User:Lanky/Playstation Controllers

Dual Analog Controller

Sony's Dual Analog Controller (SCPH-1180)

The PlayStation Dual Analog Controller (SCPH-1150 in Japan, SCPH-1180 in the United States and SCPH-1180e in Europe) is Sony's first attempt at a handheld analog controller for the PlayStation, and the predecessor to Sony's DualShock, DualShock 2 and SIXAXIS. Their first official analog controller was the Sony FlightStick (SCPH-1110).

History

Initially announced in a press release in late 1995, the Dual Analog Controller was first displayed under glass at the PlayStation Expo 96-97 which was held from November 1 to November 4, 1996. It was released in Japan in April 1997, coincident with the Japanese releases of analog-capable titles Tobal 2 and Bushido Blade. It was advertised as allowing for more precise and fluid control of the games' fighters, with the rumble feature contributing to a more realistic experience.

Before its release in the United States, Sony revealed that vibration feedback would be removed from the controller. According to a Sony spokeperson, "We evaluated all the features and decided, for manufacturing reasons, that what was most important to gamers was the analog feature."

It was released in the United States on August 27, 1997; and in Europe in later 1997 with little promotion. A few months later, the first DualShock controller was released in Japan on November 20, 1997.

Namco had already released an analog controller for PlayStation called NeGcon; the analog mode established with the Dual Analog Controller was not compatible with the NeGcon-enabled analog control features of games such as WipEout and Ridge Racer. Need for Speed II, Gran Turismo, and Gran Turismo 2 feature compatibility with both NegCon and Dual Analog control schemes.

Fans of a smaller form factor, Japanese gamers complained that the longer grips made the controller too large to be comfortable and the lack of a rumble feature in the U.S. and European models are the most commonly cited reasons that Sony decided to end production of this controller and redesign it.

The Dual Analog Controller was discontinued in all three markets in 1998 to be replaced by the DualShock, although a number of gamers still regard it as the better gamepad, mostly due to its longer hand grips and ridged shoulder buttons.

Features

If a game was compatible with the Dual Analog Controller, the player would be able to press the "Analog" button located between the analog sticks to activate the analog mode. This was indicated by a red LED. If a game was not analog-compatible, and was switched to analog mode, it simply wouldn't register any button presses or, in some cases, the PlayStation would consider the controller to be detached.

The abilitiy to emulate Sony's own FlightStick by pressing the "Analog" button a second time to reveal a green LED (this was commonly referred to as "FlightStick Mode") provided a less expensive alternative to the FlightStick Analog Joystick and retailed for an average of $35 compared to the Flightstick's retail price of $70.

MechWarrior 2, Ace Combat 2, Descent Maximum, and Colony Wars were among the short list of FlightStick compatible games.

Distinguishing characteristics

The Dual Analog Controller features several aspects that remain unique only to it, and were scrapped or redesigned for the release of Sony's DualShock controller.

The Japan-only black version of the controller (SCPH-1150)

• Only the Japanese version features a vibration feedback function (not to be confused with the DualShock's dual-motor feedback, this controller only has one motor and is rumored to be faulty and capable of damaging the PlayStation itself). Due to a lack of vibration-compatible games at the time, the U.S. and European versions do not feature rumble feedback and, as a result, weigh significantly less than their overseas counterpart - and fall somewhere between the weights of the standard digital controller and the DualShock.
• Apparently, the Japanese version came in both gray or black, while the North American and European versions came in gray only. (To be sourced, so far just a rumor)
• The hand grips are .5 inches longer than the original PlayStation controller and the current DualShock controller.
• The analog sticks have a concave design and are made completely of plastic, with no rubber grips on top.
• The L2 and R2 buttons have ridges to easily distinguish them from the L1 and R1 buttons.
• In addition to the standard digital mode and the regular "red LED" Analog mode, there is a third mode that emulates the layout of Sony's own dual Analog Joysticks, and is indicated by a green LED. This is commonly referred to as "Flightstick Mode."
• The "Analog" button, used for switching modes, is raised instead of recessed like the DualShock's button and can be hit accidentally while playing a game.

Rarity

It is possible to find a Dual Analog Controller for sale, even in the used market. Auction sites, like eBay, have very few and, due to its extreme scarcity, most sellers don't know the difference between the Dual Analog Controller and the DualShock and commonly mistake the former for the latter in item descriptions.

Sony's Dual Analog Controller remains a very interesting and quite sought-after piece of video game history, and is generally regarded as a collector's item. Since this item is hardly ever found for sale, its true value is unknown.

