The long-in-development force-feedback PC game device Novint Falcon is a good idea in theory, but without actual support from games there’s not a whole lot you can do with it. Good news though, since Valve just announced support with the controller for PC versions of The Orange Box, Counter-Strike: Source, the Half-Life 2 series, Team Fortress 2, Portal and Left 4 Dead. With the pistol grip accessory it’ll be fine for every game, but what we really have hopes for is fiddling around with that gravity gun and feeling the force feedback with it. [Novint via Crunchgear]
I messed around with Novint’s Falcon haptically endowed globe/joystick at Tokyo Game Show last year. It was neat, but not going to replace my mouse—in part because game support was lacking. Now it’ll be supported in real, live games from EA: Madden NFL 08, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, Need For Speed ProStreet, Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142. But! Even if you’re already one of the suckers lucky souls who already owns a Falcon, it’ll cost you another US$10 to patch a game to get all touchy-feely with it. FWIW, there are definitely better tactile experiences out there for 10 bucks. [Level Up]
Novint’s Falcon 3D Haptic Joystick has been around for awhile now, but it has just received an upgrade in the form of a black version and an optional pistol grip accessory for FPS gaming. At US$19.99, the grip is a little more expensive than the US$4 price tag they hinted at last May, but if you are already paying US$199 for the black Falcon, what is another US$15? [Novint via i4u]
