The PS3 SIXAXIS Rumble controller is now in development according to the source, but one of the issues Sony is facing is the battery life limitation. In layman's terms, they're just draining too fast. Not to mention some of the PR problems which could happen if such a controller was released.

We’ve written extensively of the court case between Sony and Immersion and its potential impact on the peripherals business for the PS3. While we’ve been featured on Immersion’s own press site, we assure our readers that we have no affiliation or vested interests in the company. Right before GDC, this court battle came to a fruitful conclusion for both parties involved. Having lost the initial court case, and the subsequent appeal, Sony cut its loss and settled with Immersion, using the opportunity to ink a new licensing deal.

All in all, this proved to be a very positive move from a PR perspective, and cleared the path to the potential re-introduction of rumble support in future iteration of the SIXAXIS controller for the PS3. Shortly thereafter, an update for Gran Turismo HD was released which added force feedback support to steering wheels. Some heralded this as the first benefit of this deal, but it should be noted that force feedback in steering wheels was never affected by the previous court case. The steering wheels weren’t being manufactured by Sony, and therefore couldn’t fall foul due to Sony’s lack of licensing of Immersion’s technology.

Ameer via innerbits.com »