Novint adds a black Falcon, pistol grip accessory

There's no denying the coolness of the Novint Falcon haptic gaming controller, but it looks like realness factor is getting upped a notch -- the company just announced the separate availability of that pistol grip it's been demoing for a while, as well as a black version, pictured above. The pistol grip is a $20 add-on for any Falcon, while the black version will list for $199 -- still pricey, but if you're a gamer, totally worth it. Check out a video of the pistol grip in action after the break.

[Via I4U News]

[Shawn @ Feb 20th 2008 6:14PM]

arent you late for the Segway convention?

[phanbouy @ Feb 20th 2008 6:16PM]

leo, step this way, i have a spark for you. touch this wire here, then over...ZAP

[Rafer @ Feb 20th 2008 6:22PM]

I foresee a light saber attachment in the near future.

[Erik @ Feb 20th 2008 6:24PM]

hey, I got to use that at gencon last year. too bad they filed for bankrupcy this year tho (gencon did)
but i would get it if it was cheaper... and worked with the ps3 too.

[phanbouy @ Feb 20th 2008 6:26PM]

good thing you specified gencon as the subject of that sentence. otherwise i mighta got confused all up in he-yeaa

[JohnTitor @ Feb 20th 2008 6:31PM]

how about if it wasn't cheaper and not work with the PS3?

honestly I've used it and it works great, you can really feel surfaces and vibrations and such, but precision itself might not be as good as mouse/wii remote but it sure is fun to use, maybe for $99 I would get it

[Jordan @ Feb 20th 2008 7:41PM]

Dang, I didn't know they filed bankrupt, I was looking forward to going to it this year...

[Gorillamonk @ Feb 21st 2008 10:00AM]

@Ualdayan

keep the comments a little shorter please. Too much and I stop reading.

[phanbouy @ Feb 20th 2008 6:27PM]

oh and shawn, but if you're a magician segways ruul

[Esat @ Feb 20th 2008 6:28PM]

after reading the title, looking atthe picture and reading the descripton I..... Still have no idea what the he'll that thing is!

Yes I know there's a video but I'm typing this on my iPod touch right now and am greatly enjoying the benefits of no flash. Its truly fantastic, like the Internet but with less calories!

[TS @ Feb 20th 2008 7:04PM]

I appreciate the overt enthusiasm you display for your Apple product. This will keep other Apple fanbois content and gleeful, as they will readily agree with you that, yes, your iPod is in fact better off without Flash because "that's how The Steve wants it."

What I appreciate much more however, is the subtle sarcasm you've incorporated into your post to let those of us who are intelligent (read: not Apple fanbois) know that there is in fact an Apple owner who is firmly rooted in reality. It's like a smaller sliver of light, breaking through the immense cloud that is Jobs' RDF.

Overall sir, your comment is drenched in winsauce.

[Ualdayan @ Feb 20th 2008 7:06PM]

I have one, maybe I could clear a few things up. To the guy who said he doesn't understand what it does: Basically there are three "motors" inside it that are adjusting how much they want to pull or push thousands of times a second. (not exact by any means, but you get the idea) This lets it simulate things like if you fire a pistol in halflife the controller pushs back in your hand. It does it differently for different weapons though - like a machinegun will have less push back per shot, but you're shooting much more so you feel it pushing back in smaller bursts but much more frequently. The magnum for instance has much more of an oomph to it - much bigger push but it's a slower rate of fire weapon.

Not to say it's just a weapon simulator or is just for FPS. It also has support in games like Virtual Pool 3 (you move the controller up/down/left/right/inwards towards the device/outwards toward you - 3D controller - to simulate a pool cue.) Or in another game named Klectit think of katamari damacy if you could feel the objects you were running into and picking up. Or if you've played Penumbra at all (free demo is available, pretty easy to find on google) you know it's an adventure game where instead of icons like most adventure games you literally pick up objects in the game to use them. Well, with the falcon if you pick up say a book vs a cinder block you feel the different weight inherent to the object because the falcon grip will pull down on your hand. And your real hand controlling the grip basically moves the in game hand since the game will know the precise x/y/z of your hand. If you are mainly a FPS player though then yeah Half Life 2 will be your first stop, then 2nd would probably be its Quake 4 support. I don't have Quake 4 so can't really tell you what it's like on that one.

