14 DAY TRIAL // High-end games are so advanced that they can reproduce the real world, or create a new one that is nigh as realistic, visually at least. Sounds are fairly faithfully rendered as well. Unfortunately, the sense of touch has been mostly neglected. However, this has changed.
Everyone who's ever watched a thriller or action film will be familiar with the concept of protective vest, whether it's kevlar or something else, it doesn't matter.
The point of these vests is to protect the wearer from harm. Or at least protect the torso and abdomen, since the limbs are often left no more defended than before the vest was donned.
The vest that Immerz has just introduced has a totally different purpose, even though it definitely resembles bullet-proof ones. The fact that it only covers the chest isn't that important. What's important is the haptic technology built into the underside of the wearable electronic device.
You see, this vest, called KOR-FX, will produce the sensations you would be experiencing if you were actually inside the virtual world of the game running on your computer. Normally, you have to rely on sight and sounds to form an idea of what is going on, but this piece of apparel will enrich your experience.
You won't feel pain, of course, and the sensations definitely won't be rendered truly faithfully, since the technology basically converts audio into tactile feedback, as odd as it sounds.
As an explanation, anything in-game that produces a sound is converted into touch, and the more “3D” it is, the better the haptic feedback. So yes, bullets will definitely make you feel a kick or constant hammering on your chest if you get showered with a machine gun. You can even set the intensity of the KOR-FX if the kick is too strong, or too weak.
Maybe in the future games will include haptic response signals specifically meant to be transmitted through such a wearable electronic, but Immerz has to make do with audio-to-touch guesswork for now.
The method is called 4DFX technology. And no, the vest isn't just a fancy rumble pack, as it doesn't use spinning motors to produce vibrations. It genuinely creates the sensation of touch from brushing past an extended fir branch, or the ghost feeling of a kick to the gut.
Unfortunately, the Immerz KOR-FX still has to go through a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign before it goes up for sale. You can be among the first to receive one by pledging $150 / €110.