PS3 Controller

The official PS3 gamepad has had two incarnations.

Both incarnations look the same (pictured, above left), but the second version included vibration capability. The Playstation controller has largely remained the same since the first console was released. While extra buttons and thumb pads have been added, and they are now wireless, the dimensions of the gamepad are virtually identical to the first ever PS1 controller.

It appears that Sony had planned a completely revolutionary design for their PS3 controller. In 2005, at the E3 electronics expo, Sony had show cased a ''boomerang' gamepad (pictured, above right). But, such was the negative response to the 'boomerang' pad, it was claimed as a design concept by Sony, and was consigned to the dustbin.

Sony reverted to their tried and tested DualShock design, which was first released in 1997 for the PS1. However, although the first official controller for PS3 looked exactly like a DualShock gamepad, it was named the 'Sixaxis wireless controller'. As a wireless gamepad, it has an inbuilt removable battery, which can provide up to thirty hours of charge.

The Sixaxis or Six Axis controller, has improved analog sensitivity to previous Playstation gamepads, and three axis which provide variant acceleration and orientation to give the 'Six' 'Axis' of movement freedom. This motion sensor ability was the primary reason there was no vibration capability for the Sixaxis gamepad. Sony said the vibration would interfere with the motion sensoring.

Due to the lack of a rumble feature, the Sixaxis controller was much lighter to previous Playstation gamepads. With Sony stating that vibration feedback was old hat, and that motion sensor was the future. The DualShock pads looked a thing of the past. Skeptic's believed the rumble removal was really due to the Immersion Corporation's successful suing of Sony for infringement of their touch sensitive patent.

Whatever the reasoning was, Sony surprisingly went against their earlier statement, and released the DualShock 3 gamepad in 2007. The DualShock 3 would feature all the capabilities of the SixAxis pad, but with rumble feedback as well. By 2008, Sony has announced the discontinuation of their Sixaxis pad.