We played around with the home version of the
ButtKicker rumpwoofer at CES back in January, but this weekend the NHRA is going to test out the other part of the signal chain: driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. will have a special Bluetooth vibration sensor installed in his car that will eventually allow the home viewer to feel like they're riding shotgun while planted firmly on the couch. NASA is already using ButtKicker tech as part of the Shuttle launch experience ride at the Kennedy Space Center, so it's clearly capable of doing the job, and the plan is to eventually sell subscriptions to the ButtKicker feed as an add-on to NHRA and NASCAR races. That should make weekend afternoons a lot more, uh, vibratey -- but we're not going to be happy until our couch is pummeling us during NFL games with full-speed tackles.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
natels @ Jun 26th 2008 10:39AM
I don't see this as being useful, if anything, it would make my viewing experiance worse.
rock99rock @ Jun 26th 2008 11:38AM
I don't know... could make watching porn a little more exciting.
Bubba @ Jun 26th 2008 12:51PM
But will it improve your spelling EXPERIENCE?
teej @ Jun 26th 2008 12:55PM
it's pretty useful if you can get your girlfriend to just sit down and watch some drag racing with you...
bonzo @ Jun 26th 2008 2:41PM
Any chance it might help your spelling?
loosely_coupled @ Jun 27th 2008 1:13AM
I agree. This is just the epitome of American problems...
Kevin @ Jun 26th 2008 10:49AM
You could save some money by just hacking a wii controller and duct taping it to the car.
Stiv @ Jun 26th 2008 10:55AM
The ButtKicker. When watching people drive in circles really fast just isn't enough, now you, the home viewer, can FEEL people driving in circles really fast!
kjb434 @ Jun 26th 2008 11:10AM
Shows how much you know. NHRA don't use NASCAR tracks. They go in straight lines.....
Stiv @ Jun 26th 2008 11:13AM
@kjb434
The ButtKicker. When watching people drive in a straight line really fast just isn't enough, now you, the home viewer, can FEEL people driving in straight lines really fast!
Better?
Benson @ Jun 26th 2008 3:52PM
They don't just go fast, they go _quick_...
Tim @ Jun 26th 2008 10:55AM
So it's like a cheap massage chair that syncs with auto racing?
OneLove @ Jun 26th 2008 10:56AM
Is this implanted directly into a rednecks butt hole?
kjb434 @ Jun 26th 2008 11:12AM
And people wonder why people can't get along...
"Let's insult people we think are beneath us and show how much better we are!"
I much rather hang out with someone who likes to watch racing and have a good time than to sick back and just insult someone cause they are different....
OneLove @ Jun 26th 2008 5:35PM
so that's a yes?
chrism @ Jun 26th 2008 11:06AM
Did anyone else read this as 'butt-shaving'?
Wii60 @ Jun 26th 2008 12:07PM
Ummm....no?
John Johnson @ Jun 26th 2008 11:12AM
Er, Aura has made Bass Shakers forever. I have a set mounted to the computer chair I'm sitting in. WTH?
däniel @ Jun 26th 2008 11:17AM
that antenna looks umm... dangerous
Chrisn @ Jun 26th 2008 11:32AM
Does the ButtKicker throw you off the couch when the driver wrecks?
CharlieX @ Jun 26th 2008 11:40AM
Eventually it will emit noxious fumes, smoke, and attempt to light your chair on fire (in case of a particularly bad accident)
Dustin Frazier @ Jun 26th 2008 11:50AM
It will never work. The Buttkicker amps will be louder than the top fuel dragsters!
kal326 @ Jun 26th 2008 11:50AM
Save yourself the subscription fee and just pickup a really big home audio sub woofer and speakers. Same effect and it works with everything, no need for special subscriptions for certain motor sport events. Plus you can share the experience with your neighbors at no additional cost.
Lowest Ranked @ Jun 26th 2008 11:56AM
I think the mount on this looks uncomfortably too long.
Amerist @ Jun 26th 2008 12:23PM
How does this thing shake butts? I assume this is the transmitter not the receiver, otherwise it might require some vaseline and a lot of patience to install it.
Echo1 @ Jun 26th 2008 1:50PM
They already have a device like this called a d-box motion chair
shibathedog @ Jun 26th 2008 2:17PM
This is the stupidest most gimmick-ey worthless product I have ever seen in my entire life. It's no wonder they see success in selling it to equally stupid nascar fans. (although there is probably an even shittier knockoff version at wal-mart that they will buy)
Vibrating seats to increase immersion. Give me a break. I remember the first time I saw these in Best Buy, they soon disappeared and I thought they where gone for good, unfortunately not - There are still idiots to take advantage of! The best part is how much this crap costs, suckers.
bonzo @ Jun 26th 2008 2:50PM
Again with the NASCAR fan insults. If you don't like the product, don't buy it. Why do you have to make sweeping generalizations about a group of people who enjoy a form of auto racing. I work in IT, was born in Ohio, and I like NASCAR. Am I a redneck?
You should post an apology.
Benson @ Jun 26th 2008 3:55PM
But Bonzo, don't you feel sorry for those so ignorant they can't tell NHRA from NASCAR?
David_Guetta @ Jun 26th 2008 2:31PM
More like butt licker if you ask me.
4.7onN20 @ Jun 26th 2008 4:10PM
I have the butt kicker gamer. I got it for $65 and I really like it for gaming. Its alright for movies. I think I just need to tune it some more because it keeps coming on when there is no action or deep base.
The amp is not that loud. I mean my 360 drowns out the amp noise pretty well.
Salsa Shark @ Jun 26th 2008 4:20PM
"I like NASCAR. Am I a redneck?"
So that's a rhetorical question, right?