Of all the concepts I saw at CES, Razer's project Esther protoype is my favorite. It's a cushion that provides haptic feedback in gaming and puts us one step closer to Ready Player One level immersion.
What is Project Esther from Razer?
Project Esther is a prototype, but the platform behind it is very much active and ready for adoption for game developers. Esther is the cushion, Sensa is the technology.
Let's start with Esther. They had a tricked-out version with Razer Chroma RGB on a gaming chair and it looked slick. For my 15-ish minute demo, I first experienced how the haptics reacted and changed to objects in a game that moved further and closer to the screen. The demo later transformed into a forest setting, where wind and raindrops triggered different sensations across my back and shoulders as I watched and felt the haptics of Esther.
Source: CrackBerry
What is Razer Sensa HD Haptics?
Project Esther was created to demonstrate the new Sensa technology, which unites what you see and hear on screen to a tactile feel during gameplay. What Chroma RGB was to color for gamers, Razer would like Sensa to be the haptic version of this - a diverse ecosystem of produtcts that people can choose to match their gaming style.
Source: CrackBerry
Any audio content can integrate with Sensa. So whether you're playing a game or watching a movie, as long as there's audio, Sensa can create a corresponding sensation to go with it. I played Mortal Kombat with Sensa, and it was pretty cool, but things got very interesting when I tried a demo game where the developers specifically built it around Sensa technology.
Source: CrackBerry
In the game demo, I was commanding a rail-guided vehicle that was equipped with different weapons. Each weapon had a corresponding different tactile effect within the gaming cushion. The laser had more of a pulsing feel, whereas the machine gun had more of a jolting feedback.
Ready player one?
If this is the future of gaming, I'm pumped. It's an interesting way to enhance a gaming experience. And while Razer is using it in cushion form, there's nothing preventing someone else from using Sensa to create their owner version of Nintendo Power Glove, or a gaming vest, or a full-on suit, and developing around a completely immersive experience.
Source: CrackBerry
The giddiness I felt while testing out Project Esther took me back to the N64 days and getting my first Rumble Pak, my first experiencing "feeling" a game. While it may remain niche for awhile, I hope we see a lot of developer interest and find a future with more Sensa-powered devices.
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