Force Feedback Helmet Delivers 'Blows to the Head'

Paul Lilly — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:05:43 -0600

Gaming with just a mouse and keyboard might soon be considered old school if all the new tactile feedback technologies gain traction. There already exists several virtual reality devices (see Norman Chan's Killing Box column in the Holiday 2008 issue of PC Gamer), and coming soon, VR technology will start knocking around your noggin.

TN Games, the same company responsible for the 3D Space Gaming Vest, announced it is working on a force feedback helmet. The company says the HTX helmet is designed to work in conjunction with its gaming vest and will deliver "blows to the head when are you are fired upon." Near-misses will also be registered, letting you "feel bullets whizzing by your helmet."

Rather than use haptic feedback, TN Games' approach to force feedback involves a small air compressor system capable of delivering up to five pounds of force per actuator. As TN Games puts it, five pounds of force feels similar to dropping a roll of pennies on your stomach from six inches above. The question is whether or not blows to the head can be considered safe, and TN Games says it is, claiming the helmet will pose no physical danger so long as it's used according to the instructions.

No pricing information information is yet available, though TN Games says you can expect the helmet sometime in 2009.

Vuzix iWear VR920

Michael Brown — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:51:00 -0600

Virtual reality refuses to die. Every couple of years, some new company enters the market with a new product that they claim solves all the glitches, drawbacks, and weaknesses associated with head-mounted displays. Vuzix is the latest; and like so many before them, they’ve made progress, but their iWear VR920 is as flawed and awkward as any of its predecessors.

Having said that, the fact that Vuzix has managed to pack this much technology into such a compact device priced this low (just $400) is remarkable. There’s support for Nvidia’s stereoscopic drivers (unfortunately, Nvidia frequently leaves this feature out of its most current drivers; and AMD doesn’t support the feature at all), a head-tracking mechanism (which is supported in only a few games), integrated stereo earbuds, and a built-in mic for VoIP and multiplayer gaming.

The visual performance of the VR920’s twin 640x480 LCDs doesn’t quite match that of the luscious dual 800x600 OLEDs in the eMagin Z800 3DVisor we reviewed back in October 2005, but Vuzix’s product is priced a cool grand less. The VR920 is designed to be worn just like eyeglasses, which makes it much easier to put on and take off than the Z800 (which have headbands that fit across the top and around the back of your head; but most people who wear prescription glasses will find the VR920 extremely difficult to use.

You can wear the screens in front of your glasses; but despite the adjustable nosepiece and the pivot points at the temples, we couldn’t position the display so that we could view its entire screen without the frame sliding down into our field of view. The problem is compounded for people who wear bifocals because it’s nearly impossible to maneuver text into the lenses’ sweet spot.

If you have perfect vision and can get the device to fit your head, head tracking is arguably the VR920’s best feature—provided, of course, that you’re playing one of the few games that takes advantage of the feature The list includes Microsoft Flight Sim X, Half Life 2, World of Warcraft (left-to-right, only), Quake 4, and a few others. If you absolutely crave the VR experience, the VR920 delivers more bang for the buck than anything we’ve tested to date. But considering the sparse competition, that’s not really saying much.

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Force Feedback Helmet Delivers 'Blows to the Head'

Vuzix iWear VR920