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The award-winning PS3 SIXAXIS controller
The controller with no boogie to its dance wins an award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

Sony Computer Entertainment America today announced that it has been recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Technology and Engineering Emmy Award for the PlayStation 3's SIXAXIS wireless controller. SCEA will receive the honor at an awards presentation being held tonight at CES 2007 in Las Vegas.

"The overwhelming consumer demand and critical acclaim for PS3 is a testament of the platform's strength and the industry's desire for a true next-generation entertainment system," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. "The full potential of this powerful machine has yet to be realized -- what you've seen so far is just a taste of what will be on the table for 2007 and years to come."

That’s not the only award that the PS3 is garnering for the company. SCEA will be honored with several other awards at CES for the engineering behind PS3 including the CES Best of Innovations Award for 2007, PC World's 20 Most Innovative Products Award, Sound & Vision's Editor's Choice Award and Digital Entertainment Group's (DEG) Emiel N. Petrone Digital Innovation Award.

Some may be scratching their heads over the award choice for SIXAXIS. The PS3 controller has been criticized for its continued use of a slightly dated design and the lack of force feedback. Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series, has publically expressed his disappointment in the lack of rumble in the SIXAXIS. The long-fought legal battle between Immersion and Sony over vibration technology is commonly seen as the reason for the missing feature.

The only new innovations brought about in the SIXAXIS controller are Bluetooth wireless connectivity and built-in motion sensing. Wireless controllers were first standardized by Microsoft in its premium line of Xbox 360 consoles, and the motion sensing technology is implemented to a far greater degree in Nintendo’s Wii console.

Update 01/09/2007: Australian blog site has word from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences stating that Sony was erroneous in its announcement of the SIXAXIS win, saying that the award is actually for the original DualShock controller for PSone. Sony did, however, recieve an award for its Xross Media Bar for "Outstanding Innovation and Achievement in Advanced Media Technology for the Best Use of Personal Media Display and Presentation Technology," which strangely went unannounced by SCEA. Read more here.

Update 01/10/2007: Sony issued a statement to DailyTech regarding the award.

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I smell a rat
By skyyspam on 1/8/2007 10:23:46 PM , Rating: 5
I wonder if Sony slipped some cash their way?




RE: I smell a rat
By Poximex on 1/8/2007 10:36:33 PM , Rating: 2
Not like they could afford it. They aren't even turning a profit on the console.


RE: I smell a rat
By daftrok on 1/8/2007 10:37:30 PM , Rating: 2
Unlikely. I think the Emmy people believe that since the system is so amazing, it boosts up the points for the controller. I personally don't miss the rumble because the visuals compensate greatly, but I really think the Wii-mote should have won this one.


RE: I smell a rat
By therealnickdanger on 1/8/2007 11:27:02 PM , Rating: 4
I've used the SuxAxis for extended periods... no way does it actually deserve this award. I don't recall the Emmys ever giving out awards like this in the past, it was probably the only controller nominated since they shoveled out tons of cash to run ads during the award show... but I have no proof. Pure conjecture, but probably 100% correct. :P


RE: I smell a rat
By BladeVenom on 1/9/2007 12:28:50 AM , Rating: 5
What a joke. It must be their influence from their movie, and music divisions.


RE: I smell a rat
By PandaBear on 1/9/2007 2:26:20 AM , Rating: 5
Definitely, I am sure they have a bunch of people in Hollywood to promote this because of their movie industry influence.

This controller does not deserve it.


RE: I smell a rat
By artemicion on 1/10/2007 1:59:18 PM , Rating: 2
Oh yes, because winning a National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Technology and Engineering Emmy Award is so amazingly prestigious and will bring such a boon to the company that it's worth lobbying for.

/sarcasm off


RE: I smell a rat
By GhandiInstinct on 1/9/2007 12:44:56 AM , Rating: 4
They won an emmy for copying technology of their competitor?

Neat!


RE: I smell a rat
By Schadenfroh on 1/9/07, Rating: 0
RE: I smell a rat
By Schadenfroh on 1/9/07, Rating: 0
RE: I smell a rat
By BladeVenom on 1/9/2007 6:44:10 AM , Rating: 4
The first motion sensing controller was the Le Stick for the Atari 2600.

There's nothing new under the sun.


RE: I smell a rat
By Frank M on 1/9/2007 8:49:09 AM , Rating: 2
Yep:

Shape and Button Layout: Super Nintendo
Analog Sticks: Nintendo 64
Rumble (later removed): Nintendo 64
Motion Sensing: Wii

Did I miss any?


RE: I smell a rat
By therealnickdanger on 1/9/2007 11:01:22 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Analog Sticks: Nintendo 64

Technically, the SEGA Saturn had an analog thumbstick more than a year before the N64 even came out... and it was awesome. NiGHTS was a sweet game! Even so, analog sticks have been around forever.

