Worth Reading?
+5 [5 votes]
If you think the Wiimote feels good with its reactive vibrations and sounds, then you will be amazed with the Novint Falcon game controller. Albeit, you probably wont burn as much calories or give your roommate a nice swollen black-eye, but you will definitely experience the most realistic interactivity that lets you feel weight, shape, texture, dimension, 3D motion, and force effects.
Once again, I couldn’t resist myself but to give it a try. The rep let me try a simple demo by virtually feeling around a ball of molasses, a ball of ice, a ball with textured ridges, and a ball of sand. Not that I normally like feeling balls, but I have to say I really enjoyed this. I could feel the viscosity of the molasses, the slippery surface of the ice, and the roughness of the ridges and sand with such realism.
The integration of this will make for some awesome game play. Just imagine realistic weapon recoils along with interchangeable grips that allow for customization per game type. Preorders are being accepted now for an exclusive Limited Edition Falcon bundle that is expected to ship by June of this year. Check out their site for more info.
Oh wow! I’ve got a hunch that this device will make the mouse obsolete.
Uh…not unless they come up with a version I can put in my laptop bag :)
I have played with this thing. It is very difficult to control it
I have played with this at a demo booth for about an hour with various games, mostly Half Life:2. I doubt this device will catch on, especially in FPS games. In pool and basketball, it was too complicated to control accurately. In Half Life, it WAS fun and enjoyable; however the feedback response was too rediculous. I think this is because most developers creating realistic FPS games have accounted for the realism of a guns kickback or an enemy shooting at you. When you add in the force feedback of this controller, its too outrageous. However, I did like the concept of the controller. I just doubt it’s going to catch on like people think.