If last year was Sony’s annus horribilis, then 2008 has been much nicer on their annus.

First, Toshiba's HD-DVD format, which Microsoft had tentatively backed, suddenly collapsed and went off to Betamax heaven, meaning Sony’s big Blu-Ray gamble paid off in spades. The end of the high-def video wars, combined with last fall’s pared-down PS3 hitting below the $400 belt has sent Sony sales soaring. In the first two months of this year, they outsold the Xbox 360 and analysts predict that momentum will continue (though they also predict the Wii will outsell the PS3 and 360 combined).

But for the Playstation purists, the big news right now is the too-long-awaited return of rumble with the just-released DualShock 3 controller. When the PS3 first launched, Sony made a big to-do about their new “Sixaxis” controller which looked like the PS2’s classic DualShock 2 but with its rumble-y guts removed to make way for Wii-esque motion-sensitivity. Sony claimed “force-feedback” rumble interfered with motion-sensing, but many assumed the absence of vibration had more to do with a then-ongoing patent-infringement lawsuit Immersion launched against both Microsoft and Sony—Bill Gates settled out of court (and bought a chunk of Immersion for good measure) while Sony went before a judge and lost.

Last spring, they came to an agreement (and a $150 million payout) to integrate Immersion’s rumble technology into the Playstation 3 and the result is the rise of the DualShock 3 (and demise of the Sixaxis). Good riddance, I say. That controller was way way way too light and after Sony weaned us on the immersive qualities of rumble—though technically, Nintendo pioneered vibro-controllers with their “rumble pak” add-on which just turned 11—it was hard to go without, especially when the 360 controller and the Wii-mote continued to rattle and roll.

The release is perfectly timed to coincide with Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, Sony’s ultra-realistic driving game which would have been almost unthinkable playing without rumble. A whack of PS3 titles and arcade downloads like Super Stardust HD will now work with the new controller, though some like Heavenly Sword, Resistance and Folklore, require a free downloadable patch.

At $55, it's admittedly pricey but seriously, Playstation without rumble was like Courtney Love without the crazy. It might be functional but it sure ain't as much fun.