E3 06: Hands-on with the final PS3 controller

We get our grubby mitts on Sony's new controller and you know what? It feels pretty good.

LOS ANGELES--At last year's E3, Sony displayed a prototype controller for its upcoming console, the PlayStation 3. The boomerang-shaped wireless device was something of a lightning rod and didn't seem like it was terribly well received. This year, Sony has unveiled the final controller, and it should look pretty familiar.

The PS3's controller now looks roughly like a Dual Shock 2. The size and button placement seem identical. But there are a handful of key differences. You'll feel right at home when you pick it up, but this controller has definitely evolved.

For starters, it's wireless and startlingly lightweight. The Bluetooth device has a mini USB plug on it, presumably for charging. The L2 and R2 triggers are analog and feel quite nice. There's a new central button that has the PlayStation logo on it. It doesn't appear to be functional, but it seems like a likely spot for some sort of "home" or "menu' button.

The biggest change is inside the controller. There are motion-sensing gyroscopes inside the controller that will detect tilting as well as raising and lowering. We get the feeling that wii've seen this in another upcoming console, but we'll save that discussion for message boards or something. Warhawk is one of the games that supports the tilt sensor, and it feels surprisingly tight and easy to use. Flying the plane by tilting the controller is very intuitive.

One thing you won't find in this new controller is force feedback. The rumble feature was said to interfere with the motion-sensing devices. Sony's Phil Harrison even went so far as to tell us that "rumble was last generation, movement is this generation."

We also managed to bump into Criterion's Alex Ward at Sony's grand unveiling, and he said he was really excited about the controller, saying that he "can really see how it fits in his games." We imagine a Burnout game can't be too far behind.

So if you wanted to be a cynic, you could say that this is a wireless PS2 controller with analog triggers like the Xbox, a central guide button like the Xbox 360, and it has internal motion sensors like the Wii. But what's probably most important is that the controller feels pretty nice and it already seems to work well.

961 Comments

  • Deadwalker_135

    Posted Sep 3, 2007 7:04 am PT

    david 4 or whatever u vatch ur mouth nintendo sucks

  • Davids_4_Life

    Posted Mar 6, 2007 7:32 am PT

    tipical sony.. copying nintendo yet again! how can anyone like sony? all they do is rip-off other companies ideas! I f*****g hate sony for adding motion-enceing controller just because nintendo did it.. what w***ers

  • singleton92

    Posted Dec 15, 2006 2:54 pm PT

    Well, I'm a diehard sony fan, and PS3 is definitely going to kick a$$ in the long run. Best graphics, best controller, and DEFINETLY best games. What does the Wii have? Zelda. Thats it. What does Xbox 360 have? Gears of War, AKA a pretty sweet halo knockoff I have to say. but finally, waht does PS3 have? well, how about GTA4, Resistance, MGS4, God of War 2, and all the other kicka$$ franchise sequels. so what if sony copied a few good aspects of some other companies. It's EXACTLY what the Xbox did, and nobody's complaining about microsoft. If you don't like it, suck it up and accept that the producers of PS3 were smart enough to to take the time and blend the best things together into their next-gen console, while the others were too focused on releasing their consoles with the most speed. Look at the Wii. I admit, playing Zelda on it is fun, but the graphics for the Wii version vs. the Gamecube version are literally IDENTICAL. take THAT, captainalpha1. Truthfully, I do think the Xbox 360's graphics are clearly superior to the Xbox's, but after about 30 minutes of playing it, I didn't really care anymore. It just got boring, not to mention that it's the only console I've ever played with lag on it. in the end, it all dwindles down to the system's appeal over time, and it looks like Sony is the only company that actually understands that. looking back, PS kicked N64 and Dreamcast's butts, PS2 kicked Gamecube and Xbox's butts, and now there's no doubt that PS3 is gonna kick the Wii's and Xbox 360's butts. Class dismissed.

  • rougehunter66

    Posted Oct 5, 2006 7:08 am PT

    I agree with jedikv. Go look at the picture of the controller. Just above and to the right of the mini-usb connector. Notice anything? Those are the exact same squares on the Wiimote, showing which controller port the controller is sensing. Sony steal everything. Remeber back in the day when sony didn't have thumbsticks? Then when the N64 was a resounding success with analogue sticks, they brought out one. The Dreamcast comes out, and they release a smaller "PS1", that looks identical to the Dreamcast almost. Half the pay roll of Sony would be undercover spies to detect what Microsoft and Nintendo are doing, then reporting back and stealing their ideas. Absolute ****

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Aug 24, 2006 11:54 pm PT

    interesting

  • killyoufun

    Posted Aug 23, 2006 5:54 pm PT

    no rumble that sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • lennygundam14

    Posted Aug 12, 2006 1:54 pm PT

    ok, heres an idea, why not make the rumble feature an option for use while playing, heres an example, turn off the motion sensing feature while playing a fighting game the can be used with the rumble feature???

