It's been roughly two years since Sony has released the critically acclaimed PLAYSTATION 3, Sony was under a lot of scrutiny for their choice of not adding RUMBLE to SIXAXIS, many people saw the PR spin Sony debuted along side the PS3 stating "'rumble' was last gen", while "rumble" is a last gen feature, it's almost a necessary feature, in the immersion process (no pun intended).

Back in 2005, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo were sued for the use of vibration technology in their controllers, while Microsoft and Nintendo settled, Sony did not, they counter-sued and inevitably lost, Immersion now struck a deal with Sony to include rumble in Sony controllers, granted there being royalties.

Now we have the DUAL SHOCK 3, big brother of the "Emmy"(lol) award winning controller Sixaxis, is it up to snuff? Well lets take a look at the dimensions.

First of the profile of the controller is the same, relatively the only real difference is the analog pads on the analog sticks are thinner, the reason why? I have no explanation.

The weight is a reasonable difference, the overall grade of the DS3 feels a lot sturdier, it doesn't creek when under pressure, and the weight feels proper. Some people complained the SIXAXIS was a bit on the light side, for myself this wasn't issue.

Now to the vibration/rumble feature; nothing has really changed here, the rumble feels solid, it gives a proper kick when needed, but to much a due, the rumble depends on the game. Games like Uncharted, Warhawk, and Gran Turismo 5 feel solid, the rumble isn't used sparringly, but only when necessary, Burnout Paradise is another great example.

A game that I found lacking in rumble is Resistance: Fall of Man, while a great game the rumble provided here isn't to impressive, a standard issue weapon provides more kick than a rocket launcher, or a shotgun would.

Another game that needs to get with the program is last years Game of the Year, none other then Call of Duty 4, seemingly lacking any rumble, and with no rumble in sight, sources stating: "It would take to long to go back, and re-code the game". To sum it up, 'Heart breaking'.

Things Sony could've done to improve the controller but didn't:

Concave Analog Sticks, and Concave triggers similar to the Xbox 360 controller; many people dislike Sony's design choices regarding there controllers, the triggers aren't concave, there convex (away from the finger) and this design with sweaty hands leads to frustration, I know I happen to be one of these people, games like Warhawk and Burnout Paradise use the triggers L2/R2 to increase acceleration on vehicles slipping off the accelerator can be a nuisance and as hardcore gamers know, this can be the difference between winning and losing.

Overall the Dual Shock 3 is a worth while investment, especially for PS3 owners who already need another controller because of wear and tear, or just to have another controller, The DS3 is priced at a MSRP of $54.99, available at many electronic stores, and your local Wal-mart, you surely won't be disappointed.