchTower · 9 Jan 2007 at 12:11

Why win an award isn't that tech in the controller realy old. I herd that an old Kirby game for the Gameboy used it before the whole Sony patented the idea first bull poo.

NokkonWud · 9 Jan 2007 at 12:44

Throughout history bad things have won awards.

Joebob · 9 Jan 2007 at 12:59

Werewolf said:
Sony no doubt had the option to settle early but decided to take it to court (probably in the hope Immersion would'nt want to risk the court costs).

I'm sure I read somewhere that the guy who came up with the patent used to work for Sony at the time and they thought they had the rights to use it? I may be completely wrong on this though - it has been known!

scorza · 9 Jan 2007 at 13:05

Werewolf said:
wingy little companies?

it was a patent dispute, not "wingy little companies".

There are plenty of companies out there exploiting the patent system - companies like M$ are an easy mark because their strategic vision is to control the world through software patents, so they're happy to cough up if they've violated one.

Whether or not thats the case with Immersion though I don't know.

Joebob · 9 Jan 2007 at 13:05

Hellsmk2 said:
It's a nice controller, but come on... it's virtually the same as the PS1 controller. Hardly innovative for a 13 year old controller that's undergone minor changes with each console. The addition of the "wireless" capability really doesn't make it innovative, especially when the "rumble" feature has been removed for this incarnation of the controller.

erm.. I think they actually won the award for the Sixasis motion detection technology and not the design of the controller or using blutooth as wireless!

I totally agree that I wouldnt have given them the award above Nintendo for the Wiimote though... and with regards to people saying Sony must have paid them off for the award, theres just one problem with that - Sony don't have any money left!!!

[EDIT] I was wrong - following is from Wiki.

wikipedia said:
Vibration function lawsuit
In 2002, Sony and Microsoft were sued by force-feedback company Immersion for patent infringement for the use of vibration functions in their controllers. Specifically, they were accused infringing on claims in U.S. Patent 6,424,333 and U.S. Patent 6,275,213 (filed 2000 and 2001 as extensions of U.S. Patent 6,088,017 , itself filed 1998, all "Tactile feedback man-machine interface device"). While Microsoft settled out of court, purchasing a 10% share in the company, Sony continued to defend the case. Their defense centered on an earlier force feedback controller patent, the use of which Sony licenced from Logitech during 1998. Sony lost and was required to pay considerable retroactive royalties (approximately $91 million) to Immersion, for the seven years that the Dual Shock controller had been on the market, and suspend the sale of the controllers in the United States (including all PlayStation and PlayStation 2 console packages containing them). Sony appealed this decision and lost again and are awaiting the execution terms of the final sentence.

Docaroo · 9 Jan 2007 at 13:40

I honestly cannot believe that any award like this hasn't gone to Nintendo...

Any gamer, regardless of fanboyism or favoured console cannot argue that for innovation, especially in the controller department the Wii has this hands down? I don't own a Wii, I have a 360 and LOVE the Xbox controller... but the Wii truly has brought gaming forward.

What is the PS3 controller? The PS2 controller with a stupid Tilt sensor in it? Ridiculous.

Docaroo · 9 Jan 2007 at 13:42

wiki said:
Sony continued to defend the case. Their defense centered on an earlier force feedback controller patent, the use of which Sony licenced from Logitech during 1998. Sony lost and was required to pay considerable retroactive royalties (approximately $91 million) to Immersion, for the seven years that the Dual Shock controller had been on the market, and suspend the sale of the controllers in the United States (including all PlayStation and PlayStation 2 console packages containing them). Sony appealed this decision and lost again and are awaiting the execution terms of the final sentence.

OWND!!!! Man that makes good reading... hahaha.