Novint posts
It's been the story from day one: the Novint Falcon is great and all, but without games there's just no point. That's about to change, however, as Novint has committed itself to developing Falcon integration for some big-name games, including a sizable number of EA blockbusters. Novint is buying up what it calls "3D Touch Rights" to games from the publisher, a no-risk revenue stream for the them and a license for Novint to sell games at a small profit with Falcon functionality built-in. The games will sell for $30, and you can get the haptics update for an existing game for $10. Of course, the $190-ish controller puts it all in perspective, but this is certainly a promising move for PC gamers and immersion freaks alike.
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]
[Via I4U News]
Novint Falcon gets reviewed: undoubtedly cool, unlikely to sell
Ever since we first got wind of this thing, we had a sneaking suspicion it just wouldn't take off regardless of how clever it was. Sadly, reviewers over at Bit-Tech tended to agree, deeming the Novint Falcon the "coolest peripheral" it had ever touched, but completely unlikely to ever gain steam in the marketplace. During the review, it was reiterated time and time again just how phenomenal the device actually is; the internal motors were able to transmit textures to one's hand almost impeccably, and it certainly enhanced certain aspects of game play once it became second nature to use. Unfortunately, all that gushing was met with the stark reality that there's no real promise that developers will ever latch on to this thing, and without guaranteed support, it's hard to recommend handing over $239. Nevertheless, we're sure more than a few of you may be willing to take the chance, and either way, the in-depth look at this curious creation is worth a read just to see what you're (potentially) missing.
Novint Falcon takes flight
We've tracked this little guy from his prototype days, through a Switched On feature, and all the way up to this January's release date announcement. Now we can finally say that the Novint Falcon -- top rate purveyor of the game-controlling, force-feedbacking, wrist-snapping, virtual-textured 3D input experience -- is officially on sale. Novint is offering the squat interface on their website for $189, bundled with a limited edition "grip", 24 mini-games and a numbered certificate of authenticity, just in case your skeptical friends don't believe you actually own a Falcon.[Thanks, Sabrina]
Switched On: Taking control to another dimension
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about the future of technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment:
If you purchase a Novint Falcon later this summer, your geekier friends may feel an unusual mixture of amazement and envy when they first see it. Where, they will wonder, did you score that Star Wars prop? When you break it to them that your new input device was not actually used in the iconic science fiction movie (despite sharing part of its name with Han Solo's ship), they may be a bit disappointed, but only until they use it

The Novint Falcon is one of the most promising PC interface peripherals to come along in years. The forward-facing base of the device resembles a cone from which sprouts three robotic arms that protrude and meet at a small vertical mount near its center. The mount can accommodate a variety of different controllers, one of which is a small doorknob-like grip. Novint explains, however, that others might include, for example, a trigger.



















