Valve adapts the 3D Mouse

The future of control methods?

Valve has recently announced that they will be providing full support for a new kind of control method; a 3 dimensional, force feedback mouse that allows you to feel objects and inertia in games.

Here is a quick excerpt about the new technology:

"The Novint Falcon is an entirely new type of interface for PC games. It’s a small robot that lets players feel 3-D touch sensations in games that exploit its features. I thought it was cool the first time I saw it, and it drew a lot of attention at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show. But I also knew the company would have an uphill climb convincing game developers to exploit the newfangled device. Still, the Alburquerque, N.M.-based Novint Technologies has done a good job getting the gadget off the ground. Today, it announced that marquee game developer Valve will add support for the Falcon to a number of games."

"Gabe Newell, Valve’s president and co-founder, said in a statement that new interfaces are changing gaming and the Falcon adds a new level of interaction, adding force feedback while maintaining controls as accurate as a mouse. Under the deal, a new update will be sent through Valve’s Steam online gaming service to add compatibility for the Falcon for games such as “Half-Life 2: Episode Two,” pictured below."

I know I'll be giving this thing a try as it is already supported in other major games such as Battlefield 2, Battlefield 2142, Need For Speed Pro Street, World of Warcraft and many others. Apparently not only can you feel the momentum of your actions in game, you can feel surfaces and textures as well!

You can learn more directly from Novint website.

Discuss.