BHAPTICS - TACTSUIT X40 review
Bhaptics is a Korean company - now an established name in the Virtual Reality world - producing wearable haptic items. They have been making VR wearables for business use since 2015, mainly for software developers or VR experience companies. Now they make full-body haptics accessories, such as a haptic vest, haptic gloves and haptic shoes. These devices give a haptic feedback (vibration) that makes it feel as if you are physically present in the virtual world.
My husband surprised me with the X40 vest for my birthday. But he was super giddy and gave me my present way sooner than on my actual birthday because he couldn’t wait to see my reaction! :D When I opened the box I was like HOLYYYY SHIIITTTT!!
OPENING THE BOX!
Bhaptics makes it easy for you to get started using your Tactsuit x40 by including everything you need in the box. The first thing you’ll see when you open the box is the vest. It has been designed with comfort in mind, as well as being able to withstand extended wear time without causing any discomfort. One size fits all with adjustable straps on the sides.
Just below the vest there are two compartments where you’ll find a manual and various accessories. The accessories consist of a Bluetooth dongle to connect the vest to your PC. A charging cable, an audio connection cable to connect the vest to your smartphone or console for Audio-Feedback. You also have an audio splitter in the box, so that both the vest and your headphones can receive sound when you use it with a smartphone or a console. I got an extra removable mesh lining so when you sweat you can simply wash and switch with the other one.
How does it work?
As virtual reality technology continues to advance, haptic feedback appears to be the next great revolution. Haptic responses in gaming are nothing new – after all, we all experienced vibrating controller before, right? But, instead of just experiencing VR through sight and sound, haptic feedback technology allows you the experience the sensation of touch.
The haptic feedback of the x40 vest works with 40 small vibration motors (20 front and 20 back) that can be controlled in different strengths and combinations and can then be programmed to vibrate at specific triggers. The vibrations range from very gentle jerks to stronger ones. Thus, light touches or even strong explosions are simulated very well. But don’t forget that these are only vibrations.
This is done either through native support implemented by the developers in one of their games, or through mods that enable support for the haptic vests manually. Even if you don’t have a VR headset, you can plug this in over to your console and PC Steam games, use the bHaptics Player PC software or smartphone app, and any audio signal, either from the PC or an external source with a headphone jack, can be converted into haptic feedback.
Tech Specs
When you connect the Bhaptics app to your suit, you can test different settings, adjust intensity and download more mods for games.
game support?
You can find the full list of compatible games and experiences at this link.
A whole range of VR games are supported by the bHaptics vest. However, not all of them have received native support.
Some of the supported games still require mods to add the bHaptics functionality.
The bHaptics Portal you can download here is really helpful to get the games or mods running.
What about not supported games? Well, bHaptics has ideated a way to somewhat simulate the support, that is give you haptic sensations on your torso based on the audio that the game is playing. This feature, called “Audio-to-Haptic”, can be activated by pressing a button on the bHaptics Player control window and of course can’t give you the realistic haptic sensations the game should provide, but at least gives you some haptic in all games that you play.
Aside from gaming, you can wear the TactSuit X40 while listening to music or watching movies. Its audio-based haptic feedback technology gives you an interactive experience.
final opinion
Wearing this vest makes me instantly feel like I am a futuristic badass.
I tried the Larcenaut first and since this game has native support it was very easy and it connected the vest to the game quick. I loved that I now felt the shots to my back and could turn quick and aim in the direction of my enemy. Definitely made it easier and faster to know where the attacks are coming from. The shots to my body were a pleasant addon to the game, that made it more immersive. I turned down the vibrations to 40%, I wasn’t a fan of the whole 100% strength.
If you live in a warm climate, make sure to keep the air conditioning on if you want to wear this suit. It can get pretty hot in it!
