In times when the gamer experience demands a greater immersion that relies not only on image and sound, but also on what the controls can transmit to the user, it is impossible to think of Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo controls that do not vibrate.
The vibration sparked general industry interest when in 1997 Nintendo launched the Rumble Pak for Nintendo 64, a bulky accessory that was installed on the back of the controller and that ran on three AAA batteries.
The potential of immersion of the vibration made PlayStation, rival of Nintendo 64, launch a controller with that feature and since then an important chapter in the history of video games has been written that continues to perform for developments such as DualSense.
But Nintendo did not leave those first vibratory steps with the Rumble Pak of Nintendo 64, as it also led efforts to bring the feature to Game Boy Color.
The portable console did not have a vibration mechanism, but that lack was not a problem for the developers to look for a way to make the experience in Game Boy Color also spread the action on screen and this intrigue led them to create the vibrating cartridges.
In short, they were cartridges that contained in their interior not only the software in turn, but also the vibration mechanism and therefore its size was markedly greater with respect to the traditional cartridges of the notebook.
There were few games that incorporated the mechanism, since there was talk of manufacturing costs that soared, but one of the cases that serve to exemplify the characteristic is that of Pokemon pinball, a spin-off that, as the name implies, focuses on a pinball experience, but decorated with motifs from Pokemon.
Every time the ball hit the sides of the pinball “table,” the cartridge vibrated, which could quickly drain the ball. single AAA battery that the cartridge needed to show off the feature.
Other Game Boy Color games that implemented this technology were Ready 2 Rumble Boxing and the mobile version of Perfect dark.
Interest in vibrating technology we can see it in the investigations that are made around the haptics and that results in premier developments such as the PlayStation DualSense or in initiatives such as the vest of the Spanish firm OWO Game, but let’s not forget that the antecedents were in the concern that culminated in products such as the Rumble Pak or the vibrating cartridges for Game Boy Color.