Sony Not Interested In SplitFish's Rumble

And just like that, Sony nixes the rumble add-on idea.

Earlier today, we posted a story about how a company named SplitFish had plans to create a rumble option for the Sixaxis, but it didn't take long for Sony to respond in the negative. Sony's David Karraker told GameDaily- "no one at SCEA has been in touch with this company," and "at this time, we have no plans to incorporate any kind of force feedback into our Sixaxis controller."

Now, SplitFish could create a third-party accessory add-on, but without any support from Sony, they're gonna have a tough time securing outside support. In this particular case, Sony is in the driver's seat for the duration; Immersion CEO Vic Vegas pointed out the fact that Sony can "filter out vibration commands." So in other words, even if the option presented itself, if Sony didn't want it there, they could shut it down without much trouble.

So the question is, will there be enough of a fan outcry to coerce Sony into signing on for a rumble accessory? One argument against the rumble is that it could feasibly interfere with the motion sensibility, but the Wii remote can do both without any difficulty. Then again, there's the other problem of a rumble draining battery power, which is a significant issue for many gamers.

For now, though, rumble is clearly not something Sony wants, and until they do, no amount of outside planning will change that.

1/31/2007 Ben Dutka

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