When Sony first announced that the Playstation 3’s proprietary controller, the new “Sixaxis,” wouldn’t feature rumble, gamers were none too happy. Ever since Nintendo first bundled a Rumble Pack with Star Fox 64, controllers shaking and vibrating have become as synonymous with controller design as buttons. Early this generation, Sony abandoned rumble for no real reason, only citing that it was “last-gen technology.” Cut to a year and a half later, and the Dualshock 3 has been released in America. The controller fits all of the rumble of the original Dualshock into the motion sensing power of the Sixaxis, and hopes to fix some of the complaints about the Playstation 3’s controller. Developers have already begun to release patches to make their games have the added rumble support, and gamers are rushing in to trade their Sixaxis controllers for one with a little more spring in it’s step. Well, is it worth it?

The Dualshock 3 fixes most of the problems of its predecessor. Thanks to the addition of whatever motorized parts it takes to make the controller twitch, the Dualshock 3 is heavier then the Sixaxis and feels more substantial. It also feels like they are using a new plastic, which feels better then the cheap, see-through crap the Sixaxis used. Rumble works exactly as it should, albeit a little weaker then the Xbox 360’s controller’s. Even so, the addition of any rumble is a massive improvement over none at all, and it should make immersive experiences like Uncharted that much better.

If you are asking yourself “is it worth the wait?” the answer is no, and you are an idiot for asking it. The controller is exactly what it is advertised to be: a wireless version of the Playstation 2 controller. It is worth the $5.00 extra being charged, but gamers should be just as pissed off as ever that Sony hasn’t been doing this all along and are still bundling PS3s with the miserable waste of time that the Sixasis now is. Hopefully, once sales of the old controller drop off the charts, Sony will get the hint and start bundling it or, even better, offer some sort of “trade up” program where they incinerate your old controller and give you a new one.

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