I've played around quite a bit with Force Feedback wheels now, and I
find that although it does add some useful sensations, it just doesn't
feel exactly *right* with all those forces coming through the wheel.
Granted you do get *some* forces through the wheel, but right now,
even the best implementation of Force Feedback seems either over-done
or under-done in some ways. Invariably, after a few hours with a
Force Feedback wheel, I find myself gravitating back to my solid,
trusty TSW2.
For the past week or so, I've been switching back-and-forth, trying to
figure out just what it is about Force Feedback that I like, and what
it is that just doesn't quite work for me. This is a luxury many of
you don't have, I know, but it does give you an opportunity to really
evaluate the technology. I've also spent a lot of time observing what
I feel while driving a real car, and comparing the feelings and
sensations to what I get via a Force Feedback wheel. Granted, my
Honda Del Sol isn't in the league of most of the cars that are being
modeled by the sims I've been playing with, but I also have some minor
experience with racing Karts and such, so I feel that all my
real-world experience gives me some basis for comparison.
After all this analysis, I finally decided that although some of the
forces that come to your hands through a Force Feedback wheel are
useful and realistic (building resistance in turns, less resistance in
a slide, a certain amount of shudder and shake, etc.), many of the
effects are the kinds of things that would be better experienced
through the seat of the pants.
On the road, you do feel various forces through the wheel, but *most*
of your driving queues come through the seat of the pants. Not all,
mind you, but I think I'd gain more in a sim if someone were to
channel the forces that come through a Force Feedback wheel into the
chair I was sitting on -- not just more of a realistic experience, but
more realistic and usable sensations. My hands fighting against a
wheel tell me one thing, but my solar plexus getting jostled around
(even the least little bit) tells me a WHOLE lot more. Pay attention
to this for yourself on your ride to work tomorrow, or on your next
trip to the grocery store -- the difference between sitting at your
desk and sitting in your car has less to do with what comes through
the wheel and more to do with what comes through the seat of your
pants.
Given all this, I think that the ultimate FF device -- at least for
driving sims -- would be a Force Feedback SEAT. I'm not talking about
a something really out there and somewhat overblown like the "Rock and
Ride" seat, mind you -- I think someone could devise a VERY good Force
Feedback seat that only incorporated a single axis of motion
(lateral), with only a few inches of travel (maybe 2" of total
left-and-right play).
I'm also not talking about something that tilts, either -- I'm talking
about linear left-and-right seat motion. Imagine if all the jerking
and twisting forces that are fed to a FF wheel were routed instead to
a chair that could shift left or right about an inch. I know it
sounds like that small amount of motion wouldn't provide much in the
way of either force or feedback, but try it for yourself, right now --
rock your desk chair to the left and the right no more than an inch
either way, and imagine if you could feel those sensations in sync
with what's going on in your favorite FF-equipped sim, rather than
only being able to experience it through your hands and wrists.
Intriguing thought, isn't it?
The idea could be taken even further, and rather than just
incorporating a single (lateral) axis of motion, the longitudinal axis
could also be used, and instead of mapping the Y-axis forces to the
X-axis, you could experience braking and acceleration effects, too.
This would be the ultimate, I think, but I really believe that a
single (lateral) axis of motion would do wonders in itself.
The beauty of a single axis of motion is that it would be twice as
simple and twice as easy to implement as a two-axis system. I also
think that a single-axis system incorporating a simple,
inexpensive-yet-comfortabe plasitc seat could concievably be built and
marketed for less than $500. More *** variations incorporating
real racing seats and two-axis operation could be do-able for more,
but I think even there the overall cost could still be kept below $800
(which is roughly what the Rock and Ride seat goes for). Furthermore,
I think that if there is a market for products like the Rock and Ride
seat, ECCI wheels, and the top-of-the-line TSW wheels, there should be
also a market for a Force Feedback system such as this.
Granted, this is the type of thing that no mainstream controller
company is going to be able to put on the shelves at retail computer
outlets like Electronics Boutique, Best Buy, or CompUSA, but it's just
the type of product that lends itself to becoming a cottage industry
unto itself.
Now, my question to all of you who've made it this far is this: Would
you find the idea of a Force Feedback seat interesting if someone
could bring one to market for $300 or so? Consider this an informal
survey; either post your responses here in the newsgroup, or send them
to me directly via e-mail. Also, if you'd like to add any ideas to
this concept, feel free to do so.
Enjoy!
-- John Bodin
Publisher, The IRL Insider Magazine On-Line
http://www.racesimcentral.net/
