Immersion Corp. Creates Mobile App Development Subsidiary, Haptify

Haptic technology developer Immersion Corporation has formed an independent subsidiary, Haptify Inc., which will develop and promote mobile apps and games that show off the potential of tactile feedback interfaces. The studio's first app, Enzo's Pinball, is being planned for release on the Android Market in April, according to an announcement. A promotional video for the title highlights how the game promises to simulate the feeling of a pinball moving through the phone. Haptify will also distribute and promote haptics-enhanced games created by other developers, according to today's announcement. “We plan to use our team’s extensive experience to evangelize haptics by creating innovative applications and games, and by working closely with other developers to integrate haptics into their applications and to monetize them through Haptify’s marketing and publishing channels," said Immersion CCO Craig Vachon, who will be heading up Haptify's efforts. Founded in 1993, Immersion Corp. is best known in the game industry for its work on force feedback technology in Microsoft's DirectX API, and for a set of patent infringement lawsuits filed against Microsoft and Sony for their rumbling controllers. Both companies eventually settled the suits out of court for tens of millions of dollars. Gamasutra named Immersion's patents on various haptic technology as one of the ten most important video game patents in a 2007 list.