Novint, the folks behind that most curious Falcon peripheral, are back again with yet more hardware curios. This time, it’s the ability to turn your arm into a motion-controlled rumble pack.
We LOVED the Novint Falcon and pistol grip attachment in September, but non-PC, console-owning chaps were left out in the cold. If Novint is successful, that could all change by the end of the year.
It has been almost a year since we first heard that Novint would add a pistol grip accessory to their 3D Haptic Joystick—but the update has yet to hit the market. Nonetheless, Wired got a chance to play a few FPS games with the add-on and were blown away by the level of feedback and control, saying that it completely changes the experience. Targeting was precise, and each gun used in the game takes on a different recoil intensity—which can sometimes be violent when dealing with high calibre weapons. There is also a steep learning curve with the haptic controls.
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]
You knew the Novint Falcon 3D haptic joystick was finally shipping, but now we’ve got confirmation from customer number one, Tristan George. Tristan says he’s played the Half Life 2 mod with the Falcon and “it’s amazing, very fun to play.”
If you don’t remember, the Falcon is a 3D joystick that actually lets you “feel” textures and surfaces by moving the ball around. We’ve been hearing about it for years now (I tried it at the last E3), but it’s good to know that this thing is definitely solid and shipping, and not vapor. We never doubted ya, Novint. – Jason Chen
Thanks Tristan!
Product Page [Novint]
galleryPost('NovintFalcon', 4, 'NovintFalcon');We hear that the Novint Falcon 3D haptic joystick, originally due over a year ago, is finally shipping. It’s always good when products emerge from the vapour.
If anyone gets their hands on this thing, let us know. –Brian Lam
