Valve, the popular gaming hardware company, has found itself in hot water after Immersion Corporation filed a lawsuit against them over the use of rumble technology in their products. Immersion, known for their haptic feedback technology, has accumulated an extensive patent portfolio, with almost every major tech company having licensed or settled out of court with them.
In the lawsuit, Immersion accused Valve of infringing on their patents with products such as the Steam Deck handheld, Valve Index VR platform, SteamVR software, and Half-Life: Alyx, among other titles. Immersion is requesting damages, royalties, and an injunction against Valve “from deploying, operating, maintaining, testing, and using the Accused Handheld Instrumentalities and Accused VR Instrumentalities”.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday in federal court, specifically the Western District of Washington. Immersion cited several patents, including 7,336,260, 8,749,507, 9,430,042, 9,116,546, 10,627,907, 10,665,067, and 11,175,738. While Valve’s hardware uses a different form of rumble than the ones that Sony and other companies were sued for in the past, this did not stop Immersion from targeting them.
Sony and Microsoft are two of the major companies that have licensed Immersion’s patent portfolio following lawsuits and settlements. Other companies like Apple, Google, Motorola, and Fitbit have also settled with them. Meta is currently in the middle of its own Immersion lawsuit, which was filed a year ago. Even Nintendo, who seemingly escaped a suit due to their own development of Rumble Pak tech for the Nintendo 64, licenses Immersion tech now.
It should be noted that the patents are much more nuanced than hardware and cover a range of technologies beyond haptic feedback. Thus, it is expected that Valve will settle the lawsuit. The company has not yet issued a statement regarding the lawsuit.
Valve has seen significant success with their gaming hardware, with the Steam Deck once again topping the Steam Weekly Top Sellers list by revenue last week. The company reportedly has a successor headset codenamed “Deckard” in the works, as well. Despite this success, the lawsuit from Immersion could have significant implications for the company’s future dealings with rumble technology.
In conclusion, Valve is currently embroiled in a patent lawsuit with Immersion Corporation over the use of rumble technology in their products. The lawsuit has been filed in federal court, citing several patents, and Immersion is asking for damages, royalties, and an injunction against Valve. While Valve has yet to respond, it is expected that they will settle the lawsuit rather than face a prolonged legal battle. This lawsuit could have significant implications for Valve’s future as a gaming hardware company.
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According to https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/16/23726295/valve-immersion-rumble-lawsuit
The material in this article is written on the basis of another article.
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