This can’t be good: SIXAXIS seizes up

We’re hoping it’s just a software thing that can be resolved with an update, but that’s still speculating. A thread at the NeoGAF forums is running live with reports of SIXAXIS literally seizing up in PS3 games. For one reason or another, the game will not respond to controller input, as summarized by GamerReports: “From time to time, the SIXAXIS pad will literally lock in one direction for a few seconds, and will not stop until a button is pressed or the camera is moved.”

GamerReports calls it directional lock. The NeoGAF member who started the thread calls it “SIXAXIS epilepsy”. We call it worrisome.

Our presumption that it’s potentially just a Bluetooth communication problem between the SIXAXIS and the PS3 comes from the NeoGAF forums as well, where one member suggests a possible, albeit temporary and slightly inconvenient fix. In his case, the seizure crops up when the system is started remotely – the controllers are not connected to the PS3 via USB.

He suggests to start the system with the controller plugged, then unplug it – it worked for him (suddenly, the SIXAXIS retailing without USB cables doesn’t look too good).

If that’s true, then it’s just a communication problem at remote startup. If it was hardware issues, the problem would register even after this fix, we think. Hopefully Sony‘s working on a more permanent (or at least convenient) fix. People at NeoGAF are split between their opinion of Bluetooth, and not just with  its use in SIXAXIS – some experiences register it as a curse, others say they have absolutely no problem with their Bluetooth-enabled devices.

We’re hoping it’s just a software thing that can be resolved with an update, but that’s still speculating. A thread at the NeoGAF forums is running live with reports of SIXAXIS literally seizing up in PS3 games. For one reason or another, the game will not respond to controller input, as summarized by GamerReports: “From time to time, the SIXAXIS pad will literally lock in one direction for a few seconds, and will not stop until a button is pressed or the camera is moved.”

GamerReports calls it directional lock. The NeoGAF member who started the thread calls it “SIXAXIS epilepsy”. We call it worrisome.

Our presumption that it’s potentially just a Bluetooth communication problem between the SIXAXIS and the PS3 comes from the NeoGAF forums as well, where one member suggests a possible, albeit temporary and slightly inconvenient fix. In his case, the seizure crops up when the system is started remotely – the controllers are not connected to the PS3 via USB.

He suggests to start the system with the controller plugged, then unplug it – it worked for him (suddenly, the SIXAXIS retailing without USB cables doesn’t look too good).

If that’s true, then it’s just a communication problem at remote startup. If it was hardware issues, the problem would register even after this fix, we think. Hopefully Sony‘s working on a more permanent (or at least convenient) fix. People at NeoGAF are split between their opinion of Bluetooth, and not just with  its use in SIXAXIS – some experiences register it as a curse, others say they have absolutely no problem with their Bluetooth-enabled devices.