From bees to bullets, CES tech show gives gamers the feels

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Getting shot, standing in a downpour, being surrounded by bees: None are ideal, but for gamers, feeling the sensations of each is the goal.

At the CES tech show, the video game industry is showing off just how lifelike gaming can be made with new vests, head cushions and other simulation products.

"Lots of consumers are doing games, and they are looking for gaming hardware," Kiuk Gwak of bHaptics Inc. told AFP as he demonstrated his company's vest and gloves at the Las Vegas gathering, which ends on Sunday.

The haptic vest replicates the feeling of action playing out in virtual worlds, while matching haptic gloves add a feeling of touch.

"People are not just using our vest for getting shot, but they can feel the wind or rain or even bees in virtual reality," Gwak said.

Gaming hardware company Razer showed off what it said was the world's first surround-sound audio and haptics head cushion, called Project Carol, which allows "gamers to feel everything behind them, placing them firmly in the middle of the action."

Razer also said it will release an "Edge" handheld gaming unit in the United States on January 26 at a price of $400.

- Backseat gamer? -

Razer is one of multiple companies, including Dell and Acer, that showed off laptops sporting rich screens and mighty computer chips meant to tempt gamers who crave speed and immersion.

Gaming computers powered by the latest chips from rivals AMD and Nvidia were also on display.

"Modern games with increasingly life-like visuals require new levels of graphics horsepower," said AMD graphics unit senior vice president Scott Herkelman.

Nvidia also announced that its GeForce Now cloud video game service would be included in vehicles for the first time thanks to an