Questions about the DualShock 3 Sixaxis controller...

[SuperMillionaire]

I'm planning to get a PS3 soon, along with a DualShock 3 Sixaxis controller, so I want to know: is it possible to enable both rumble and motion-sensory functions to be used at the same time? If so, which games support both rumble and motion-sensory?

[Shoeberto]

Both can work at the same time. Many games support both in various ways. Rumble is more common though since the Sixaxis controls aren't really useful for many situations other than just shaking it.

[Bolivar]

What Shoeberto said.

If you're asking about rumble and sixaxis at the same time, hmmm.... i'm not so sure about that.

The recent trend is only first-party games really use sixaxis and they reserve it to small parts so as not to repeat the Lair mistake. Killzone 2 has you use it for turning valves, planting charges, and steadying your Sniper Scope, you can even use it to move your target site ever so slightly, which is actually pretty cool when you pull it off!

inFAMOUS only uses it for the last superpower you get.

Not sure if you're into FPS or open-Action/Adventure but those 2 are among the cream of the crop and they're only on PS3.

[AntRid]

The original controller was called the Sixaxis which didn’t include rumble. Sony said it would interfere with the motion sensor; the real story is they were in a lawsuit over the tech with the people who created and patent the rumble. Later on they released the Duelshock 3 with has both.
All you need to know and more!

[JKTrix]

MGS4 uses motion sensing for aiming grenades, and that's about all I can remember from it.

It does a couple of pretty surprising things with the rumble though, if you play your cards right. (One early example: if you beat the first boss without killing it, when Snake checks its pulse you can feel it in the controller. If you do kill it: no pulse.)

[Shattered Dreamer]

As far as I know both work at the same time. In Saint's Row 2 you can use the motion sensing to drive boats & pilot helicopters & planes & the rumble works while your doing it. Although I turned this feature off as it was an extreme pain in the arse when the novelty wears off.

[SuperMillionaire]

Oh, good, thanks everyone. And like the original Sixaxis, it is a wireless controller, but has a slot for a detachable wire that you can use for playing and charging simultaneously, right?

[Shattered Dreamer]

Oh, good, thanks everyone. And like the original Sixaxis, it is a wireless controller, but has a slot for a detachable wire that you can use for playing and charging simultaneously, right?

Yep thats right! But be warned if you buy another PS3 controller (aside from the one included when you buy the console obviously) you don't get another charge cable you gotta buy it separate! Greedy Sony another PS3 is like €60:mad2:

[Slothy]

Yep thats right! But be warned if you buy another PS3 controller (aside from the one included when you buy the console obviously) you don't get another charge cable you gotta buy it separate! Greedy Sony another PS3 is like €60:mad2:

I've got three controllers and the one cable has never been a problem for me. I usually just rotate between my controllers when they need charging.

[JKTrix]

It's a pretty standard Mini-B USB cable as well. I got a different one myself because the original one was too short.

You can get one for pretty cheap (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030302&p_id=107&seq=1&format=2).

[Shattered Dreamer]

Yep thats right! But be warned if you buy another PS3 controller (aside from the one included when you buy the console obviously) you don't get another charge cable you gotta buy it separate! Greedy Sony another PS3 is like €60:mad2:

I've got three controllers and the one cable has never been a problem for me. I usually just rotate between my controllers when they need charging.

I'm not saying its a huge problem but for the price of a new controller it wouldn't financially cripple them to include another usb cable!

[JKTrix]

Putting out PS3s has been 'financially crippling' since Day 1. Why do you think they keep takin' stuff out of it? :P

Heck, I have a Sony camera, and when I went to the Sony Store to buy a replacement USB cable for it, they said they don't even sell that. Sony ain't in the cable business!

[SuperMillionaire]

Apparently, if I get a second DS36A, I'm gonna have to get a second USB cable. And I think they also have an AC adapter-charger for controllers too...

[Shoeberto]

You don't necessarily need two charge cables imo. I've never had both of my controllers die at the exact same moment.

[Slothy]

You don't necessarily need two charge cables imo. I've never had both of my controllers die at the exact same moment.

This. With local multiplayer being pretty uncommon on the PS3, as long as you rotate between your controllers so one is charging while you use another, the only way they could both die at the same time is if you used both at once from a full charge for 30+ hours. Basically that'll just never happen.

[SuperMillionaire]

Unless of course you're playing with a friend...

[Mirage]

Not even then. You'd have to have horrible luck if both ran out at the same time.

[Slothy]

Not even then. You'd have to have horrible luck if both ran out at the same time.

Precisely. Even if you play with a friend, assuming you switch between the two controllers so when one needs to charge you plug it in and use the other when you're by yourself they can't possibly die at the same time. One will always have more charge than the other so the one that's low can be plugged in without having to plug in both at once.

You'd literally have to take two fully charged controllers and play with them for more than 30 hours straight for them to run out, which as I've just established will not happen if you rotate them. The only other conceivable way they could die at the same time is if the battery was going in one or both, but the odds of that ever happening are pretty slim.

[JKTrix]

I can see a situation where batteries would die. If I lived with a super hardcore fighting game fan like me, that could be a frequent situation. 'Course, we'd have plug-in arcade sticks anyway.

