Sony Offers Updates on Dualshock 3, Bundles

The much-awaited rumbling controller for the PS3 now has a final release date in the US, and more PS3 and PSP bundles are on the way in the next few months.

Although last weeks’ Gamers Development Conference in San Francisco has now wrapped up, Sony apparently held over a few announcements from the show for this week, giving PlayStation fans new news on both upcoming bundles and the future of the Dualshock 3 controller on Tuesday.

In a post on the official PlayStation blog, SCEA PR manager Al De Leon revealed that the Dualshock 3 controller, currently a Japanese-only release, will hit the states on April 15 for $54.99. The controller integrates the same Sixaxis sensing features as the original PS3 controller, but adds the Dualshock rumbling that had been missing due to a long legal dispute with Immersion over patent infringement.

The next PlayStation 3 bundle will coincide with the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Although the game still doesn’t have a firmer release date firmer than the second quarter of 2008, when it launches, Sony will offer it bundled with an 80GB PS3 and Dualshock 3 wireless controller for $499.

On the PlayStation Portable side, Sony is preparing for God of War: Chains of Olympus on the system with a blood-red PSP featuring the likeness of Ghost of Sparta emblazoned on the back.  It will come bundled with the game, plus Superbad on UMD video, and a voucher for a free download of Syphon Filter: Combat Ops from the PlayStation store, with a price tag of $199. Although God of War for PSP will launch on March 4, the bundle will not be available until June.