- The bHaptics vest and sleeves let you feel VR
- Compatible with Meta Quest 3, PC VR and PSVR 2
- I’ve tried them, and I love them
I adore VR and the incredibly immersive experiences it can facilitate through headsets such as the Meta Quest 3. But despite everything VR headsets do well, they’re limited to just sight and sound – with basic haptic rumblings in the controllers (and, in some cases, headset rumble) only doing a little to immerse you via touch. These simple haptics are not properly feeling a VR world, but with bHaptics’ accessories – which I’ve tested at CES – you can unlock a superior experience.
For my demo I was outfitted with three accessories: the TactSuit Pro haptic vest on my chest, a pair of TactSleeve haptic arm guards, and my Meta Quest 3 headset was equipped with the haptic Tact Visor to provide head haptics.
I was then dropped into a custom XR sandbox outfitted with various weapons and items which showcased the bHaptics tech’s capabilities.
Picking up a virtual shotgun, I could feel the kickback in my arm and shoulder, while the electro rifle sent a tingly ripple down my arm and side. I could feel healing drinks in my stomach and gentle waves through my body to signify I was back at max health.
To help showcase the differences, the demo also featured non-haptic versions of every object so I could directly compare them with the haptics – and the haptic versions are huge leap ahead for immersion. I’ll admit that they weren’t perfect all the time in terms of feeling like real life, but I’d score them at an 8 or 9 out of 10, while the non-haptic-accessory controller rumbles are maybe a 2 or 3.
The experience took another step up when feeling the same weapons I fired before being fired at me. Thankfully it wasn’t painful, but I could shoot electro blasts and lasers at a model representing me and feel the attacks – with my actions sending realistic signals through the vest, arm and headset haptics.
It was surprisingly accurate – tracing the laser across my back I could feel differently placed haptic sensors activating as it moved – and gave VR attacks a more tactile oomph than they usually would.
What was perhaps best of all is that these haptic gadgets aren’t some prosumer accessory that only businesses or folks with a lot of cash to splash can enjoy. The vest is priced at $499, the sleeve at $199, and the visor at $149 – which aren’t cheap, but aren’t prohibitively expensive either. Plus they’re compatible with Quest, PSVR 2, and PC experiences across games like Beat Saber, Dungeons of Eternity and Arizona Sunshine 2 to name a few.
The team was also explaining that community members can create their own custom haptic mapping mods for currently unsupported titles on PC – or to augment the haptics in supported titles, so you won’t always have to wait for a developer to incorporate haptics themselves.
I’d love to test them out more, but from my brief demo I was very impressed with what bHaptics has created. If you’re looking to upgrade your VR headset setup, I’d suggest not just looking at a headset strap or carry case, but one of these haptic vests too.
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