CES 2023: video gamers feel bees and bullets with simulation tech at Las Vegas consumer gadget show
- Companies are using haptics vests and other simulation products to replicate the feeling of action and create immersive gaming experiences
- New levels of graphics horsepower provided by the latest chips are giving modern games increasingly lifelike visuals
Getting shot, standing in a downpour, being surrounded by bees: none are ideal, but for gamers, feeling the sensations of each is the goal.
At the CES tech show, the video game industry is showing off just how lifelike gaming can be made with new vests, head cushions and other simulation products.
“Lots of consumers are doing games, and they are looking for gaming hardware,” said Kiuk Gwak of bHaptics, as he demonstrated his company’s vest and gloves at the Las Vegas gathering, which ends on Sunday.
The haptic vest replicates the feeling of action playing out in virtual worlds, while matching haptic gloves add a feeling of touch.
“People are not just using our vest for getting shot, but they can feel the wind or rain or even bees in virtual reality,” Gwak said.
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Gaming hardware company Razer showed off what it claimed was the world’s first surround-sound audio and haptics head cushion, called Project Carol, which allows “gamers to feel everything behind them, placing them firmly in the middle of the action.”
