Officials from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) have announced that the DualShock 3 wireless controller for the PlayStation 3 will be made available in Europe from July 2nd, 2008.
First released in Japan on November 11th, 2007, the controller was subsequently launched in North America on April 5th, 2008.
The DualShock 3 controller uses the same basic physical design as the Sixaxis controller, retaining its motion sensing capabilities, but adds the force feedback rumble feature present in the previous two DualShock controllers for the PSone and PlayStation 2. As a result the controller weighs more than the Sixaxis, which many users have described as a positive side effect of the new functionality.
More than 28 million DualShock controllers have been sold since the original version was release for the PSone in 1998. Most future PlayStation 3 releases will support the DualShock 3, with most recent retail and downloadable titles also being compatible.
The DualShock 3 will be sold at a price of £39.99 ($80) in the UK. No new hardware bundle featuring the console and new controller has yet been announced, although Sony’s previous announcement that it has discontinued manufacture of the Sixaxis, as of April 2008, makes one inevitable.
David Reeves, President and CEO of SCEE commented: "We are delighted to confirm that DualShock 3 will be released in SCEE territories in early July. We hope this will add to the intense gaming experience for our fans, as we continue to evolve PS3, its software and its peripherals.”
