SIXAXIS to Have Rumble? - PS3

GamesIndustry.biz has reported today that the long running conflict between Sony and Immersion has been settled. But that's not all: apparently, the two companies have entered an agreement that will see Immersion's rumble technology in "future PlayStation products".

Many of you would remember that back in 2002, Immersion Corporation sued Microsoft and Sony for patent infringement concerning the rumble technology inside their respective controllers. Microsoft settled, but Sony perservered, where the case has been running till now.

"We look forward to exploring with Immersion exciting new ways to bring the largest and best range of gameplay experiences to our customers," said Kaz Hirai, president of Sony Computer Entertainment. "We are very excited about our new partnership with Immersion and the potential for new and innovative products incorporating their technologies."

This news and comments come only days after an interview with Phil Harrison on GameDaily BIZ where he stated that "rumble I think was the last generation feature; it's not the next-generation feature" and when asked if Sony plans to add rumble features to the PS3, he answered "We have no plans to do so in the standard controller that ships with PlayStation 3."

While there's no confirmation that the SIXAXIS controller will now be updating to feature rumble, there's a fair bit of speculation saying that this is a distinct possibility now.