The official announcement of the vibration-enabled Dual Shock 3 controller for the PlayStation 3 was the biggest news from Sony's otherwise lackluster Tokyo Game Show keynote address. Since the broad strokes of the original announcement, GameSpot was able to glean some additional details on the new controller--and get some hands-on testing of the unit as well. Here's what they found:
The Dual Shock 3 weighs a bit more than the current rumble-less Sixaxis controller, but it's otherwise identical to the existing PS3 controller.
The GameSpot crew found the Dual Shock 3's rumble to be "a touch weak" but "close to" the force feedback of the classic PS2 version.
When it goes on sale (November 2007 in Japan, early 2008 in North America and Europe), the Dual Shock 3 apparently won't be bundled with the PS3 console itself, but instead will remain an add-on upgrade that must be purchased separately.
Sony has released a list of at least 65 games in North America and Europe that will offer rumble compatibility. In addition to such hotly anticipated forthcoming titles such as Assassin's Creed, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Haze, Metal Gear Solid 4, Resident Evil 5, and Uncharted, the list includes current favorites like Heavenly Sword, MotorStorm, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Warhawk. Rumble compatibility for that latter set of games will be added via software patches downloaded via the online PlayStation Store.