Novint Falcon Review

[Neil]

[stimg='Novint Falcon' url=http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/us ... CF2433.jpg]http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/us ... CF2433.jpg[/stimg]
With the resurgence of interest in VR and augmented reality devices, it's timely that we are sharing a write-up about the Novint Falcon. I had seen one years ago at CES, but it didn't really click as to what it is until one of our members shared its praises with me. After a quick email exchange, Novint shipped one over, and now I can share the results!

Haptics refers to the sense of touch. Texture is one form of haptics, but it can also refer to recognizing shapes and the make-up of objects without the benefit of sight. The Novint Falcon is a mouse replacement that adds real haptics to games so that you can experience what you are playing in new and interesting ways.

Read full article...

[TheHolyChicken]

Liked the review!

"The only challenge is that the device is intended as the interface, whereas the Rift is also intended as the interface through head tracking."

Why must there only be one interface? Combined with the Rift, I think there is huge potential either for using the Falcon as a replacement movement device (rather than a looking device), or dislocating the weapon from the viewport so that the player can look and aim independently. Regardless, the haptics alone is a very attractive prospect in combination with VR

[Neil]

I agree - kind of like the way a tank gun and a tank's movement are separate actions. It's just that most games are locked down to the concept of mouse look and aiming mixed with keyboard movement. I think this would require a change is game interface standards somehow. The real limitation is only the game developers willingness to implement.

Regards,
Neil

[cybereality]

Great review! I've had one of these since launch, but its been in a box for a while since there is not enough space on my desk. Hoping to give it another go soon, it was really fun.

[mindless]

Great article, I'm glad to see that the developers are committed to supporting it. You also made me very curious, what exactly does a fireball spell feel like?

it's really neat that each spell feels different, but what if the feeling that the fire spell gives off, feels more like what i would expect an ice spell to feel like. Is there any ability for the end user to edit the profiles ourselves? or is it just limited to using the config tool from your screenshots?

[purifier]

I really wanted to buy it 6 years ago, unfortunately it was not possible to ship the gun handle in Italy, so I refused to proceed :°(

[cybereality]

Yeah, they wouldn't ship the gun to New York City either. Its still OK with the default handle, but obviously not as cool.

[Neil]

Why is the gun handle refused? Is it because it resembles an actual gun? Packaging?

Regards,
Neil

[cybereality]

Well in NYC you can't buy anything (even a toy) that looks like a real gun.

[Neil]

That kind of makes sense. There have been cases where kids were shot and killed by police not knowing the guns were really just water pistols. I wonder if the gun was a completely different color - like fluorescent green - if that would solve the problem.

Regards,
Neil

[cybereality]

Yeah, its mostly because its black. I think if you put a bright orange tip on it then its OK.

[purifier]

If I remember correctly it looked exactly like a Walther P99, hence the legal issues.

[Neil]

Great article, I'm glad to see that the developers are committed to supporting it. You also made me very curious, what exactly does a fireball spell feel like?

it's really neat that each spell feels different, but what if the feeling that the fire spell gives off, feels more like what i would expect an ice spell to feel like. Is there any ability for the end user to edit the profiles ourselves? or is it just limited to using the config tool from your screenshots?

Sorry for missing this question. It's hard to describe. A gun is as simple as a tap, tap, tap with each bullet. A fireball could be a longer movement which changes according to the size of the ball, object nature, and more. While you can't customize effects from existing profiles, they do offer community tools for you to create your own profiles for games - but you really need a bit of a programming background to use it properly; it's not for novices.

Regards,
Neil

[purifier]

So it acts basically as my old Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback joystick from the 90s I guess

[cybereality]

So it acts basically as my old Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback joystick from the 90s I guess

No, its more than that. Its a real haptic device, that can simulate things like the weight of an object. Its really quite amazing once you try it.

[purifier]

Too bad I use my pc from the sofa these days, even if I found one used on ebay with the gun piece I could never hold it still on the cushion

[bl1nds1de13]

Are there any other Falcon users out there? John Novint posted several months ago he was leaving Novint .... speculation was that Novint was going to stop supporting games with the Falcon. Several weeks ago falconarmy.com went dark which certainly seems as though Novint has not only stopped supporting games, but given their users the proverbial middle finger without the courtesy of an apology or even an acknowledgement. All that being the case, I for one am pretty pissed to say the least. Many users have posted updates and entire games scripts for the Falcon and would continue to do so without Novints support. Seriously, how much does it really cost to leave a support site running? Especially considering that end users have spent countless hours supporting this product themselves and now have nowhere to share their efforts. Any falcon users out there feel free to respond... Hell, I would spend a few hours to set up a free google site for falcon users myself if I knew how to reach any of the falcon users out there. Maybe someone from mtbs3d.com could see if they could get any sort of answer on this topic as they may have some contacts at Novint?

[bl1nds1de13]

UPDATE! - Falcon Support

Wanted to update the above comment.... I have been assured by Novint that support for the Falcon is alive and well. Apparently, the falconarmy site was severely hacked and had to be taken down until it can be repaired. It would seem that the current state of support was an unfortunate series of events which Novint is working to remedy as soon as possible and the departure of JohnNovint has put them behind with game support and updates.

So Falcon users hang tight for support and just find one of your favorite Falcon games to replay in the mean time. Also, support is still available through support@novint.com . I will also note that Novint responded very quickly to my support inquiry.

For anyone interested in a Falcon, I can assure you this IS a fantastic piece of hardware unlike anything you have ever used and a great addition to any PC gaming system with many working titles to play until new game support is up and running again.

[Neil]

I hope you are right. I tried repeatedly to get in touch with them after John left, and while I got quick responses from the support email, no one was willing to talk on the phone. They would forward my emails to the "right people", but names were never used.

I was reaching out to them to see if or how MTBS could lend a hand because I really like the product. I hope they have something positive cooking because I do like the product.

Regards,
Neil