Sony ordered to pay $90.7 mil. in patent infringement suit

[MetalMilitia]

I have not seen this posted yet so here it is....

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, has ordered Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and its U.S. unit to pay $90.7 million in damages to Immersion Corp. for patent infringement over controllers used with PlayStation game consoles.

In the ruling handed down Thursday, the federal court also ordered Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Entertainment America Inc. to stop selling the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 game consoles using Dualshock controllers as well as more than 40 game software products. (Kyodo News)

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content...at=4&id=332037


pwnt

[Matt Harty]

90 mil is chump change for them.

[MetalMilitia]

indeed, but having to stop selling all dual shock controllers and games which use them is going to cause havoc.

[Matt Harty]

Yeah, complete world chaos.

[MetalMilitia]

havoc, within the company. And you knew damn well thats what i ment.

I expect they will find a way around it though. they'll buy the other company or something.

[timrpgland]

Vibration is overrated in my opinion anyway. I usually take it off for alot of games. Go to set the controller down and BRRBRBRBRBRRRBRBRR it rumbles off the coffee table.

The last time I really cared about the vibration feature is when it first came to N64 included with Star Fox 64. Other than that, I tend to find it annoying.

[BlueOatmeal]

I remeber when I got Metal Gear Soild for the PS, I went into the options menu, clicked on high vibration or whatever it was and put the controller on my crotch. Godammit that was an awesome game!

[Ninjavenom]

Does this mean no dual analog or something? Because PS2 has the most comfortable controller i've ever used.

[James]

The odd thing is that what is being claimed to be "infringed" upon is actually only vaguely similar to what is used in the Dual Shock. I don't have the original article, but I believe the only thing they both had in common was they both vibrated. But the patented item in question had very little to do with force-feedback vibration.

[Emu]

Wait, what exactly did Sony infringe on? A vibrating controller, or the dual analog system?

[thebiggameover]

vibrating controller. and sony a-peal-ed, so they can still sell ps2s and stuff....

[executioneer]

RE: code veronica for ps2 would not have been half as good without the vibration

[Chojin]

xbox controllers do this too. one of the guys responding to the article had a great point in that NASA invented the centrifuge and an idea of a spinning counterbalance machine to begin with. There was also a lawsuit with AVG against sony, namco, atari, etc etc etc over using 'a 3D-rendered device that shades objects and has zoom controls'. Patents are way out of hand in the US and while you may not think this case is very important, shit like this threatens peoples' ability to create ANYTHING, not to mention destroy the entire videogame industry if these assholes get what they want.

[Guitar Woman]

Ahh yes, the inevitable fall of Sony. I've been waiting for this ever since some dork in middleschool started preaching about how much "better" the PS1 was than N64.
This lawsuit is the happiest thing I've read all day, and tonight I'm gonna party til I'm purple. :spongebob

[Ninjavenom]

Obviously you don't know good gaming, because you just shit on a galaxy of good games

[adept_ninja]

I dont get how people are loyal to one system I have them all and i like them all.

[executioneer]

this just in some obscure company has just patented the internet so u better all get off it right now or else youll get sued

[Chojin]

I'm sorry GW, but you are fucking batshit nuts if you think the N64 is in any way better than the PS.

That's like saying the 3DO kicks Microsoft's ass.

[ABSeNCe]

I think people go so nuts about console wars because they want to assure themselves they made the right buy. All the systems are good, and bad in some ways. Why not just let it go guys? :/

[ziggytrix]

Do you like Pepsi or Coke? I think Pepsi is gross, yuck!

[Emu]

Originally Posted by Chojin

I'm sorry GW, but you are fucking batshit nuts if you think the N64 is in any way better than the PS.

That's like saying the 3DO kicks Microsoft's ass.

The N64 had a better controller

[EisigerBiskuit]

That thing became a grappling hook when you couldn't find anything to play. Branch didn't hold. :(

[ArrowX]

Glad to see I'm not the only one to try tht

As of late I've been finding Redeeming Qualities in the GC if Nintendo can get their head out of their ass and do what people want instead of setting up a niche market with about 10 good games, they can probably hit #2 in the game sales soon after the Xbox is cut from MS.

[Guitar Woman]

Originally Posted by Chojin

I'm sorry GW, but you are fucking batshit nuts if you think the N64 is in any way better than the PS.

That's like saying the 3DO kicks Microsoft's ass.

Playstation didn't have Mario Party or Super Smash Brothers, or anything else like that. The only good PS1 games I have played are MGS and Silent Hill (), but those were piles of shit compared to the quality of N64's titles.

[Chojin]

You say 'anything else like that' like there is a library of other games as good as those on the N64, which is just false. Those games, Mario64, Zelda, Starfox64, and Goldeneye were the only redeeming titles on the system. Playstation had thousands upon thousands of titles, including the Parappa series, the Bemani series, Tenchu, MGS, Twisted Metal, Castlevania: SOTN, Smackdown, Final Fantasy... Actually ANY game that was ported to console that was worth half a shit and not made by Nintendo was on the Playstation. N64 had about 6 good games and a limited selection of shit to dress it up, and a stupid controller on top of all that.

I own both and got my N64 during the whole $64 deal thing they had going on just so I could play Mario 64 and Goldeneye, because those definitely WERE good games. Nintendo continues to make stupid business decisions and ruin themselves with their consoles and will eventually whittle their corporation down to a software development company, which is fitting since that's all they're really good at these days anyway. Then you can love Sony's products since you'll have your Mario games on that system and I won't have to hear about milestones in gaming history are pieces of shit compared to a plumber's refurbished wacky capers. It's a win-win situation.