SCEA announced Tuesday that the tilting, rumbling DualShock 3 controller for PlayStation 3 will be arriving in April in North America.

When the PS3 launched, Sony brushed off the fact that the included Sixaxis controller didn't have rumble. Execs suggested that rumbling controllers were passe.

But Sony changed its tune last year when it announced the tilting, rumbling DualShock 3 at Tokyo Game Show. Following its release in Japan in November, North American PS3 gamers now know they'll be rumbling in Spring.

Most importantly for gamers, the DualShock 3, which will cost $54.95 at retailers, will work with more than 100 current PS3 titles, according to Sony. The firm made the announcement at the retailer meetup Destination PlayStation.

It's currently unclear if or when Sony will begin including the DualShock 3 with regular PlayStation 3 hardware packages, although the firm also announced on Tuesday a Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots bundle that will include an 80GB PS3, a DualShock 3 and the MGS title for $499, slated to arrive in "late Q2."

Next-Gen has pinged Sony for more details.

Sony maintained for some time that it didn't include rumble in the original Sixaxis because it would be too expensive for consumers or because rumble and tilt tech wouldn't work together. But the fact that rumble tech firm Immersion brought a suit against Sony alleging patent infringements in PlayStation controllers made the real reasons for the rumble holdup pretty transparent.

Sony settled with Immersion in early 2007.