Dualshock 3

25.04.2008

Somehow the thing still looks like it did ten years ago. Well, not quite - a bit was doctored around over the years. The greatest, but also the most useful, operation was dared by the introduction of the dual analogue pad, which was equipped with two analogue sticks, including recesses for your thumbs. The analogue pad has also been fitted with longer grips, which particularly suits players with large hands. By pressing a central button you could switch the analog stick control on and off. The sensation followed shortly, when the first Dualshock hit the market.

The vibrations of the Dualshock provided an intense, new kind of gaming experience. Only very few video gamers could resist the allure of a vibrating controller. Accordingly, the Dualshocks quite often changed owners. In the wake of the PS2 came the Dualshock 2. This was basically no different from the first-born of the Dualshock range, although it was available in glossy black and fitted with pressure sensors for the analogue sticks. So when the PS3 was announced and the first fanatics got wind that the new controller would have no rumble function, they couldn’t believe their ears, eyes or any other of their senses. Unfortunately Sony had got itself embroiled in a legal dispute about “Immersion’s” rumble technology, and the PS3 had to initially make do without vibrations. When I unpacked my PS3, I was really stirred, but would have rather had it shaken...

But what the hell! The lawsuit is settled, compensation paid, and the Dualshock 3 is on the market in the United States and in Japan since November 2007. In Europe we must wait until next month, whether we want to or not, an exact date is yet to be named. Early-bird PS3 buyers may nevertheless feel a little deceived, since the Dualshock 3, which is not exactly a bargain, will be bundled with the PS3 in future. Our Japanese import Dualshock 3 in Ceramic White is definitely an eye catcher, but it is not just for looking at. This little treasure is not only supposed to be, no, it wants to be handled.

The Dualshock 3 weighs 194g, and therefore is exactly 70g heavier than the SIXAXIS controller. Even the Dualshock 2 is in a lower weight category. A pity, but typical of Sony is the fact that they won’t budge from connecting the Dualshock 2 only with an adapter. This makes the purchase of the new version inevitable for vibration fans. The workmanship and features are the same as on the SIXAXIS controller. A PS button in the middle of the pad, L2 and R2 buttons with longer travel and an LED indicator, which indicates the controller’s allocation. New is the oh-so-lovely “DUALSHOCK 3” logo, which has banished the “SIXAXIS” print to a lower rank. New as well are the crazy little motors inside, which are actually what it is all about.

For our vibration showdown, we reached the final round of the brainless “Pain”, the mucky “Motorstorm”, the cinematic “Heavenly Sword”, the high flying “Warhawk”, the beastly “Resistance: Fall of Man” and the flamboyant, “Burnout Paradise”. In “Pain”, you could have done without the vibration function. The vibration is weak and monotonous, and does not live up to the destructive and excruciating full-contact game play. This is somewhat better with “Resistance: Fall of Man”. Moderate vibrations when you fire shots, realistic shakes when getting hit and minimal feedback during close combat. Explosions nearby come across accordingly, although not as well as in “Warhawk”. Here you even get to feel the boost from the aircraft in your rear end. If you dive from high above or get hit with the full works, the Dualshock 3 reacts as it should. When shrapnel flies right past you or when a buddy beside you sears the heavens with anti aircraft fire, the motto is - hold on. Here, the inbuilt rotating motors run on full throttle and even your weapons give you a wide range of feedback. “Resistance: Fall of Man” could have even taken a lesson from “Heavenly Sword”. There are even small tremors in the cut sequences. Instead you notice a gentle response during the first attacks, a medium one for blocks and a more hefty one when taking hits. When blasting an opponent to the ground in a QuickTime sequence it gets serious. All speed freaks can also breathe a sigh of relief. Whether it is “Motorstorm” or “Burnout Paradise”, they get their money’s worth. In Motorstorm, you even “feel” the ground you are speeding on. You will also notice how the Dualshock 3 reacts with different intensity and even which axle is stressed. Only during hair-raising accidents the vibrating is a little weak. “Burnout Paradise”, on the other hand, leaves out details such as a response during engine start or when using boost. Usually the same vibrations are emitted when you touch another vehicle or kill a road sign. The collisions are all the more impressive. You not only notice how the Dualshock 3 gets to work with different levels of intensity, but the vibrations are also completely understandable. A short bump during a collision, two short, intense and lasting vibrations as your vehicle first massively hits the asphalt with its roof and then its side, and last but not least a final bang, as your involuntary journey ends up against a wall.