There are fancy peripherals that are just designed for charging your stuff though.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Not even then. You'd have to have horrible luck if both ran out at the same time.

Precisely. Even if you play with a friend, assuming you switch between the two controllers so when one needs to charge you plug it in and use the other when you're by yourself they can't possibly die at the same time. One will always have more charge than the other so the one that's low can be plugged in without having to plug in both at once.

You'd literally have to take two fully charged controllers and play with them for more than 30 hours straight for them to run out, which as I've just established will not happen if you rotate them. The only other conceivable way they could die at the same time is if the battery was going in one or both, but the odds of that ever happening are pretty slim.
I'm not a fan of unplugging a controller if it's not fully charged, I have a cable for each one of my controllers.

[Bolivar]

\
I'm not a fan of unplugging a controller if it's not fully charged, I have a cable for each one of my controllers.

That's gotta be some kind of OCD or something :p

[Mirage]

PS3 controllers use Li-ion batteries. A partial recharging on Li-ion batteries will not lower their capacity. The capacity of Li-ion batteries is lowered as you use them, of course, but charging them to 50% then se them to 0% twice will lower their capacity by the same amount as charging them to 100% and then using them up once.

It's the total amount of charge-discharge cycles that lowers the total capacity of them, and the electronics in the batteries will charge the least-used cells first.

Even if you hate unplugging them until they're full, it's still not a problem, because it takes less time to charge them than it'll take to discharge them in a normal usage scenario (not counting games where the vibration motors are running constantly)

[NorthernChaosGod]

I know they don't lose capacity, I just refuse to unplug an controller not at 100%; if I'm playing then I the charge time isn't noticeable and if I turn off the system it charges faster but I just walk away anyway.

And it's nice to use the cables to connect to the system instead of finding them wirelessly when you bring them over to someone's house, I only do this for 360.

[SuperMillionaire]

Not even then. You'd have to have horrible luck if both ran out at the same time.

Precisely. Even if you play with a friend, assuming you switch between the two controllers so when one needs to charge you plug it in and use the other when you're by yourself they can't possibly die at the same time. One will always have more charge than the other so the one that's low can be plugged in without having to plug in both at once.

You'd literally have to take two fully charged controllers and play with them for more than 30 hours straight for them to run out, which as I've just established will not happen if you rotate them. The only other conceivable way they could die at the same time is if the battery was going in one or both, but the odds of that ever happening are pretty slim.
I'm not a fan of unplugging a controller if it's not fully charged, I have a cable for each one of my controllers.

I'm with you on that one, NCG.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Good to see more people of a particular nature. :cool:

[SuperMillionaire]

Yep.

Another question: how can I tell how much power the controller has left? Is there some sort of power meter on the controller?

[JKTrix]

I know on the wii, the number of blinking lights when you turn it on indicates the rough charge level. Otherwise, once your PS3 is on, tap the Home button and you'll see the controller icon near the top right, with a battery icon. That's your charge level.

[SuperMillionaire]

Oh, okay. It's just like the PSP's power level that I see on the home menu.

[Mirage]

A message will pop up on your TV telling you the power level in controller x is getting low. After this, you've still probably got an hour or more of gaming before it runs out completely.

[SuperMillionaire]

Oh, good. But if I use the USB cable, that won't happen, right?

[Mirage]

The message doesn't stay there for too long even when you don't immediately plug it in.

Why are you even asking this? It seems like such a non-issue. It never even crossed my mind when I bought my PS3.

[SuperMillionaire]

Well, I think I heard that while the rumble effects of the DS36A are more diverse than those of the DS2, the strength of the rumble is a bit weaker (likely to prolong battery life...)

[JKTrix]

Where did 'DS36A' come from? Do you know what diverse even means? If it is true that the rumble is more 'diverse', it just means it has a wider range of rumble than the DS2 does. So that might mean it can rumble weaker, but it can probably rumble just as strong.

I really think you're thinking too much about it. The rumble is just fine. The battery life is just fine. You've nothing to worry about. Just make sure you get a controller that says DUALSHOCK on it (which should be easy if you're buying the system brand new, since they don't make the SIXAXIS on its own anymore).

[Mirage]

Actually I think it would be better if you didn 't get a PS3 at all, because of all the unknown aspects and potential issues with its controllers.

I mean what if its shoulder buttons have been changed a bit, are you prepared to meet this crisis?

[AntRid]

If your concerned about the rumble, shake the controller about in exciting moments and this should fix it.
If your really concerned about it then go find a demo machine at a store and test it out for yourself.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Actually I think it would be better if you didn 't get a PS3 at all, because of all the unknown aspects and potential issues with its controllers.

I mean what if its shoulder buttons have been changed a bit, are you prepared to meet this crisis?

Will someone please think of the shoulder buttons?!

[SuperMillionaire]

Where did 'DS36A' come from? Do you know what diverse even means? If it is true that the rumble is more 'diverse', it just means it has a wider range of rumble than the DS2 does. So that might mean it can rumble weaker, but it can probably rumble just as strong.