DualShock

The DualShock (sometimes spelled Dual Shock) is the standard game controller available for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 video game consoles. The DualShock was introduced in Japan in late 1997, and launched in America in May 1998, meeting with critical success. First introduced as a secondary peripheral for the original PlayStation, a revised PlayStation version came with the controller and subsequently phased out the digital controller that was originally included with the hardware, as well as the Sony Dual Analog Controller. The DualShock was a success, providing gamers with a new way to get further into their games.

Design

Image:PS DualShock clearblue.jpg The DualShock analog controller (SCPH-1200) is a controller capable of providing feedback based on the onscreen action of the game (if the game supports it), or Vibration Function. The controller is called Dual Shock because the controller has two vibration motors: a weak buzzing motor (like cell phone or pager vibration), and a strong rumble motor, similar to that of the Nintendo 64's Rumble Pak. Unlike the Rumble Pak, however, the DualShock uses the PlayStation to power the vibration function, whereas the Rumble Pak uses batteries. Some third party DualShock controllers use batteries in lieu of the PSone's power supply. This rumble feature is similar to the one featured on the first edition of the Japanese Dual Analog, a feature that was removed shortly after that controller was released.

The controller is widely supported; shortly after its launch, most new titles including Crash Bandicoot: Warped, Spyro the Dragon, and Tekken 3 included support for the vibration function and/or analog sticks. Many games took advantage of the presence of two motors to provide vibration effects in stereo; for example, Gran Turismo or the PlayStation port of Quake II. Released in 1999, the PlayStation hit Ape Escape became the first game to require the use of a Dual Shock controller.

Like its predecessor, the Dual Analog Controller, the DualShock has two analog sticks, and unlike said controller, the sticks featured rubber tips, in lieu of the grooves recessed into the Dual Analog Controller's sticks. However, the handles of the Dual Shock are a bit smaller than that of the Dual Analog Controller. The two-handle layout is one of the most ergonomic designs for a game controller, and, as a result, is used by many companies; this has included some applications very different from controlling a video game.

DualShock 2

Image:Sony Dual Shock 2.jpg When the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system was announced, the DualShock 2 Analog Controller (SCPH-10010) included with it was exactly the same externally as the previous Dual Shock analog controller, except that it was black (colours came later), had different screw positioning (one fewer), and the Dualshock 2 logo was added. Internally, it was lighter, the sticks had more levels of sensitivity, and all of the buttons (except for the Select, Start, Analog mode, L3 and R3 buttons) were pressure sensitive. Another way to tell the PS1 and the PS2 controllers apart is that the connector that plugs into the console matches that console's memory card shape; the PS1's connector has rounded shoulders and PS2's is squared off.

Vibration function lawsuit

Main article: Immersion v. Sony

In 2002, Sony and Microsoft were sued by force-feedback company Immersion for patent infringement for the use of vibration functions in their controllers. Specifically, they were accused of infringing on claims in U.S. patent 6,424,333 and U.S. patent 6,275,213 (filed 2000 and 2001 as extensions of U.S. patent 6,088,017, itself filed 1998, all "Tactile feedback man-machine interface device"). While Microsoft settled out of court, purchasing a 10% share in the company, Sony continued to defend the case. Their defense centered on a force feedback controller patent which Sony licensed from Logitech during 1998. Sony lost and was required to pay considerable retroactive royalties (approximately $91 million) to Immersion, for the seven years that the DualShock controller had been on the market, and suspend the sale of the controllers in the United States (including all PlayStation and PlayStation 2 console packages containing them). Following attempted (and failed) attempts to appeal, the two companies have now settled, with Immersion receiving $90.7m. The two companies plan to "explore the inclusion of Immersion technology in PlayStation format products.".

Sixaxis

thumb|260px|The final Sixaxis Design. The Sixaxis Wireless Controller (trademarked SIXAXIS) is the official wireless controller for the Sony PlayStation 3. In Japan, individual Sixaxis controllers were available for purchase simultaneously with the console's launch, without a USB to USB mini cable, at a price of JP¥5000 including tax (about US$40). Individual Sixaxis controllers were also available at launch in the United States for US$49.99, C$59.99 in Canada, and £34.99 in the UK. The word "Sixaxis" is a palindrome.

[[:Image:PS3 boomerang controller.jpg|thumb|left|150px|The 2005 "Boomerang" or "Banana" design for the controller was officially abandoned.]]

History

At E³ 2005, Sony showcased their "boomerang" design. Sony stated that the original controller "was very clearly designed as a design concept, and was never intended to be the final controller, despite what everybody said about it."

This was replaced by an upgraded wireless version of the DualShock 2 at E3 2006.