  • DaNgErOuSmOmO

    Posted Jul 1, 2006 9:20 am PT

    im still not completely sold on the tilt sensor adn with no vibration thats going to be weird

  • maoonparas

    Posted Jun 27, 2006 9:06 am PT

    almost perfect! its not pefect because theres no vibration....

  • ChrisMx2

    Posted Jun 18, 2006 8:47 pm PT

    No rumble feature will ruin any of Kojima's plan to make a good torture sequence in MGS4. Though, Snake would probably just die from another torture sequence. You know what would be cool? If you could a button (L1 for example) during MGS4 and tilt in the direction you want to dodge so you can pull of some of Raiden's cool moves (if you ever get to play him a bit). Just a thought.

  • jedikv

    Posted Jun 2, 2006 9:16 am PT

    "And nobody should be sticking up for microsoft whos xbox controller looked pretty similar to a dual shock, and have been pinching peoples ideas since the company first started.
    The most "unoriginal" award for a company goes to Microsoft."

    benn_da_hud you are a utter moron. XB controller looks nothing like the dual shock, its much better, the thubsticks are placed futher apart which allows for a more free movement between the thumbs. PS3's conference clearly shows that Sony deserves that award.

    I believe MS was the company that decided to put hard drives in consoles, a very good network service (Live) and games running in hi-def. Sony copied them in all those departments with inferior products (ps2 hard drive and network play for ps2 both failures) and the lack of HDMI gives the cheaper PS3 a 2-year death sentence for when HDCP is implemented.

    I am no fanboy of any company, i think its extremely stupid to blindly support a corporation just because you bought something from them.

  • Gamer1079

    Posted May 31, 2006 12:22 pm PT

    A motion sensor on the controller? It's funny how Sony didn't add the controller sensor till AFTER the Wii controller was introduced. Look's like Sony copies Nintendo yet once again, but oh well, that's business.

  • schalkwijk

    Posted May 30, 2006 4:45 pm PT

    sony has no honor!!! Nintendo made a weird controller, and tons of ppl hated it, but did they give in to the pressure? Nintendo gave its console a wiird name (HA), and tons of ppl hated it, but have they given in to the pressure? Id have more respect for sony if it just kept is ugly boomerang... now i just dont like phil harisson.

  • netlou

    Posted May 27, 2006 1:46 pm PT

    Like many people have said... don't mess with success... so what if rumble interferes with the motion sensitivity... just make it less frequent! Not a terrible move... but it was unnecesary.

  • dan543

    Posted May 24, 2006 11:31 pm PT

    Sony is desperate to have a good competition against Microsoft and Nintendo: they certainly are trying to excell XBOX 360 graphics and they copied somenthing wii know... MAN! Graphics are not everything and copying the motions sensor puts Sony on a bad position... and btw, that machine is gonna leave you in bankrupt!

  • autobot01

    Posted May 24, 2006 2:15 pm PT

    Sony is copying Microsfot and Nintendo!!!!

  • benny_da_hudd

    Posted May 22, 2006 8:31 pm PT


    "So eventually in a kid loses his abilty to wave his arms around and that makes him/her a "man""

    "man/woman" you mean?

    in answer to your question...yes/no
    I'll leave the waving arms around for you. I will just be lazy and use my thumbs and occaionally my index fingers.

    The only thing i will miss about rumble, is putting the dual shock on my crotch (oh yeah)

    PS: Wii is a $h!te name.

  • R3v0luti0n

    Posted May 22, 2006 1:11 pm PT


    Wii will be another kiddie console. I'm not too keen on waving my arms around like a kid.

    So eventually in a kid loses his abilty to wave his arms around and that makes him/her a "man"

  • AzN_K3V1N

    Posted May 21, 2006 10:28 pm PT

    awesome

  • vitpm

    Posted May 21, 2006 6:28 pm PT

    Great sony... even I could have designed this one...
    this news could have been awarded as the "most predictable piece of info in E3"

GameSpot's E3 Photo Gallery

GameSpot's E3 2009 Photo Gallery