SPOnG’s colleagues over on Kikizo interviewed Sony’s Kaz Hirai recently about the PS3’s SIXAXIS controller not having force feedback/rumble features.

Hirai told them, in no uncertain words, that the lack of the popular feature was, ironically, down to a concern with keeping costs at a reasonable level for the consumer. After we’d stopped laughing and shaking our heads at this amazing lie, we realised that we really should tell you more, so here we go.

Hirai told Adam Doree: "If we have to come up with technology...to isolate the vibration from the sensing, but if that means that the controllers are going to be so expensive, then we're doing the consumer a huge disservice by coming up with a controller that is not very affordable."

Since this piece was published, GameDaily BIZ spoke with Victor Viegas, CEO of Force Feedback patent holder Immersion, who told them that Immersion "...knew how to technically solve their problems…[and] how to do it without adding any incremental cost."

What do you think? After shelling out £425 (and the rest) for a PS3 next March, would you be willing to spend an extra £5 or £10 for a controller with Force Feedback. We would...