Just How Important Is Force Feeback?

There seems to have been a whole lot of dirt kicked up about the new PS3 Dual Shock controller, from accusations that Sony copied Nintendo's motion sensing ideology to the fact that its design is basically the same as the previous Dual Shock's... sans force feedback. QJ.net talk about the latter, specifically the importance (or lack thereof) of force feedback.

[Moostache]

The difference between a rumble-enabled controller and a non-rumble enabled one is huge. It is the kind of feature that really adds to many different kinds of games - racers, sports, FPS chief among them.

Take Rockstar's new Table Tennis game on the 360 for instance. The force feedback enables people to hit shots with an appropriate amount of spin and power by giving feedback through the controller. Too much vibration and the shot is going to be too hard, lettuing the player know allows for more control than is otherwise possible.

In FPS like BF2 or COD2 or GRAW, the feedback when the character gets shot or when a vehicle gets stuck adds immensely to the experience. Without it, the games are not even clsoe to the same. Anyone who has played BF2 and FELT the rumble of a tank on the next street over knows this full-well...

Sony can say whatever the hell they want right now, but by Christmas 2007 there WILL certainly be a force-feedback PS3 controller - the games would suffer too much without it.

[shotty]

The reason they are not puting it is because they will get sued by immerson. How would it interfere, Nintendo has both vibration and an even better motion controller that can also do depth. That is why the wii needs a motion bar under the TV. MS settled the problem with immersion and bought part of the company which is why the xbox 360 supports vibration and force feedback.

[joemutt]

They need to ship the PS3 with the same old PS1 controller like they planned on doing, and selling the new sensor controller seperate. I dont think many games will implement the motion sensor, and the ones that do will get old after a while.

Wii can pull it off because of the shape of their controller, its more ergonomic, you cant hold the PS3 controller like a sword, it will just feel awkward I can already tell.

[Joe Schmoe]

With out rumble some games are realy going to be lacking. With FPS's you can give me rumble or give me death. I refuse to buy a FPS if there is not the rumble feature. And I am a socom fanatic. But with the new controler I would love to be able to look around myself by turning my contoler a little off center. So looking forward to the new motion sensing but it is not worth the cost of no rumble to me. Sony figure this mess out or you will lose some true gamers.

[calderra]

Sony only took out Rumble because they lost a lawsuit, not because of (BS reason). They only put in motion sensing because they found out Nintendo was doing it, and that looked like a good feature to hold above rumble. Sony can say anything else they want to, but they were still saying the non-motion-sensing Boomerang was official until Nintendo's controller was announced. Unless they want to admit that the boomerang was a complete lie and the new controller idea was the only one they ever had... (which is what their execs are currently basically saying).

Yes, rumble is when the controller just rumbles in your hand (all controllers except PS3's now). Force feedback is when a steering wheel "fights" you in a hard turn, or a gun jerks in your hand at an arcade.

And you can say all you want about not noticing rumble anymore, but you will notice when your controller totally lacks it. And Microsoft's point that "we've done tilt sensing before and it sucks" is tried and true sense. Nintendo has also done motion/tilt-sensing before (from the Power Glove to Warioware Twisted) and not many people really cared for it there either. But apparently nobody likes to learn from past mistakes in the console world...

[joemutt]

Between vibration and force feedback, thought they were the same.

[bloop]

When I first heard there wouldnt be any rumble it didnt really bother me, but the more comments I read the more I think it does kinda suck. Yeah, Sony slipped up on that one but Im sure Logitech and the likes will release PS3 controllers with rumble so its not really that worrying, is it?

[speed]

Logitech makes damn good controllers too.

[Sphinx]

I don't think the force-feedback is super important, but I wouldn't want to play Fight Night Round 3 without feeling the punch, and it'd be a little less of that wonderful panic feeling you get when you feel the heartbeat or the gunshot. Also, in a lot of FPS and third-person shooter games, you know you've been shot by a combination of a red curve type of thing showing you where you were shot from, and the shake in the controller... without the shake, would I notice being shot as quickly? Maybe it is important, especially in the next-gen!
When it comes to the motion-sensing ability, I couldn't care less! When I play videogames I don't want to HAVE to move. If I move it's to taunt a friend due to a touchdown, haymaker, or head shot... or to get another beer. I think it is funny how Sony got rid of the boomerang so abruptly and try to say they aren't copying the Wii controller with their impromptu replacement.

[CyrusG]

Overall, force feedback is not a critical feature. Often, I even forget that it's turned off when my wireless 360 controller is low on battery. It won't be sorely missed by gamers on the PS3, but I still think it is a huge mistake by Sony.

With their controller, it seems that they've taken one step forwards (motion sensor) and one step backwards (no force feedback). Besides, there is the odd game like Rockstar's Table Tennis that prove force feedback can be more than a mere enhancement to a game, but actually critical to core gameplay. Try playing Table Tennis with vibration off -- it makes the game far more unintuitive. That's not to say that companies can't design around this omission, but I hate to see a console manufacturer take a clear and indisputable step backwards in controller functionality.

