SCE, Immersion Settle Suit, Talk PS3 Vibration Tech

Touch feedback technology developer Immersion and Sony Computer Entertainment America have announced the end to their long legal battle, striking an agreement to bring Immersion-patented rumble tech to PlayStation products. According to a statement from Sony, Immersion will be receiving "the amount of the judgment entered by the District Court," referring to the $82 million previously awarded to Immersion (plus $8.7 million in pre-judgment interest, down from the company's original $299 million claims), and "damages, pre-judgment interest, costs, and interest, in addition to retaining compulsory license fees ordered by the District Court which were already paid." The new arrangement will also give SCE rights "with respect to Immersion's patent portfolio," most likely referring specifically to its previously touted "TouchSense" technology which can support both vibration and gyroscopic movement in tandem -- long held by Sony as the reason vibration was removed from the SIXAXIS. The agreement will also see Sony paying Immersion twelve quarterly payments of $1.875 million each, beginning next month, totaling $22.5 million, along with other fees and royalties. Immersion, along with the rights to its patents, will agree to no further suits against Sony. Said Immersion CEO Victor Viegas, "We are pleased to have put this litigation behind us. Our new business agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment is specifically intended to enable advanced vibration capability for the benefit of the PlayStation gaming community. We are happy to provide our technology in this regard and hope to make technical proposals very soon with respect to use of our technology in the PlayStation products." "We look forward to exploring with Immersion exciting new ways to bring the largest and best range of gameplay experiences to our customers," added SCE president Kazuo Hirai. "We are very excited about our new partnership with Immersion and the potential for new and innovative products incorporating their technologies."