Novint Falcon: First Impressions

[d_stilgar]

I ordered the Novint Falcon from newegg.com for $160. It came today and I didn't waste any time getting it installed. I downloaded the HL:2 mod, called Haptics-Life 2, and installed it.

First impressions of the game are good. There is a bit of learning curve to the whole thing, but you eventually get the hang of it. I messed around and then decided I would load right into Chapter 13, where you get the supercharged gravity gun. This is where I noticed the first glitch. After I got into the transport pod, I could not look left or right anymore. I could only look up and down. To make matters worse, I was stuck looking left. I decided that this was forgivable, but wanted to know more about this problem.

I went to the Novint forums and found nothing. I did, however, find out that I can chat with them on AIM. I loaded up gmail and entered their AIM support name into my contacts. I stated my problem and waited. Here's the conversation:

me: I installed Heptics-Life 2, and when I am in a situation where I can't move (teleport near beginning, people mover cage in the citadel) I cannot look left or right, but only up and down. I am wondering why this is, and how I can fix it. Thanks
novintsupport: hi there
what chapter of the game are you having this problem in?
me: Chapters 13 and 14
novintsupport: what phone number can I reach you on to discuss this problem?
me: --- --- ----
novintsupport: calling now

The person who called was a coder and tester. We talked about my problem. He knew the game very well and described the level and sequence of events from memory. He told me that it is a known bug and that he has reported it before, but then went on to tell me that within the next two weeks they will be releasing drivers for all games from the Orange Box, and that updates from then on will be done through steam. He was very excited about all of this, and never did I feel like he just wanted to get off the phone. I think if I had kept asking questions about what they are working on, he would've talked to me for much longer.

How do I feel about my Novint Falcon? I love it! Half-Life 2 just got a bit harder, but much more immersive. How do I feel about Novint as a company? I am excited. I waited 'til now to get a falcon, because I was worried if the company would last. Since Valve announced continued support and partnership with Novint, my doubts have subsided. The company is small, but they know their stuff and are excited about their product. I would encourage anyone to get this device.

[d_stilgar]

I see how it is. Haha

[BerticusPryme]

This thing actually looks pretty neat. I have eyeballed it a few times. The fact that the company has some awesome tech support makes it twice as good.

[Mach]

I've got one of these in a box under my desk that I haven't tried yet. I'll hook it up and let you know what I think. I was disappointed to see that they don't support Bioshock. I would of loved to have been able to use it for the plasmid powers. Did they ever make the pistol grip mount?

[d_stilgar]

The pistol grip is available now. They are going to release a new black falcon with the normal and pistol grips that is bundled with the Orange Box. If you are like me though, you already have the Orange Box, and buying the $160 falcon and then buying the $20 pistol grip is going to be less expensive.

[Pointy_Stick]

How does it feel after a say an hour or so of use? Do you arms get tired at all? Also, how many games does it support? I'd like to be able to use it for more than HL2.

[Zephik]

I remember seeing videos of this product, very cool stuff!

[d_stilgar]

You can get a list of all compatible games on their site: http://home.novint.com/games/

That list has released games as well as forthcoming games. There aren't a whole lot of games at this point, but Valve has promised continued support, so most games released developed by Valve, including Left 4 Dead, will be compatible. This is promising for the company. The big thing here is, if you want to see more games, there has to be a wide adoption of the device first. If only a handful of people own a Falcon, then most developers will ignore it. If, however, many people buy one and start begging, even demanding that games have support for the Falcon, then developers will start to make their games compatible. Right now the company is young, so we aren't going to see a whole lot right now.

I can play for an hour with little to no wrist strain. After that, it gets annoying. I plan on getting the pistol grip soon to help remedy that, however.

EDIT: Let me list a few of the games that are available or in development.

Ascension Reborn. This is Advent Rising with the Novint. I've played this game without the Novint and would give it a 4/5.

Battlefield 2
Battlefield 2142
WoW Drivers
Counter-Strike: Source
Portal
Team Fortress 2
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2
Left 4 Dead

I know that these aren't the most up to date games out there, but like I said, the company is young. If this catches on, then we will see games that release with Falcon support.