REDMOND, Wash., August 5, 1999 — Microsoft Corporation and Immersion Corporation today announced the signing of an agreement under which the two companies will share access to each other’s feel simulation technology. The two companies further indicated that they are working together in an effort to move the PC game and game device industry toward standardized feel simulation capabilities. Also known as “force-feedback,” feel simulation technology allows gamers to physically engage with the game environments. Whether a game player is landing a fighter plane on the deck of an aircraft carrier or driving across gravel and railroad tracks, the ability to feel information presented by the software adds physical realism to the gaming experience.
Microsoft and Immersion will be working together to give game and device developers a broader platform for creating and testing force feedback enabled gaming products. In addition, gamers’ force feedback joysticks and driving wheels will more readily work with more than one hundred force feedback enabled game titles on the market. Both companies see this as a way to continue building upon innovations made in bringing the power of force feedback to gamers.
“Gamers have enthusiastically embraced force feedback,” said Brett Schnepf, developer relations manager for Microsoft. “Moving forward we expect to see the popularity of force feedback increase as it becomes easier for game developers to incorporate the technology.”
“As a technology licensing company, Immersion is pleased to have Microsoft as a strategic partner in the force feedback game device arena,” said Louis Rosenberg, Immersion’s president. “We expect our collaborations to bolster force feedback in the gaming marketplace by promoting consistency and compatibility.”
About Immersion
Immersion Corporation is the developer of patented I-FORCE®
technologies, which it has licensed to more than twenty companies. I-FORCE technology provides gaming peripherals such as joysticks and steering wheels with advanced feel simulation capabilities.
Immersion, a privately held company, was founded in 1992 with a mission to develop technologies that add a sense of feel to computing, enabling users to physically “touch” their software. Immersion’s technologies address a wide range of applications from computer entertainment and medical simulation, to education and the Internet. For more information, visit www.force-feedback.com .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information, press only:
Tyson Flandreau, Edelman Worldwide for Microsoft, (206) 223-1606, [email protected]
Jennifer Saffo, Immersion Corp., (408) 467-1900, [email protected]
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