Microsoft Using Immersion to Undermine Sony?

This isn't an April Fools story. All of the things in there which are facts were known about and published in articles before 1st April. Everything else (i.e. that Microsoft had it in mind all along) is speculation but hardly an April Fools joke.

Posted 28th March: http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=9791245

April Fools? There is a suit, Nintendo does use a different system and Immersion 's patents shouldn't apply to Sony. This case has gone the distance because of Microsoft's strategy and investment. A rattling controller is not force feedback.

Haptics involves applying forces to the actual control device (the joystick) in a sort of reverse pressure against a person's inputs. It is direct resistance to the player's efforts (or user in the broader application). The DualShock doesn't do this. Furthermore, even if Immersion's patents are declared broadly enough to cover indirect transmission and non-resistive forces, there is a ton of prior art out there to declare such a patent invalid.

Frankly I have to think that either Sony's lawyers are incompetent or there is something else going on here. I don't know if Immmersion has licensed their 'technology' out to medical firms but true force feedback is in use in the medical field as well as having been used in the military for decades.

After reading that recent bit on Microsoft's legal tactics against the kid who sold his software on ebay (and the years of stories of their business practices) it wouldn't surprise me in the least that Microsoft is up to no good here. I have always thought that Immersion was one of those companies that prefers to get a patent and litigate rather than truly innovate. They probably picked up their patents somewhere or just managed to play the system as so many did in the 90s and have just been quietly building up a history til no one thinks to question the legitimacy of their claims. Again though, Sony's loses so far are quite surprising since the DualShock is not that innovative (from a basic technology standpoint).

Also the original DualShock was delayed over patent issues wasn't it? Didn't they say they had paid fees to someone already, or develop their own system. Something stinks here...

Mircosoft would never do something like that.

Even if this is speculation on spong's part, I had always wondered why Immersion only filed lawsuits selectively. Vibrating controllers aren't anything new. There are mice, joysticks, buttplugs gamepads for both PC and consoles that all do this.

And if it isn't speculation, then I'd have to applaud MS for being so... devious.

this is fucking crazy

microsoft about to make money off sony like this .... its this kind of business practices that should be illegal. i dont like it.

i dont like it one bit.

*plays xbox*
*plays PS2*

it was an april fool

Lets hope Microsoft doesn't sue (through Immersion) dildo makers all over the world.

Spong'd

When real journalism fails and even The Inquirer won't touch it, there is always Spong.

News Article on April first? From a website no one cares about. Cmon guys....this is fairly sad if this escaped someones attention.

Dear Spong,

Nintendo used their own technology to implement the vibration feature (see Rumble Pak for N64).

XOXOX,

MBD

:rolleyes: Spong :rolleyes:

if you can't beat 'em, sue 'em

Mhahahahaha.