Why not built in rumble on a portable?

by Steven Bailey { Jan 10th 2007 at 7:30AM }

There sure has been a lot of hoopla over the PS3s lack of rumble. Gamers everywhere are decrying how this missing feature will make games less immersive and enjoyable. But yet, when it comes to gaming, there is a double standard between what is expected on a portable versus that of a console. There have been many generations of portables since the rumble feature was first introduced to gaming and yet, it has yet to be a standard feature on any handheld, it has just been built into a few game cartridges. Wouldn't that portable first-person shooter or driving game benefit from the inclusion of force feedback? The DS has a built in microphone and the PSP can browse the web, but neither have a feature that is standard on nearly every console for over two generations.

Sure, some would argue that they don't need yet another feature that would help drain battery life, but like many feaures on a portable, it could be turned off if the user preferred. A handheld also has the screen built in, so if it were to rumble it would have to be low enough that it didn't have the screen shaking in your hand. But even this problem would be easily solved with minimal tweaking. So it seems that the lack of inclusion has little to do with technical issues. The main reason rumble is likely not included in portables is simply because gamers don't seem to be asking for it.

But why does lack of rumble hurt a console's prospect in so many gamer's eyes, yet is okay when it's lacking on their portable of choice? If you had the option, would you want it included in your next PSP or DS?

Tags: DS, force feedback, force-feedback, ForceFeedback, ps3, rumble

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Bored @ Jan 10th 2007 7:34AM

To me, motion sensing would have made more sense than rumble. And don't expect Sony to implement rumble in the PSP2, especially after the legal problems.

qrayg @ Jan 10th 2007 8:41AM

Why not rumble? Because I'd like to be able to fit the console in a jacket pocket or possibly in my pants pockets like my DSlite. Adding useless, battery-draining features that the majority of users will end up turning off in every game is a horrible idea.

Blue @ Jan 10th 2007 9:17AM

I say no rumble on a portable because it drains the battery faster, and I'd rather have more gaming time than a feature that would SHAKE the screen as I play the game.

Sam K @ Jan 10th 2007 9:50AM

Not only would a rumble feature shake the screen and possibly cause unnecessary eye-strain, it would also affect the ability of the UMD drive to read the discs. j

Then there's the aforementioned battery drain. Plus, more subtle vibrations that would be necessary to minimize screen shake may also cause discomfort in the user's hands.

Jeff Cossey @ Jan 10th 2007 10:13AM

I think the rumble feature would be a bad idea. As previously stated it would really drain the battery fast. If you wanted to feel any type of rumble then another bad trade off would be the screen shaking, even a little shake would serioulsy affect gameplay.
IMHO.

Wait, can't you just shake the game and make a rumble noise yourself ;p
jk

The Clunge @ Jan 11th 2007 3:19PM

I'd think acommodating a motor and room for it to spin an offcentre weight would increase the depth of the machine, making it bulkier. I bought a non-rumble wireless controller a couple of years back, and a friend of mine bought one with rumble at the same time. My batteries last 2 months, his don't last a week. I don't miss it.

Andrew Yoon @ Jan 10th 2007 10:09AM

Steve forgot to point out that the DS DOES have a rumble pack, which works pretty decently in games that support it. Completely unnecessary, but an interesting feeling nonetheless. I agree with Bored: motion sensing, a la Kirby Tilt & Tumble, is an interesting addition. The iPhone, of course, does have that.

Fubar @ Jan 10th 2007 10:22AM

You can't have 'force feedback' on something that sits in your hands and isn't connected to anything else. What would it use as leverage to deliver the force? Air?

You mean 'rumble'.

As gaming journalists, is it too much to ask for you to know the difference between these two functions?

John @ Jan 10th 2007 10:25AM

well mega drive and snes games were never programmed to rumble, and you dont really need it for the web browser! lol thats all I use my psp for, no interest in psp or ps1 games! if the psp2 was powerful enough to support an n64 emulator then i might like to see rumble in it but atm its not needed! and on the ds, the touch screen is fun and you dont need rumble as much!

as for the ps3, the lack of rumble is gay! i like my xbox 360 lol, if only it had a web browser :( motion sensing doesnt interest me in the slightest, neither does the wii! i prefer the gamecube to the wii lmao!

and thats my two pence (im from northern ireland) lol!

:)

SuicideNinja @ Jan 10th 2007 1:21PM

Actually, besides technical issues (there's plenty) and Sony's fear of further emptying their pocketbook, there is a bigger issue:

Portable games aren't meant to offer the same type of immersion as a full fledged console. The screen is small, there's no surround sound, no high definition, and the games are usually shorter.

As for rumble in the DS...it's more of a buzz than rumble. Absolutely worthless on a portable, especially if it's not dual motors.

Joe @ Jan 10th 2007 11:47AM

I think rumble would be nice but it is not needed. I would much prefer to have the motion sensor added into the next PSP over that. Plus if a mic was to be added that would also be great. This way more online games would use the mic over a couple.

coconut delight @ Jan 10th 2007 2:24PM

No Rumble
Nail number one in the PS3's coffin..

chester @ Jan 10th 2007 2:34PM

Well, I personaly perfer to have rumble. I miss it a lot in games like burnout on the PSP. My DS and DS Lite both have rumble with the rumble pack. There are several games that use it to great effect, the best being magnetica and Metriod Pinball.

Sieg_15 @ Jan 10th 2007 2:42PM

Well...Technically there have been handhelds with built in rumble. You've probably heard of some of them too. The N-Gage is the first I know of. Using the cell phone's vibrating features, developers have been using that as rumble in some games, I don't know all the games that use it though. Another handheld is the Gizmondo which uses a similar vibrating feature for messaging (which was useless). I can only think of one game it uses it, I only have two, and it was Trailblazer. I don't know if any others had any.

And yes, I'm serious.

Pete @ Jan 10th 2007 3:10PM

i wouldnt want rumble in the psp. it would have to be such a small rumble that you could still play and see nicely, and at that point its pointless. if you put the dualshock on a table and have it rumble, it really rumbles and shakes. with the psp, it would be terrible if it shook so much

Puppet @ Jan 10th 2007 3:17PM

These have already been pointed out but. My 2 cents...

The DS DOES have rumble, this is not a case of "if I had the option"... "in my next DS" I have the option in my current DS.

Also, as previously stated, force feedback is NOT the same thing as a rumble function. Any real gamer should know this.

Frankly I'm disappointed in Joystiq for hiring someone who is too lazy to research the topic they are going to write an article about.

Don @ Jan 10th 2007 7:58PM

Rumble would be cool on the PSP. But couldn't it possibly interfere with the reading of disc-based media, like UMD games? So the technical issues shouldn't be dismissed so easily.

Also, I think the legal issues are also a concern. Maybe Nintendo has patented rumble for portable systems.

If I had to choose between the 2, I'd go with motion sensor over rumble.

PSP Rocks, admit it or your LAME @ Jan 10th 2007 5:17PM

Nintendoz did not create the Rumble technology, it just happens to be in there subpar handheld. There are many other things that could be added to a new PSP better than Rumble

- Most basic and simple and the only think I like about the DS a built in screen protector!

- Dual Shock, or better yet a port to plug in existing ps2 dual shock controllers.

- Keyboard

- Hard Drive and UMD

As far as the comment on Hand Helds are not designed for in depth immersive gameplay, well that might be true for 90% of DS games as that are mostly button mashing games geared towards a younger audience there are many games on the PSP that are very Immersive and they are PSP only as the DS could handle the same eperience without sacrificing so much.