Here's my take: Until this little "debate" popped up centering around Sony's decision to remove it... I had almost assumed no one cared. I still think it's half manufactured. In all the years that rumble has been around I have never once seen a game review where the reviewer talked about how the "rumble was dead on" or something similar. If no one cared enough about it to include it as a critical part of the game review (in which every other aspect of the experience is always covered), then I don't see why so many people are suddenly up in arms about its removal. From a personal side, I simply don't find that having my "hands vibrate" is immersive... just annoying. Plus, it reduces battery life significantly on my wireless controllers (Logitech). It was cute at first, sure, but it's hardly the beginning and end of the gaming experience... more like a "nice try". Take a driving game. Go out driving. Come back. Now drive on a console game and tell me again that "hand shake" is "immersive". I suppose if you can get past the start where it's just distracting to the point where you are so used to it that you just expect it... THEN it might be "slightly" more immersive than not having it there. Immersive would be feeling gravitational force, feeling wind rush past you, smelling rubber, a full 360 degree visual and auditory experience, and rumble that shakes your whole body. Then again... I game on PC and Mac too. Having rumble on my desktop would be like trying to play an FPS and having my mouse try to get out of my hands. Not happening. The latest news is that Immersion (the rumble patent holders) paid some company to survey 1000 people... and the results say that the people want rumble. Who knows... maybe Sony previously paid some company to survey 1000 people and THOSE people didn't use it. Either way, it is hardly a sticking point. I'd much rather see Sony (or anyone for that matter) putting money into developing more and different immersive experiences than paying millions of dollars to license "vibrating hands technology". Strange... I feel like Nintendo and Sony did just that. Hell, BOTH of them have ALWAYS been doing that (dance pads, cameras, touch screens, guitar controllers, on and on and on) Additionally, it's crazy for anyone that hasn't actually held and used a Wiimote or SIXAXIS controller to discuss motion sensing technology vs rumble when it comes to immersion. I think everyone just needs to go touch the things, play with them, THEN decide for themselves (and not let all the other fanboys on their friend's list decide for them) how they feel about the experience in total. But by all means... to all the folks out there who are dead set in their ways, preaching the gospel of "rumble is required"... not having you in line ahead of me for a PS3 is a welcome thing. (Actually... now that I think about it.... hmmmm...) Who is with me in my boycott of PS3 because of no rumble!?!?!? (fingers crossed behind my back)