GDC 2007: Novint Falcon

Here's the Novint Falcon, filmed at GDC 2007 (Game Developers Conference 2007). Speaking is Tom Anderson, the President, Founder, and CEO, of Novint Technologies.

Comments: It looks like something my dentist would use, very high tech. So you use it like you would use a mouse on a computer, but you can move the Falcon using the circular like door knob in the air (left, right, up, down, forward, backward, sideways, you name it) They let me try out the Novint Falcon, and as soon as I learned how to control it, I couldn't believe how well the controller worked. I was controlling a tiny ball on the computer screen in a 3D space. Also on the screen was a larger ball, which can be changed to a variety of different things. For example, one of the balls was made out of a cobblestone like surface. When you went around the surface of the ball with the Falcon, you could actually feel the bumps of the cobblestones as you guided around it. Another one was made out of molasses. Unlike the other one, you could poke through the ball. Just as going through a ball made of molasses would feel, when you guided your tiny ball into it you sink in and has a sticky feel to it; there's some resistance, but little enough so you can push through with relative ease. And when your ball pops out from the other side, you feel that motion (the sudden freedom out of the molasses) very realistically as well. Another demo used the controller as a baseball glove. I was warned to hold on tight. As baseballs are thrown at you, you catch the ball by accurately moving the glove to the spot the ball is thrown. And again, the force is amazingly realistic. Then I tried out a real game with the controller using Half-Life 2. What happens when you shoot a real gun? It recoils. And so, the Falcon simulates that by pushing my hand back when I fired a gun. I was trying to hold my gun as still as possible while shooting, but the force is pretty strong (as I imagine a real gun would feel like). Each gun has it's own recoil strength, some pushed me back more than others. The force feedback also works well when you're being shot at by the enemy. When you're being shot in the front, it pushes you back. When you're shot from the left, it pushes you to the right, and so on. So just by feel, you know which direction you're being shot at. In addition, to make things even more realistic, the circular knob to control the Falcon can be removed to fit in a gun grip. So how much does this 3D touch game controller cost? You can preorder it at www.novintfalcon.com for $189 (while supplies last, that's $50 off the MSRP price), and it will ship on June 18th, 2007.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• gdc
• 2007
• novint
• falcon
• 3d
• touch
• game
• controller

[inchy97]

Get 20% Off a Novint Falcon by using the code "Bane" when you checkout. Personally i love mine it bring new life and fun to gaming and FPS's. And its the new way to play games. All the cool kids are doing it.

[Slayerzav]

Hi, use the brand new code "aipodricher" (with out the "" marks) upon check out and receive 20% off the falcon bundle!! Thanks

[reaper18ful]

Use referral code "greykes" to get a 20% discount off the novint falcon pistol grip bundle

[Tommiddlecoat]

looks good, but useful? no...

oh im in a game shooting zombies. wait, ill stop and feel this ball of ice over here!

[norr30]

This video contains massive amounts of schwait, that busts... Massive amounts!

[weaver66]

If Terry Hiller and the T-1000 were to copulate, there is no way their offspring could put a supersonicschwait like this!!!

[grimslaw]

No doubt. If the T-1000 could putasupersonicschwaits, this is what it would look like.

[weaver66]

This new technology seems pretty bustaschwait to me!

[CowmasterStudios]

hehe the wording of your comment makes me smile :] and giggle

[kdwormy]

this is awesome. Now they just need to implement it into some sort of glove for the hand instead of having to grab onto that little ball thing.