Today we will be reviewing the NOVINT Falcon Haptic Gaming Controller, but lets first get to know NOVINT better.

Novint Technologies, Inc. (NVNT) is the pioneer of 3D touch for consumer computing. Novint is developing a new category of products that add high-fidelity interactive three-dimensional touch to computing, beginning with our introduction of the award-winning Novint Falcon. The Novint Falcon is a first-of-a-kind game controller that lets you experience realistic 3D touch and force feedback when playing touch-enabled games.

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. Games have incorporated increasingly sophisticated graphics and sound design, but none have added realistic touch. In the past, the expense of 3D touch (haptic) hardware made the technology cost-prohibitive, but the Novint Falcon, which is, in essence, a small robot, is designed to be an affordable consumer device. The Falcon allows players to feel weight, shape, texture, dimension, dynamics and force feedback, performing comparably to commercial devices that cost thousands of dollars. Using the Falcon, players feel a character’s actions instead of controlling a game through mouse clicks or meters. Players feel the weight of a basketball as they shoot it towards a hoop – the momentum and impact as they swing a virtual golf club and strike a ball – the recoil of a weapon – or the characteristics of virtual objects and environments, making gameplay more natural and realistic.

Novint is uniquely qualified to bring this revolutionary technology to market. As a leading developer of commercial touch applications, Novint has worked with clients including Lockheed Martin, Chrysler, Chevron, Mobil, Aramco, and Harvard University. Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Novint has an exclusive worldwide license to over five years of pioneering research from Sandia National Laboratories, which developed some of the first 3D touch software in the world, and has developed the only low-cost (sub $1000) high-fidelity hardware solution available for consumer or commercial applications.

Now that we've gotten to know them better, we can jump in to some hardware specs.

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.

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