Microsoft settles Immersion joystick suit
C|Net | at | by Mike
Microsoft has settled a patent-infringement suit and received the rights to use Immersion's technology for providing tactile responses in devices such as joysticks. Under the deal, Microsoft will pay Immersion $26 million for licensing rights and for a stake in the company, Immersion said Tuesday. Immersion also can borrow as much as $9 million more through a convertible debenture arrangement with Microsoft, the company said.
Immersion specializes in so-called haptic technology, which uses the sense of touch to expand interactions between humans and computers. For example, its technology can be used to build a joystick that shudders in a flight simulation game when a player's airplane is shot, or a mouse that thumps slightly so people with poor vision can tell when their cursor is hovering over a clickable button.