[CES 2018] If you’ve ever been to one of those 4D cinemas, then you know that in addition to sight and sound, there are other effects to help make the experience more realistic, like wind being blown at you, water being sprayed in your direction, and more. At CES 2018 Whirlwind FX is hoping to bring a tiny bit of that experience onto the PC.
The company has unveiled a device called the Vortx which is basically this box-shaped device that sits on your table and connects to your PC. From there it is capable of blowing wind in your face, whether it be hot or cold wind. This will change depending on the game in question, and the best part is that there does not need to be any work done on the developer’s end.
Instead the device’s Environment Experience algorithms will be able to detect what’s happening on the screen and the device will react accordingly, such as hot wind blowing at the player’s face while in the fiery landscapes of DOOM, or cold wind when playing a wintery map in games like Overwatch.
Whether or not you think this will result in a more immersive experience is up to you, but for those who are interested and don’t mind paying $120 to find out, the Vortx is currently available for pre-order and is expected to be released later this year.