Sony DualShock 3 (black, PS3)

When Sony's PlayStation 3 came out in late 2006, much was made over the fact that the new Sixaxis wireless controller that shipped with the system didn't offer any force feedback--or rumble, as the vibration feature in Sony's earlier DualShock 2 controller (for the PlayStation 2) is often called. Sure, the whole poor-man's Wii motion-sensing thing (Sixaxis) was somewhat cool, but PlayStation aficionados and gaming purists were disappointed that Sony was forced to leave out the rumble because it was involved in a patent dispute with Immersion, the company that developed force-feedback technology.

Well, the legal issues have been resolved and Sony is now selling the DualShock 3, which should have come with the PS3 when it launched. The good news is the rumble works just fine with the limited number of PS3 titles that currently support the feature. (The full list of DualShock 3-compatible games is available at Sony's PlayStation Web site. The feature can be retroactively added to many older games thanks to downloadable patches available through Sony's free PlayStation Network online service.)

Except for its slightly heavier weight, the DualShock 3 is indistinguishable from its predecessor, the Sixaxis.

We tried the DualShock 3 with Heavenly Sword and Resistance: Fall of Man. While the rumble really didn't add much to Heavenly Sword, it was more effective with a first-person shooter such as Resistance, as it enhanced the feeling of firing your gun and taking hits. We also liked that the DualShock 3 (7 ounces) is somewhat heavier than the original Sixaxis controller (5 ounces). It isn't a huge deal, but it just feels more substantial in your hand. Some people complained that the Sixaxis controller was just too much of a featherweight, and if you're one of those people, you'll appreciate the extra 2 ounces this controller adds.