Well, after a little bit of waiting, I got my hands on a Dualshock 3, the one with “rumble” (force-feedback) in it. Yeah, I know, it’s not released in the US for another couple of months; I shelled out an extra $20 or so to get one from Japan — it’s the exact same model the US one will be.
Quick impressions:
– The controller is now a good deal heavier, and I like it like that, personally. It feels much less like the previous Sixaxis — which pretty much feels like a cheap plastic toy. Feels good in your hands.
– The triggers have been modified slightly and I think the analog sticks may be a touch more accurate.
– As reported, there is now a sort of “directional” rumble; a bullet flies by to the left, you feel it on the left.
– The rumble is back, it’s great, but it’s not nearly as strong as it used to be.
– Charging time and battery life seem to mimic the original Sixaxis — that’s a good thing.
Now, some games are going to be releasing patches to update to rumble, some already have rumble built in (Kane & Lynch, Turok…), but some will never have rumble at all.
Now…here is a list of games that Sony says will support rumble in one fashion or another…
I like the thing. I really do.