I really think you're thinking too much about it. The rumble is just fine. The battery life is just fine. You've nothing to worry about. Just make sure you get a controller that says DUALSHOCK on it (which should be easy if you're buying the system brand new, since they don't make the SIXAXIS on its own anymore).

Well, on back of the DS36A, "DualShock3" appears in the top right corner, but then "Sixaxis" appears directly below it. That's why I call it the DS36A.

[Mirage]

There is no DS3 without the sixaxis feature, so it's kinda redundant.

[JKTrix]

I mean where did the model code "DS36A" come from? I'm holding my Dualshock in front of me right now, ain't nothin like that there.

Edit: Then again, my Dualshock 3 is Japanese. Maybe it's on the American one. So I really do want to know where DS36a comes from.

Edit Edit: Ooooh, I get it now. DS3 (obvious) 6A for Sixaxis.

No. Just no. Just call it DS3, that's what it is.

[SuperMillionaire]

I guess you figured it out already. I called it the DS36A as an abbreviation for "DualShock 3 Sixaxis;" "6A" is an abbreviation of "Sixaxis." That is not a model code; it is my personal abbreviation for it.

[Mirage]

It sure is, but there's little point in using an abbrevation for it that no one else uses, instead of what others use. The point of abbreviations is to shorten down words or terms without causing extra confusion among those you communicate with. By using your own personal abbreviation that no one else uses, you're causing more confusion.

[SuperMillionaire]

Oh, sorry. Then again, there's a lot of slang that a lot of you use that I don't get either.

[NorthernChaosGod]

I can't be the only one that understood it without the need for explanation, right? o_O

[Bolivar]

I thought it was like the first 5 characters of the serial number or something!!!

Clever, though.

[Mo-Nercy]

Why would you call it a DS36A when DualShock 3 is 3 syllables?

But back to the topic, the only fun I've ever experienced with SixAxis is with Little Big Planet. It's basically a non-issue because there's practically no games that make any good use of the function.

[SuperMillionaire]

The motion-sensory feature is pretty interesting, as it acts as a natural extension of your body. In the past, you only used your hands and fingers to play games, but with this new function, you can use your whole arms to move or rotate the controller in any direction.

The name "Sixaxis" comes from the concept of "six degrees of freedom." There are two types of degrees; translational and rotational, and each type contains three degrees. The translational axes are up/down, forward/backward, and left/right, and the rotational axes are pitch, roll, and yaw. That adds up to six degrees, or axes, of freedom, hence the name.

[Mo-Nercy]

The motion-sensory feature is pretty interesting, as it acts as a natural extension of your body. In the past, you only used your hands and fingers to play games, but with this new function, you can use your whole arms to move or rotate the controller in any direction.

The name "Sixaxis" comes from the concept of "six degrees of freedom." There are two types of degrees; translational and rotational, and each type contains three degrees. The translational axes are up/down, forward/backward, and left/right, and the rotational axes are pitch, roll, and yaw. That adds up to six degrees, or axes, of freedom, hence the name.
Yeah, it sounds great, but buying a Wii will net you all the same aspects of the SixAxis' design and then some.

Frankly, if SixAxis had never existed, it wouldn't have made a difference to me.

[Bolivar]

Why would you call it a DS36A when DualShock 3 is 3 syllables?

But back to the topic, the only fun I've ever experienced with SixAxis is with Little Big Planet. It's basically a non-issue because there's practically no games that make any good use of the function.

Heavenly Sword did it great and the Godfather I & II utilized motion controls better than most Wii games do. The first one is actually really good.

inFAMOUS has a neat function for it in the endgame and the R&C series has used it pretty nicely as well.

[NorthernChaosGod]

The motion-sensory feature is pretty interesting, as it acts as a natural extension of your body. In the past, you only used your hands and fingers to play games, but with this new function, you can use your whole arms to move or rotate the controller in any direction.

The name "Sixaxis" comes from the concept of "six degrees of freedom." There are two types of degrees; translational and rotational, and each type contains three degrees. The translational axes are up/down, forward/backward, and left/right, and the rotational axes are pitch, roll, and yaw. That adds up to six degrees, or axes, of freedom, hence the name.
Yeah, it sounds great, but buying a Wii will net you all the same aspects of the SixAxis' design and then some.

Frankly, if SixAxis had never existed, it wouldn't have made a difference to me.
But waggle just sucks in general.

[SuperMillionaire]

The motion-sensory feature is pretty interesting, as it acts as a natural extension of your body. In the past, you only used your hands and fingers to play games, but with this new function, you can use your whole arms to move or rotate the controller in any direction.

The name "Sixaxis" comes from the concept of "six degrees of freedom." There are two types of degrees; translational and rotational, and each type contains three degrees. The translational axes are up/down, forward/backward, and left/right, and the rotational axes are pitch, roll, and yaw. That adds up to six degrees, or axes, of freedom, hence the name.
Yeah, it sounds great, but buying a Wii will net you all the same aspects of the SixAxis' design and then some.

Frankly, if SixAxis had never existed, it wouldn't have made a difference to me.

Well, the Wiimote doesn't have rumble capabilities, as far as I know. (I don't own a Wii, but I have a cousin who does.)