At CES 2022, Razer revealed a new version of its Enki gaming chair. The Razer Enki Pro HyperSense has one cool trick: haptic feedback.
Essentially subtle vibrations from the seat, the haptic feedback tech is provided by D-BOX, which are in the business of making seats with haptic feedback for theatres.
The haptic engine, as the vibration motor is officially called, has the tactile feedback of around 1 G-Force, and can create 1.5 inches of vertical or backward tilt, and a response rate of 5ms. The haptic engine isn’t placed on the seat itself, however, it’s housed on the foot of the chair.
“Our combined efforts have resulted in a product that physically transforms the experience of games, movies and music through the use of cutting-edge high-fidelity haptic feedback.”
“With the Enki Pro HyperSense, Razer and D-BOX have built the most advanced gaming chair to date,” said Sébastien Mailhot, President and CEO of D-BOX.
The haptic feedback won’t even need extra drivers or developer support, it’s natively supported for over 2,200, Razer says, including racing games like F1 2021 and Forza Horizon 5. Having that sensation of a car’s grip from how the seat is behaving is something that pro racing drivers do all the time, so haptic feedback from a chair has actual practical uses.
Though it may be interesting to see how other games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is enhanced with the power of haptic feedback from the seat.
The haptic feedback from the Razer Enki Pro HyperSense can also be used to enhance the experience when listening to music and watching movies as well.
We predicted last year that gaming chairs with “butt motors” would be something we wanted, and looks like Razer is delivering.
Razer has yet to say when the Razer Enki Pro HyperSense will be out, but this having a proper name and not a project concept, expect this to be available in the market in the months to come.