The incredible visual effects within the video game industry have evolved exponentially in the last few years. With the release of third generation consoles video games have become that much more realistic. Virtual reality where gamers can step into a full body suit and experience the way games were meant to be played is much closer. A brand new and very unique gaming device for the PC has brought that realm a little closer; the Novint Falcon.
CompUSA has the neat Falcon on display all across the country, as well as many other countless electronic stores. The Falcon is specifically designed to interpret the physics involved in the sensation of touch and pass the information on to the user. More specifically the Falcon doesn’t just vibrate like more conventional controllers; it actually allows users to feel what they are viewing on the screen.
The in-store demo changes between many different shapes and textures and allows users to try the device out and play around with things, such as a giant ball of sticky molasses, a very bumpy but solid rock, a big block of slippery ice, and many more. It is extremely hard to explain in words just what enticement the device actually holds, but consider this: imagine playing a first person shooter and actually feeling the recoil of the gun you are firing, but not only just feeling the recoil, also having to completely hold your hand in position for accuracy. As a normal gun usually does cause kickback, a person looking for accuracy is required to adjust completely for this movement, which is what Novint is striving to achieve. This little feature can, of course, be turned off when playing games, if desired, but why would you do so? Just the idea of feeling the exact touch of a game you’re playing is amazing.
The device can be considered a strange type of game controller, but since there are many useful applications for it, the device is certainly not limited to just a gaming device. The Falcon can be used for many other applications, and many different companies are developing software as we speak, such as software for artists to create digital sculpting models, for architects to create digital blueprints out of real materials, and even for military and medical training to put training sessions that one step closer to the real thing.
The device itself costs a total of $189.99 in store or online but is also available for the same price in bundle packs with related games. The games themselves are nothing to sneeze at (Doom 3, Fear and Fear Combat, Half Life 2: The Orange Box, and Penumbra), whereas most devices come with silly and often ridiculous games that almost no one has ever heard of.
It’s amazing to see how close to real life the virtual world will definitely become and how far the Novint Falcon will help take it.
