Razer continues its streak of bizarre tech with the announcement of the world’s first haptics gaming cushion for your chair, which aims to deliver full-body, high-definition positional haptics while you game.
The Razer Project Esther is an HD haptics gaming cushion that will help you feel your games with “lifelike tactile sensations that envelop your whole body.” No, really. Another one for the list of weird tech at CES 2024.
Powered by the new Razer Sena HD Haptics, the gaming company aims to explore multi-dimensional feedback that can adapt to the gaming content being displayed and even offer tactile sensations that vary in intensity, speed, and duration.
Similar to a car seat protector, it fits on “most” gaming and office chairs thanks to the adjustable straps. It’s equipped with 16 haptic actuators positioned for optimal contact with the body, which looks to be your whole back and, well, butt.
These haptics are a mixture of its HyperSense haptics found in the Razer Nari Ultimate gaming headset and partnership with the haptic development platform Interhaptics, which Razer acquired in 2022.
As Razer states, the integrated haptics experience will only be available for supported game titles, so it’s up to developers if they want gamers to feel haptic sensations in their seats.
Razer’s haptic feedback cushion is still a concept for now, similar to its Project Hazel Mask (official page nowhere to be seen), which came out to be the Razer Zephyr in 2022, and Razer Project Valerie, a triple display laptop that may never see the light of day.
While Razer Project Esther has yet to have an official release date or price, it’s an exciting concept that could be the next step in gaming accessories. Now, having haptics for your butt may sound a little odd, but with the success of the PS5 DualSense controller and its innovative haptics tech, there’s an interesting idea at play.
Razer came out with plenty of interesting upgrades at CES 2024, including the Razer Blade 16 laptop with a 240Hz OLED display, the Razer Aether Monitor Light Bar for an RGB-lit gaming setup, the Razer Iskur V2 gaming chair with fully adjustable 6D lumbar support, and more.
Here’s hoping for further developments on a haptic gaming cushion. In the meantime, check out the best gaming laptops before the next wave of notebooks from CES 2024 take over.