Some Seriously Bad News For Sony

[markusdragon]

It's only the way the pad makes the vibration, sony can just alter the design and start selling again.

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Actually no, it's the technology as a whole; the list of products that will be taken off the market include not just controllers and units sold with those controllers, but high-profile games that use the technology as well.

 

[kotd]

OMG okay maybe this is more serious than we thought??


I"m watching CBS morning news... mind you CBS is one of the 'big three' top nationwide TV networks in the US... and anyways they just did a story on this Sony situation. Was really weird to see this on network news like this... to me that means this is really serious...

Okay so the judge did rule against Sony and ordered them to stop selling the PSX and PS2 systems along with a LOT of games, but Sony have appealed and will be allowed to continue selling until the appeal process plays out. Apparently if they lose they will also have to pull all the current systems off store shelves and of course will have to pay that huge fine/damages as well.

I really am in shock about this I mean I just can't believe it... they are gonna shut down the biggest game company and most popular system available today just over the rumble feature?

I guess the PSP about to get a lot more popular and maybe now this is a good time to buy a grip of PS2's to sell on ebay? :blink: :blink: :blink:

This REALLY f'ing sux....

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I wouldn't have posted it if it wasn't serious It is total BS expecting them to stop selling what will probably top PS1 sales as the biggest selling console ever.

 

[kotd]

This reminds me of something that I occasionally ponder.... Years ago, when the Atari Jaguar bombed, Atari only managed to continue because it successfully sued Sega. What was the suit? Incredibly, Atari owned the US patent on games systems that played through your TV!

I've often wondered why the current owners of Atari don't regularily sue Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft. Maybe the patent only applied to cartridge based systems? Or maybe the patent has lapsed? Maybe the whole thing was an April fools prank?

It's mentioned here if anyone's interested.

J(ohn)

Edit : it would seem that Atari actually own a shed load of patents on games stuff. Some are on this website.

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The patent ran out. It only lasts 15 years I think

 

[bast525]

It's only the way the pad makes the vibration, sony can just alter the design and start selling again.

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Actually no, it's the technology as a whole; the list of products that will be taken off the market include not just controllers and units sold with those controllers, but high-profile games that use the technology as well.

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Exactly... I mean... come on... if it was something Sony could bypass as easily as redesigning the rumble mechanism in the controllers, I'd think Sony would have just done that instead of going thru with this huge court case and risking what they've risked?

 

[Alpha2]

I believe sony continued with the court case because they felt they hadn't knowingly violated the patent, they thought they could win but got caught in a technicality.

Besides Redesigning the controllers will take time and money, it'f be easier for sony to just buy the company.

 

[finty]

Thats what I don't get, Sony seem to have fudged up, I mean why not just do what Microsoft did? I hope it doesn't effect them too bad.

BTW, Does the PSP rumble?

 

[bast525]

LOL no the PSP doesn't rumble.

 

[finty]

Man that would have been cool.

 

[White Demon]

This reminds me of something that I occasionally ponder.... Years ago, when the Atari Jaguar bombed, Atari only managed to continue because it successfully sued Sega. What was the suit? Incredibly, Atari owned the US patent on games systems that played through your TV!

I've often wondered why the current owners of Atari don't regularily sue Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft. Maybe the patent only applied to cartridge based systems? Or maybe the patent has lapsed? Maybe the whole thing was an April fools prank?

It's mentioned here if anyone's interested.

J(ohn)

Edit : it would seem that Atari actually own a shed load of patents on games stuff. Some are on this website.

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The patent ran out. It only lasts 15 years I think

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And even if the patent was still in effect, the company that owns Atari are Infogrames. I couldn't see them taking on the might of Sony and Microsoft....

I heard in about 92 or 93 that Atari were going to sue everybody who used the 9 pin joystick connection since they had patent on that. Never heard much else about it though so I don't know what happened.

Back on topic. The court have ordered Sony to pay $90 million, and the worth of the company contesting them is $135. Seems rather strange that Sony haven't bought them out by now. I would have thought it'd work out a lot cheaper than everything else they'd have to do otherwise.

 

[johncross85]

Didn't Microsoft's out of court settlement include buying 10% of the company's stock? Maybe Microsoft only agreed to this if the company agreed to not accept a out of court settlement from Sony? Damn sneaky but this is Microsoft we are talking about...

J(ohn)

 

[Alpha2]

It'd be sneaky but highly improbable. If anything M$ woulda just bought them out and then said Sony owes THEM now. No there has to be something else there, they must have felt they had a case.

As for Atari they're nothing resembling their former company for the most part Infograms took ownership a few of their intellectual properties and the name but the probably sold of a metric ton of assets when they did. I doubt there's a single employee left from the days of the Jaguar.

 

[shinneri]

Didn't Microsoft's out of court settlement include buying 10% of the company's stock? Maybe Microsoft only agreed to this if the company agreed to not accept a out of court settlement from Sony? Damn sneaky but this is Microsoft we are talking about...

J(ohn)

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You are correct. Microsoft gained ownership of a nice chunk of Immersion when they settled with them a while ago. And you are also right that it would be extremely sneaky of Microsoft to force Immersion to refuse settlement with Sony, but it would be a great strategic move...

And I wouldn't put it past Microsoft to do just that.