[Editor's note: We're not just a (rad) news site -- we also publish opinions/editorials from our community & employees like this one, though be aware it may not jive with the opinions of Destructoid as a whole, or how our moms raised us. Want to post your own article in response? Publish it now on our community blogs.]  

[Y0j1mb0's note: I wrote this a year ago but thought it appropriate to share with you once again due to megaStryke's latest blog. This isn't so much a response blog as it is what immersion in videogames ultimately means to me. ]

What is immersion

the act of immersing or the state of being immersed: as a : baptism by complete submersion of the person in water b : absorbing involvement

What is a game?

A 'game' is a structured or semi-structured activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes also used as an educational tool.

Key components of games are goals, rules, challenge, and interactivity. Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often both.

Known to have been played as far back as the 30th century BC, games are a universal part of human experience and present in all cultures. The Royal Game of Ur, Senet and Mancala are some of the oldest known games.

-- via Wikipedia

So what is a great game? Find out after the jump.

[Editor's note: We're not just a (rad) news site -- we also publish opinions/editorials from our community & employees like this one, though be aware it may not jive with the opinions of Destructoid as a whole, or how our moms raised us. Want to post your own article in response? Publish it now on our community blogs.] 

Gaze upon the cold steel maw of the imposing yet awe-inspiring stronghold. Note the trails of rust snaking through every fissure, every iron grate, every shattered window, as though an otherworldly ivy has ensnared the structure in its myriad tendrils. The coppery stains that litter the floors and walls as if an unseen painter allowed his brush to splatter across the canvas indiscriminately indicate that the souls of this once-bustling compound met a gruesome end.

Everything is so rich, the world so alive in its destitution. The fog is so thick that it almost seeps through your television screen. You teeter on the edge of the coach, pricking your ears at every hollow reverberation. You are so happy you sprung for that 7.1 surround system. As you ready yourself before plunging onward, you remark how you've never known true immersion until this very moment.

Horsesh*t.

As technology allows for greater visual and audio fidelity, as game developers further their pursuit of the perfect balance between narrative and gameplay, gamers grow excited at the prospect of greater levels of immersion. There is no reason to return to the old gaming haunts that can't provide an experience of the same awesome magnitude as today's hardware. The great holy grail of gaming is an immersive universe in which you cease to be a player and become a resident of the world. Immersion, immersion, immersion.

I keep hearing that word: Immersion. What does it mean? Why is it so damn important? Why does it appear, according to the rumblings on game sites, message boards, and blogs, to be a quality that is unattainable on anything other than the most high-end hardware available? Does that mean that games we consider immersive today will no longer be as immersive tomorrow? Why isn't there a clear-cut definition? 

There's a lot of legal babble here, but I'll try to break it down:

Back in 2003, Immersion sued both Microsoft and Sony for the use of rumble in their controllers, as they originally held the patent for the technology. From this lawsuit, Microsoft was ordered to pay Immersion $26 million. Ouch.

However, being the sly bastards that they are, MS included a clause that required Immersion to pay them a portion of any money obtained from Sony as part of additional litigation.

Later, Sony was ordered to pay Immersion $90 million over the suit. Double Ouch. Microsoft was not paid per that earlier agreement, so they sued Immersion. 

Finally, Immersion settled out by paying 20.75 million to Microsoft. 

The end result? Microsoft made out like a bandit, paying in a little over $5 million for the use of rumble in their controllers. Poor Sony has to pay so much more. 

[Via GamesIndustry.biz]

If you haven't heard the news by now and you want your giggle of the day, then allow me to help you out. Immersion, the company of assholes who filed suit against Microsoft and Sony over console controllers which saw MS reach a settlement in 2003 and Sony declare rumble a last generation feature in 2007 (before changing its mind) is about to get a swift dose of karmic retribution as the 'Soft confirms it has begun its own lawsuit against Immersion. S'what ya get, bitch!

Microsoft gave Immersion $26 million to license its technology, as well as a stake in the company, but now the leathery winged demons in Bill Gates' dark tower have chosen their moment to exact a blood curdling revenge - and you have to believe that blood shall be curdled. The official word from Microsoft Associate General Counsel Steve Aeschbacher is thus:

"We entered into a binding licensing agreement with Immersion and are seeking to have that agreement honored ... Microsoft licenses technology both in and out and relies on these agreements to be honored and enforced. Our request to the court is that all companies and industry partners should play by the same rules and that the binding agreement we signed with Immersion be honored."

Immersion brought this on themselves when they sued Microsoft. Love them or hate them, the guys at MS are satanic, like all successful businessmen need to be and you do not take them to court, even if you have a legitimate case. Would I sue Microsoft? Heck no, I wouldn't sue Sony or Nintendo either. They would find and rape me eventually, possibly with an undisclosed raping device that they licensed from Immersion. 

As for the exact reason why Microsoft is striking back against the high priests of rumble, it would seem that Microsoft had agreed with Immersion that the former would receive a payment should the latter make agreements with Sony. Agreements have been made, but Microsoft clearly hasn't been satisfied. Whatever the official line, I won't be able to shake off the idea that MS has just been waiting to do this for years.

[If you guessed our tipster was Burling, no prizes for you]

So we know Sony and Immersion kissed and made up. What wasn't stated though was how much this has cost Sony. Now we know:

Sony Corp. has agreed to pay Immersion Corp. $150.3 million in ending a patent infringement suit in which the latter company claimed the consumer electronics giant used its technology in the PlayStation videogame console.

That's not all.

In a separate, but related agreement, Sony has licensed Immersion technology for $22.5 million, the spokeswoman said.

That's a lot of money to pay for rumble. Hopefully, Sony will learn to turn their image around and make up this loss. 

Despite PR spin after PR spin, Sony will most likely want to include rumble functionality in the SIXAXIS for the PlayStation 3. The first step toward that reality just happened as Sony and Immersion finally settled their differences. From the press release covering the announcement:

Immersion Corporation, a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology, and Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced the companies have agreed to conclude their patent litigation at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and have entered into a new business agreement to explore the inclusion of Immersion technology in PlayStation format products.  

"We are pleased to have put this litigation behind us," said Immersion CEO Victor Viegas. "Our new business agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment is specifically intended to enable advanced vibration capability for the benefit of the PlayStation gaming community. We are happy to provide our technology in this regard and hope to make technical proposals very soon with respect to use of our technology in the PlayStation products."  

Now that Sony can perhaps have the green light to do so, do you want rumble in your SIXAXIS or are you pleased as a peach to not have it? We already know Sony's answer. Let's see how long it takes them to take that back.

Full press release after the jump.