When I think about it, there is not one aspect of modern controllers that is revolutionary in any way, just evolutionary. If anything deserves an Emmy, it's the Guitar Hero controller, but then it's only fun to use in Guitar Hero. The only real innovation left is to eliminate physical controllers and move right into cerebral control.


RE: I smell a rat
By Frank M on 1/9/2007 4:34:03 PM , Rating: 2
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the original Saturn controllers didn't have analog, it was added after the N64 came out.

http://www.axess.com/twilight/console/


RE: I smell a rat
By Borat Sagdiyev on 1/9/07, Rating: -1
RE: I smell a rat
By Samus on 1/9/2007 5:27:59 PM , Rating: 2
WHAT THE HELL!!!??? ITS A WIRELESS PS2 CONTROLLER WITH A GYRO IN IT.

How in the hell is that revolutionary or award worthy?

N64 gets my vote for best controller of all time. With the exception on the original Nintendo controller (except NES MAX) Nintendo has always had pretty damn good controllers. Sony just ripped off the SNES controller originally and eventually took a note from the N64 by putting Analog sticks on it.

Although Sega, of course, invented analog sticks on 'modern' consoles with the Saturn controller, eventually used with the Dreamcast as well.


RE: I smell a rat
By scrapsma54 on 1/10/2007 6:10:18 PM , Rating: 2
I wouldn't doubt it, controller is fun, but not innovative.
Truly lacking the right for an award. I spite sony because they have been placing too much hype on the gaming community. Have they delivered any promises? I'm sorry but sony deserves to be called a tool.


If it works, why change it?
By cheetah2k on 1/8/2007 11:35:45 PM , Rating: 1
I think sometimes you all should think like an engineer. The SCEA controller has been around for years, and its out dated, but so are many things out there - like rubber tires and SRS airbags in cars - but we're still using them!

All i can say, is that i've had a PS2 ever since it came out, and i've never had RSI, or cramped hand/finger syndrome. I've used the Xbox and Xbox 360 controller, and they aren't really practical for all gamers. The WII remote is inovative, and takes time to get used to it.

The point is, the SCEA controller is an award winner purely because it doesnt really need to change. Sure, it could use some rumble, but thats a patent issue. But, from an engineering perspective, "If it works, why change it?"





RE: If it works, why change it?
By Steele on 1/8/2007 11:49:21 PM , Rating: 5
I'm just going to go way out on a limb here. You're not an engineer, are you? If any engineer though like that, he'd lose his PE so fast he wouldn't know what happened.

Horse-drawn carriages worked fine, so why do anything different? 8086 PCs worked fine, so why spend money developing anything better? The 1886 Daimler car, capable of up to 11 mph worked pretty good, spears can kill a person just as well as a rifle, and leeches and bleeding cured a disease or two.

If anyone actually thought like that, technology would never develop.

Steele


RE: If it works, why change it?
By cheetah2k on 1/10/2007 9:15:24 AM , Rating: 1
Personal attacks aside, I am a structural engineer working abroad, and working in an industry where quality in the design and production of tried and tested materials is of utmost importance.

My point is (you obviously missed it) some things are just not meant to be changed, especially when there are no additional requirements for an already tried and tested product. Sure PC tech, car tech, guns (after all you Americans only want to kill people anyway) and leeches. All worked perfectly fine in their day - and these old technologies are still being used!

Get married in a horse drawn carriage, a car restorer piecing together an 1886 daimler, (I still have my Amstrad CPC464 mate - PRE- 8086), spears being used in the Amazon, and by native Australians (Aborigines, just in case you dont know whats outside your own little shell) leeches are still being used in China, Japan, Europe as alternative medicine!..

While the moderator gave you a 5 for this, I think theres a whole lot of narrow mindedness going on.

I'm not a Sony fan boy either. Good on you Sony. Finally a product that didnt explode, melt, overheat or lack 1080i/p upscaling.


RE: If it works, why change it?
By Steele on 1/10/2007 2:17:40 PM , Rating: 2
Alrighty...

A structural engineer, huh? Then why are we using steel and concrete when wood and iron worked fine in the 18th century? Why, in fact, did we use those when wood and stone worked for centuries? What numbskull added rocks to his house after failing to realize that animal bones and hides didn't make a perfectly acceptable shelter?

Of course I realize that some old things are still in use. I, in fact, am restoring a 1980 (I know, not that old) Mercedes. They are not, however, usually considered innovative. I cannot think of any field of technology where there is no room for improvement. If you do, I think you should reconsider your highly narrowminded views.

My point (that YOU obviously missed) is that old technology should not win awards for being innovative. New technology does, and with your attitude, we'd never have any new technology.