Here's when Cnet tried it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaHiASPSSFo

[weirdguy @ Feb 20th 2008 6:30PM]

realistic recoil my ass.

Of course I will have to get one now to try for myself.

[Gremlin @ Feb 20th 2008 6:38PM]

Does this work with the entire half-life 2 series? Why don't they add more games?!

[MattyG @ Feb 20th 2008 6:50PM]

"this is still a prototype"

jesus man did you pay any attention or were you mopping up drool?

[PatD. @ Feb 20th 2008 7:20PM]

The question is still valid in relation to the device as a whole. Also the prototype he is referring to in the video is just the pistol add-on.

[Sam @ Feb 20th 2008 6:41PM]

Want

[phanbouy @ Feb 20th 2008 6:47PM]

halogen desk lamps have come a long way

[Loker @ Feb 20th 2008 6:53PM]

I have one now and I love it...definitely ordering the pistol grip today...

[Loker @ Feb 20th 2008 8:45PM]

or not since the press release says they are shooting for fathers day to release it...not now...

[ether @ Feb 20th 2008 6:59PM]

I bet this would be a whole lot more comfortable for your hand/wrist than using a mouse for several hours playing a FPS. I think it's a great idea, $199 is pretty expensive but it's all relative - that's close to how much you'd spend on a tolerable racing steering wheel that wasn't a total piece of crap.

[David Clark @ Feb 20th 2008 7:02PM]

If you want one for cheap, I saw one for $50 at my local compUSA store a week or so back.

I do 3D design for a living and I was interested in it for work purposes, but the fact that the end head didn't rotate and no driver support left me passing it by.

[phanbouy @ Feb 20th 2008 7:44PM]

dudeman, is your avatar pissing off a boat or something? surely you could come up with something all 3D designed?!

[Loker @ Feb 20th 2008 9:06PM]

That is what is so good about the interchangeable attachments...something that rotates can be put on easily if there is enough demand...and also because of their openness with their SDK it should be rather easy to incorporate it into a lot of software by companies or even experienced end users...

[beef_supreme @ Feb 20th 2008 9:12PM]

King's Quest III, baby! That's one of the greatest avatars I've ever seen. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

[Yevon @ Feb 20th 2008 11:05PM]

Is that thing just really heavy, or is it strapped / bolted to the table?

A cookie goes to the winning answerer.

[Loker @ Feb 21st 2008 7:52AM]

It is not horribly heavy but it does have some weight to it, and it also uses a large rubbery grip that runs around the base. The design works well but once in a while the thing will move a little...

[SPC @ Feb 20th 2008 11:08PM]

Coolest thing ever = the Novint Falcon haptic gaming controller, works on the 360.

Could it??

[TavisJohn @ Feb 21st 2008 12:14AM]

Have they ever seen a REAL gamer play? That thing would be broken during one all weekend gaming session...

[Lange @ Feb 21st 2008 1:48AM]

'Real' gamers take care of their peripherals that they may live to serve them another day.

[OmG @ Feb 21st 2008 4:23AM]

no... That thing really would get broken fast... Your not going to start worrying about your peripherals when your playing an FPS which requires rapid reaction .

But overall I don't think the thing is worth $200, mabe $20-60 but not $200..

[wickedpheonix @ Feb 21st 2008 7:42AM]

If it works in HL2, does it work in CSS?

But still, that's a whole lotta WANT!

[Punio4 @ Feb 23rd 2008 8:13AM]

The grip is made out of fail.
A sphere is totally non - ergonomical, and the pistol grip is too... Non-universal.
They should have gone with a wii nunchuck style grip.