I've contradicted myself a bit here, but bottom line, it all adds up against Sony for me. Even though I'm a proud 360 owner, I was planning on buying a PS3 too. Since hearing about the price point, controller, online plan, etc., I've decided against buying the PlayStation 3. I'll be buying the Wii instead.

[Sphinx]

After seeing Sony's lack of... everything and demand for large amounts of my cash, I think I'd be stupid to buy at launch, maybe a year or two after. On the other hand, I am completely surprised at Nintendo with the Wii and will most likely buy it. I love my 360, but the wife needs a Wii, I think.

[The Guru]

People say that this isn't a big deal and that they don't notice it, just like in the article. But I think the truth is that you have gotten used to it, and will only notice it when its not there.

It's cool Sony is trying to innovate/copy, but I don't think they are going about it the right way.

Like I said, rumble is a luxory that you don't pay much attention to until it is gone.

[DG]

Why cant you turn off the force feedback/vibe when your using the tilt?

Seems logical, NO?

[Scythesean]

Has anyone noticed how all PS3 topics are getting voted lame? That should not be there because it just give 360 fans more ways to bash anything that has to do with the ps3. The controller is a good idea I rarely notice the rumble when it's on. I won't miss it at all, anyway won't third party people make them with it like they make the wireless controllers already for the PS2?

[Ugly American]

Is this what they were talking about when they said some of the kids "wouldn't like" the new features? I think you are being a little hyper-sensitive to what other people think about articles that you have no stake in. The most responses of cool/lame I have seen TOTAL is four or five, so if you REALLY care what five people think of an article: seek counseling.

[shotty]

Force feedback is different that vibration. No console controller ever supported Force feedback. The reason was it took up too much energy. however for the wheel MS has licence Forcefeed back and added that to the vibration that the wheel already had. Force feedback is way more powerful and requires the wheel to be pluged into an A/C outlet or it would run on vibration mode. Force feedback is more powerful it would literally shake the wheel. Forza has tweaked it so when you use the xbox 360 wheel you can feel which wheel of the car is slipping depending on the feedback from the wheel. MS used similiar technology in some of the sidewinder wheels for the PC

[Dits]

Force feedback is intergral to games these days, i remember playing porshe challenge on the ps1 and being amazed with the rumble. Without it the games are gonna feel very different

[bloop]

Why is everyone saying that it will be sorely missed on FPS games? I rarely buy FPS for consoles because you just cant beat the keyboard and mouse so I get them for pc, and I aint got rumble on my mouse.

[DOLBY DI GA TAL pf]

It's like watching a action packed movie with out bass/sub-woofer's,it's like eating popcorn with no butter, it's like a lay and the girl won't move or get off her back, if you think about it; force Feedback helps bring the realism of true next-gen console gaming; it helps merge the game world to the physical one and it would be like losing one of you're senses.

[ssj04]

And i guess all computer games suck than? please stop being soo ignorance and start consider others possibility.

[GTProwler]

what is that saying, you dont know what you have until its gone, yeah most of us forget we have the rumble feature, but thats becuase we are so use to it, practically every controller has it, and for true games it just feel weird when there isnt a rumble when an explosion happens or a crash, or just getting shot at, common just imagine shooters gettin shot from behind without any kind of sign. unless there is a red flash or the character yells, but common we're in 2006, that was back in the day of N64. rumble is a MUST.

[Grown Folks Talk]

that's funny. you of all people telling someone to try other things. some people will miss the rumble, some won't. i don't really see anyone trading in a ps3 because it doesn't have rumble.

[COVER GIRL]

No rumble that kind sucks, and can you picture an adult tossing and turning playing a game tilting you're controller for 1-3 hours straight.ha ha ha lol

[Patrick]

I play alot of games and like this article I barely even notice it now. I have pretty much ignored it so long and sometimes i even turn it off. I wont miss the rumble one bit. When it was first announced it was cool, but its the same in every game, I dont need to vibrate when I get hit or something. It doesnt help me play, doesnt startle me and doesnt improve the gameplay in 9 out of 10 games. Its just there. Heck, a back massager does the same thing so if I want vibration, I'll buy one of those. AS far as gaming, lets try something new. MS may have tried it and failed, but thats MS, let a real company use it.

[Ugly American]

The rumble feature immerses me in the game. The feedback it provides is awesome, especially in new games like Table Tennis where the amount of rumble is key to keeping the ball on the table.

I am so glad that you think you are superior to MS, but what Bill Gates said in his article about the functionality of motion in the controller is very true. Do you notice how often you change where your controller is in relation to your body? I played games with MS's motion controller, and sure enough, I would just want to get a drink of water, and since I moved the controller, I died. I adjust how I was sitting, and I died. MS has experience it with it, and they chose not to use it. Wait until you try it on the PS3 before you begin praising it.

[Lionel Hutz]

"For the majority of games it seems more like an afterthought, hardly ever enhancing the gameplay experience and ultimately disposable, heck I don't think I even notice force feedback in the majority of the games I play anymore."

There was fore feedback on the PS2? I guess I only noticed it when it made the annoying feeling when I would hit something in NFS, for example. All the shocks were the same no matter how hard the hit was. Pothole, rumble. Wall, same rumble. It felt like I was getting an electric shock, not being immersed in the game.

[user9422077]

it's massive