We've seen the patents and the rumours that the Sony PlayStation Portable would begin accepting the Dual Shock 3 controller. Heck, we've even seen those too impatient to wait who've modded the experience on their own. But finally, Sony has announced a new feature called PSP Plus that will allow you to play PSP (2000 or 3000 models) with your Dual Shock 3 (or SIXAXIS?) controller. But there are a few catches...

Read More »

Sony's mantra of not writing checks for exclusives--or much of anything--seems to be biting them in the arse a couple times this week. There are at least four cases where the PlayStation 3 has suffered because of Sony's lack of willingness to open up the purse strings. We knew two of these before--backward compatibility and the DualShock 3--but we only found out about the other two during the roundtable session with Sony's Jack Tretton yesterday.

Read More »

The PSP controls are not horrible—though that analogue nub leaves something to be desired—but the DualShock is a far more comfortable controller. Now the fine citizens at AcidMods have hacked the PSP hardware to work with the DualShock. Requiring no changes to the firmware, all functions but the brightness and volume are mapped to the controller. And it seems to work perfectly:

Read More »

If you like some rumble in your gaming jungle, then you'll be happy to know that Sony has announced that their Dualshock 3 controller for the PS3 will be released in Australia for $99.95 on April 24.

As a point of interest, the US version (which is exactly the same in every way), has an RRP of US$54.99, or the equivalent of $59.37. That's roughly $40 cheaper. Factor in the shipping and it's still cheaper.

Sure, there are economic factors that local companies need to take into account beyond the  strength of the US dollar, but $40 is a lot of money in anybody's book. Sony's decision to price their controller that high in Australia really will encourage a lot of people to import.

[Playstation]

The Gadget: The DualShock 3, PlayStation 3's now de facto controller with both rumble and motion-sensing. It replaces the previous SIXAXIS controller without rumble, which is now discontinued.

Read More »

The DualShock 3 rumbling PS3 controller might have had an April 15 release date on it, but Sony says that units will be shipping out this week to hit stores by next week. If you see it in stores, buy it. Here's a list of games that will support rumble, with an asterisk after the ones that need an update to do so. Update: SteTo at MTV just reported that the non-rumbling motion-sensing SIXAXIS has been discontinued.

Read More »

For those who love everything R/C, this Lynxmotion hexapod kit is pretty dorktastically awesome. While technically 2 legs short of spider status, this hexapod has excellent mobility, as 18 servos drive the legs (featuring 3 degrees of freedom) a foot per second and over obstacles up to 4" high. Oh, and it's preprogrammed to work with a 2.4Ghz wireless PlayStation 2 compatible controller.

Read More »

April 15 won't just be tax day, it'll be the day you can pick up the DualShock 3 (rumbling PS3 controller) in the US. The controller's already been available in Japan for months now, which means that if you're really keen on getting vibration before your buddies, you could import it from Asia and hook it up now. If that's too much work, US$54.99 will get you one in April.

AU: I'm sure Logan at Kotaku AU is all over this, and will let us know when we can expect to see it in Australia.

Read More »

The PSP is nice enough to hold, especially compared to the boxy DS Lite, but wouldn't it be better if it were even nicer? Like, Dualshock/Sixaxis nice? Now you can get this Flexible Hand Grip Advance Pad and make that dream come true. Sure, the bulk added doesn't really justify the slight comfort improvement from the grips, but if you've got huge man hands that cramp up with a little portable, this is totally worth it. [visavis via Famitsu via Kotaku]

Read More »

We asked you yesterday whether you were happy or annoyed that rumble is back on the DualShock 3 for the PS3, but this new revelation may change your answer. GameDaily BIZ confirmed with SCEA that the rumble technology in the DualShock 3 is exactly the same as the on in the DualShock 2, and doesn't take advantage of "Immersion's new next-generation vibration technology."

Read More »