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Woojer promises more immersive gaming with its wearable, audio-driven-but-silent tactile sub-woofer

Innovative Kickstarter project looking for funding

Woojer promises more immersive gaming with its wearable, audio-driven-but-silent tactile sub-woofer
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Over the years, there have been plenty of attempts to deepen our experience when playing games.

Long remembered - how could I forget? - was the smell-o-vision system that plugged into your PC and puffed out appropriate smells depending on what you were playing.

It claimed it could provide nasal cues ranging from damp swamps to burning rubber, but 'sadly' it got crushed as dotcom bubble popped.

Other peripherals have involved you wearing force feedback packs and helmets so you can feel the impact of bullets. Only problem is you end up looking like this....

Can you feel it?

At least, new Kickstarter project Woojer looks like it will offer something much more sophisticated.

It's a matchbox-sized device that plugs between your device and headphones, converting low frequency sound into a tactile impact: they're calling it a silent, wearable woofer. You can even use two in parallel - one your on chest and one on your belt - for extra effect.

The nice thing about this approach is that game developers won't have to add anything to their games to support the technology. It's using the existing audio cues.

Full spectrum warrior

Woojer says that the device will work with everything from consoles and PC to mobile devices, while pointing out that its tests suggest that when using it, gamers actually turn down their headphone volume, so it might help save your hearing.

And on a more serious note, it will obviously be very useful for people with hearing loss.

But, of course, this being Kickstarter, you'll have to pony up if you want the technology to come to fruition. Early adopters can pay currently $59 to get their Woojer cheaper. It's expected to retail for $99.

Check out the Kickstarter page here.

Jon Jordan
Jon Jordan
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon can turn his hand to anything except hand turning. He is editor-at-large at PG.biz which means he can arrive anywhere in the world, acting like a slightly confused uncle looking for the way out. He likes letters, cameras, imaginary numbers and legumes.