A New Kind Of...Mouse?

Post by **Tami** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:59 pm

We saw this ...mouse... at the World Cyber Games Grand Finals in Seattle this past weekend, and all three of us had different feelings about it. NightStorm really enjoyed using it and wants one, Michael didn't like it at all, and I had a hard time using it. I am left-handed, but use my mouse with my right hand. I could not operate the Falcon with my right hand (well I could, I just couldn't operate it effectively) and had to use my left, which made it difficult to use the wasd keys for gameplay. The kickback feature of the Falcon is really cool - it works alot like the dual shock controllers for PlayStation - which is kind of freaky when you aren't expecting it. I imagine that with practice, I would get used to using something like the Falcon, much the same way I got used to using the digital pen on my Wacom tablet, but I wouldn't be able to use it for gaming unless I had a gaming keyboard and could control my characters with keys on the right-hand side.

The Novint Falcon is an entirely new type of game controller. Replacing your mouse or joystick, the Falcon is, essentially, a small robot that lets you experience true virtual touch unlike any controller in history.

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The Novint Falcon lets you control a game in three dimensions, and also lets you feel high-fidelity three-dimensional force feedback. The Falcon controller moves right and left, forwards and backwards, like a mouse, but also moves up and down. When you hold the Falcon’s detachable Grip and move your cursor to interact with a virtual object, environment, or character, motors in the device turn on and are updated approximately 1000 times a second, letting you feel texture, shape, weight, dimension, and dynamics. The Falcon lets you control and interact with games in more realistic way, allowing you to develop real physical skill and muscle memory, adding a new dimension to gaming.

Our sense of touch connects us to the world around us and is an integral part of how we experience things, both physically and emotionally. In the past, games have incorporated increasingly sophisticated graphics and sound design, but none have added realistic touch, until now. The award-winning Novint Falcon makes virtual items and experiences feel real. Hold the Falcon’s interchangeable Grip and feel a character’s actions, instead of controlling a game with mouse-clicks and meters. Feel the weight of a basketball as you shoot it towards a hoop -- the momentum and impact as you swing a virtual golf club and strike a ball -- the recoil of a weapon – or the physical characteristics of virtual objects and environments.

In the same way the introduction of sound changed motion pictures, or graphics made the Internet what it is today, Novint's technology transforms the user experience by adding realistic interactive 3D touch to computing. While the concept of interactive touch in computing is as unimaginable to most people as the idea of television was in the age of radio, we envision a not-too-distant future when it is as commonplace and ubiquitous as a mobile phone or a computer mouse.

Novint is pioneering a new category of touch products for the consumer market, beginning with the release of the Falcon. In the past, the cost of 3D touch (haptic) hardware made the technology impractical for consumer applications, but the Falcon performs comparably to commercial devices that cost thousands of dollars, and is designed to be affordable for consumers.

A Limited Edition Novint Falcon bundled with Newton’s Monkey Business™, a collection of 24 touch-enabled minigames, the Feelin’ It™: Sports Pack, and two Grips is currently available.

The Bundle Includes:

* 1 Novint Falcon Limited Edition Game Controller
* 1 Standard Novint Falcon Grip
* 1 Limited Edition Novint Falcon Grip
* 1 USB cable
* Newton’s Monkey Business™ Game Pack
* Feelin’ It™: Sports Pack Game Pack
* 1 free game download (valued up to $19.95)
* Installation CD
* 1 Power Supply
* Novint Falcon User Manual
* Novint Games Manual

and for developers:

Novint Technologies, Inc. (NVNT), the pioneer of 3D touch for consumer computing, is making their Software Developer's Kit (SDK) for the award-winning Novint Falcon game controller available today at www.novint.com. The SDK, which is free for non-commercial use, enables developers to incorporate Novint's patented 3D touch into new and existing games and applications, expanding the content available for the first-of-a-kind controller.
"We've had an overwhelming number of requests to make an SDK available for the Novint Falcon and are excited to be able to offer this powerful new tool to developers." said Novint's CEO, Tom Anderson. "Touch adds an entirely new dimension to computing and, with the low cost of the Falcon and availability of this free SDK, we expect to see many innovative applications and games evolve."

Developers interested in creating commercial applications may contact Novint at games@novint.com, for licensing information. The Limited Edition Novint Falcon Bundle, which includes the controller and the Newton's Monkey Business(tm) game pack (24 minigames), and the Feelin' It(tm): Sports Pack is currently available at www.novint.com. The Falcon is the first consumer controller that lets users experience realistic 3D touch, allowing users to feel weight, shape, texture, dimension, dynamics and force effects with full three-dimensional control.

Technical Specifications for Novint Falcon

3D Touch Workspace 4" x 4" x 4"
Force Capabilities > 2 lbs
Position Resolution > 400 dpi
Quick Disconnect Handle < 1 second change time
Communication Interface USB 2.0
Size 9" x 9" x 9"
Weight 6 lbs
Power 30 watts, 100V-240V,50Hz-60Hz

* All specifications are approximate and subject to change.

Falcon Games Bundle System Requirements (Newton’s Monkey Business and Feelin’ It™: Sports Pack)

Minimum System Requirements*:

Processor: 1.0 GHz Processor
OS: Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista
Graphic card: 128Mb 3D hardware accelerated graphics card
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c
Hard Drive: 1.5 GB free disk space
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Other: DVD-ROM Drive (CDs available upon request), USB 2.0 connection

* The final minimum system requirements may vary from these values slightly after final testing.
* The Novint Falcon does not currently support 64-bit versions of Windows XP or Vista.
* The Novint Falcon does not currently support Bootcamp for Mac computers.

Recommended System Requirements:

Processor: 2.4 GHz Processor
OS: Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista
Graphic card: 256Mb 3D hardware accelerated graphics card
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c
Hard Drive: 1.5 GB free disk space
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Other: Broadband Internet Connection, USB 2.0 connection

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 6:10 pm

I don't get HOW you use it lol Maybe if I saw a demo film of someone using it then I would understand... but from what I see it doesn't look very user friendly lol That and it's quite large, no?

Post by **Shydragonchic** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 7:42 pm

At the beginning of the second paragraph you'll see a link that looks like this : Novint Falcon...clicky clicky <img src=\'http://www.killanet.net/forum3/public/s ... igwink.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\';)\' />
The demo, to me, looks like it would be uncomfortable for my poor abused wrist...but it still looks really cool, with lots of possibilities.

Josh · Post by **Josh** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 9:56 pm

lol...I see that now shy, thanks! Now that I have seen how it works... looks awkwardly uncomfortable, but it is a really neat idea. I'd like to try one out some time lol

Michael · Post by **Michael** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 10:50 pm

Ewwwww that was such a terrrrrrible mouse for HL2 ewwww i never want one never wana use one againnnnnnn it was so ewwwwwww ya but the kickback on it was awesome.....thats about all......but awkward to use for gaming

Post by **NightStorm** » Thu Oct 11, 2007 2:07 am

Oddly, I had absolutely no problems controlling it. And I enjoyed using it in game, and got to chat with the developers some about how they are currently working on porting it over to programs like Maya3D and Photoshop, so as to allow for actual 3D design and such (since with this "mouse" you have the option of a third dimension of control).
Overall, I really enjoyed using it, although the current $200 price attached to it was a bit steep for something still under development. They said that as it is ported into more systems and games, the price will likely come down.