Do we really need a full-body suit and massive VR headset like a reject Ready Player One concept to get immersed in our games? Razer is imagining haptics in a much more constrained—and more comfortable—fashion with a simple seat cushion stuffed with advanced rumble. Some gamers will do anything to increase immersion, but Razer’s concept haptics show that a small, subtle sensation can go a long way.
Razer’s prototype “Project Esther” haptic gaming cushion is supposed to make you feel everything “from explosions to the subtlest heartbeat,” according to the company. However, after experiencing it, I’m not sure if they’re referring to my own heartbeat or somebody else’s. Ignore the PR speak because it’s far more understated than that.
Dr. Eric Vezzoli, the associate director behind Razer’s Sensa HD project, said his team has focused on its relatively minimal form factor for the sake of comfortable immersion. Not to mention a kind of base “woomph” sensation without “hurting your eardrums or annoying your neighbors,” he told Gizmodo.
The Sensa HD concept uses 16 actuators spread throughout the chair cushions—10 for your lumbar and another six for your posterior. It’s all wireless and connected through a dongle, and Razer promises low latency for a seamless experience. I went through a short demo on the cushion, including a guided sensation tour where I could feel the minute plops of water droplets pattering against my shoulders. In an on-rails MechWarrior shoot-em-up that incorporates the Sensa HD haptics, I could feel the kick of my mech’s cannons and incoming shots as a prominent, though surprisingly subtle, rumble on different parts of my body. The attuned software can pick up when the mech was turning and only hit the actuators on the left or right of my back.
The chair haptics system itself is built using technology from Interhaptics, Vezzoli’s company Razer bought out in 2022. This isn’t a product, but on Monday, Razer said that the Esther SDK is for developers to create their own bespoke haptic setups in their own media. Developers could make haptics sensations for their games, such as with the MechWarrior demo. Still, the most intriguing aspect of this concept is the software set that automatically translates audio into haptics.
We also took the cushion through a short round of Mortal Kombat: 1, where every punch or rope dart came with an emphasized blow from the Sensa system. This was only using the still-in-development audio-to-haptics feature. It had a satisfying wash of rumble across the back when I landed the final blow on my AI opponent (I don’t play Sub Zero, and I don’t know his combos, but the haptics did help me feel like I was a much better warrior than I actually was).
The Esther concept is essentially a long cushion you strap on your existing office chair, so if you really wanted to strap it to your work seat to feel the pitter-patter of rain on your back, you technically could. Razer put its Sensa system on its new Iskur V2 gaming chair, a $US650 piece of gaming furniture with cushions that does a pretty good job at adjusting to your body weight and posture. How does Esther mess with the cushioning of your ultra-expensive gaming chair? The prototype haptic cushion add-on isn’t uncomfortable, but it effectively nullifies all that lumbar support you were supposed to get on an ultra-expensive chair.
But I’m still intrigued. There’s a fair few uses of these haptics beyond gaming. Combine it with cat-purring audio; you might have a solid wellness platform for lowering your blood pressure. If the audio-to-haptics works as well on my demo as in other media, it’ll be a big step up for those who don’t want to dive into a sweaty, haptics suit to reenact their worst Neuromancer daydreams.