Until Sony announced the name in early October , reviewers had been calling the controller "DualShake."

Features

The Sixaxis can operate wirelessly via Bluetooth; up to 7 simultaneous controllers are supported natively by the console.

The controller also features a USB mini-B port, which can be used to connect a USB cable for internal battery charging and wired operation. The controller can be seamlessly swapped from wireless to wired operation, and is charged automatically upon connection. The PS3 comes with a USB to USB mini cable, but spare controllers do not include these cables; only one cable should be needed for all of one's controllers. The controller can operate up to 30 hours on a full charge. The battery is not replaceable; according to a Sony spokesperson, the Sixaxis should operate for "many years before there's any degradation in terms of battery performance," and stated, "When and if this happens, then of course Sony will be providing a service to exchange these items." Later, it was revealed that the Sixaxis came with instructions how to remove the battery and that the battery was fully removable.

A major feature of the controller is the ability to sense both rotational orientation and translational acceleration along all three dimensional axes, providing a full six degrees of freedom. This became a matter of controversy, as the circumstances of the announcement, made less than eight months after Nintendo revealed motion-sensing capabilities in its new game console controller (see Wii Remote), with only one game shown at E3 to demonstrate the motion-sensing feature, led to speculation that the addition of motion-sensing was a late-stage decision by Sony to follow Nintendo's move. Further fueling the speculation were comments from Incognito Entertainment, the developer behind the motion-sensing PlayStation 3 game, Warhawk, that it only received development controllers with the motion-sensing feature 10 days or so before E3. Developer Brian Upton from SCE Studios Santa Monica later clarified that the Incognito had been secretly working on the motion-sensing technology "for a while", but did not receive a working controller until "the last few weeks before E3".

The Sixaxis features finer analog sensitivity than the DualShock 2, increased to 10-bit precision from the 8-bit precision of the DualShock 2. The controller also features more trigger-like R2 and L2 buttons, with an increased range of depression. In the place of the "Analog" mode button switch of previous dual analog models is a jewel-like "PS button" with the PlayStation logo, which can be used to access the home menu and turn the console on or off. The PS button can be customized to light up if you modify the controller. A row of four numbered LED port indicators are on the top of the controller, to identify and distinguish multiple wireless controllers and can also display the remaining battery charge.

Removal of vibration capability

Sony announced that because of the included motion sensors, the vibration feature of previous PlayStation controllers was removed, reasoning that the vibration would interfere with motion-sensing. Some have disputed Sony's reasoning, citing that the Wii Remote controller has both motion sensing and vibration capability. Haptics developer Immersion Corporation, which had successfully sued Sony for patent infringement, expressed skepticism of Sony's rationale, with company president Victor Viegas stating in an interview, "I don’t believe it’s a very difficult problem to solve, and Immersion has experts that would be happy to solve that problem for them," under the condition that Sony withdraw its appeal of the patent infringement judgment. Immersion later emphasized compatibility with motion-sensing when introducing its next-generation vibration feedback technology. Subsequent statements from Sony were dismissive of the arguments from Immersion, with Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) Senior VP of Marketing Peter Dille stating, "It seems like the folks at Immersion are looking to sort of negotiate through the press and try to make their case to us … we've talked about how there's a potential for that rumble to interfere with the Sixaxis controller."

According to SCEA, as a result of removing force feedback, PlayStation 3 games do not support force-feedback in steering wheel controllers: "All PS3 games are programmed for the Sixaxis which doesn't have force feedback, therefore the force feedback in the wheels won't be recognized." This caused backlashes from some gamers, arguing that rumbling found in the DualShock controller and force feedback are not the same thing.

Return of "rumble"

On March 1 2007, Sony Computer Entertainment and Immersion Corporation announced that both companies have agreed to end their patent litigation, and have entered a business agreement to "explore the inclusion of Immersion technology in PlayStation format products", which has been reported to indicate the possibility of a future vibration-capable version of the Sixaxis controller. In an interview with GamePro posted March 6 2007, when asked if Sony would consider a "pro" Sixaxis controller with features such as rumble support, SCEA President Jack Tretton replied that the American branch will have peripherals "that will address the interests of the U.S. consumer," and that it is "certainly open to changing the Sixaxis controller if it addressed North American gamers."

Emmy Award misattribution

Sony originally reported on 2007-01-08 that the Sixaxis controller had been given an Emmy Award for Technology and Engineering by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, but the press release has been removed as of 2007-01-11. An image of the original press release was captured before Sony removed the article . After contacting the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, it was revealed that it was in fact Sony's DualShock controller that won the Emmy and not the Sixaxis controller as indicated .