Razer's haptic gaming chair cushion is like a PS5 controller for your back and butt
Project Esther by Razer promises to make gaming more immersive
Razer has shown off the world’s first HD haptics gaming chair cushion at CES 2024. Dubbed Project Esther, the cushion aims to make gaming more immersive by providing high-fidelity vibrations. It’s compatible with most gaming or office chairs and isn’t built into the new Razer Izkur V2, which is nice.
The cushion contains 16 haptic actuators, allowing for nuanced directionality when playing games or listening to music. A plug-and-play solution means Razer can provide audio-to-HD haptics without the need for a game to be designed specifically for the cushion.
Unfortunately, like many concepts at CES, there’s no guarantee Project Esther will ever see the light of day. The idea of having your back and butt massaged by vibrations when gaming also won’t appeal to everyone, which may be one of the reasons why Razer is reluctant to say whether Project Esther will turn into a consumer-ready product.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Razer’s Project Esther
📳 Razer demoed an HD haptics gaming cushion at CES 2024
🎮 Dubbed Project Esther, it aims to make gaming more immersive
👀 The cushion contains 16 haptic actuators to create a true sense of direction, distance and location
😔 There are currently no plans to release the gaming cushion right now
Haptic feedback is becoming more popular in electronic devices as the technology can deliver convincing vibrations that often mimic visual sensations with surprising accuracy – like the feeling of raindrops falling from the sky or walking on different surfaces.
The best PS5 game, Astro’s Playroom, does a marvelous job of showcasing exactly what haptic feedback can offer in the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller, recreating various visual effects in the palm of your hand.
Nintendo was the first to lean into haptic feedback with the Nintendo Switch’s HD rumble, but quickly dialed down support for the tech despite it impressing in the party game 1-2 Switch.
But it’s clear haptic feedback is here to stay as Microsoft is supposedly working on a controller to rival the PS5 DualSense. It could launch alongside the rumored Xbox Series X Slim that was revealed after a substantial Xbox leak.