Novint Technologies, the pioneer of 3-D touch for consumer computing, and Valve Corporation, one of the video game industry's leading entertainment software and technology companies, announced they have entered a strategic agreement to add Falcon support to a number of Valve's games.
The Novint Falcon is an entirely new type of interface for PC gaming. Essentially a small robot, the Falcon lets players feel high-fidelity three-dimensional touch in enabled games.
Valve's best selling game franchises, which account for more than 30 million retail units sold worldwide and more than 80 percent of the PC online action market, include HALF-LIFE, which has won more than 50 Game of the Year Awards, COUNTER-STRIKE, PORTAL and TEAM FORTRESS 2. Valve is also the developer of leading-edge technologies, including the SOURCE game engine and STEAM, a leading platform for digital content distribution with 15 million registered users.
Valve president and co-founder, Gabe Newell, said, "Recently we've seen how new interfaces have changed gaming. The Falcon adds a new level of interaction for PC gaming, adding compelling force feedback while maintaining controls as accurate as a mouse, and now the millions of Steam gamers will have the chance to play, feeling this new type of experience."
Under the agreement, a new update will be distributed through Steam adding Novint Falcon compatibility for customers of The Orange Box, COUNTER-STRIKE: SOURCE, the HALF-LIFE 2 series (including HALF-LIFE 2, Episode One, and Episode Two), TEAM FORTRESS 2, PORTAL and the highly anticipated LEFT 4 DEAD. Using the Falcon, players feel realistic game actions, objects, environments and force feedback. In First Person Shooter (FPS) games, users feel weapon recoil, enemy attacks, vehicle movement, and interactions with the environment. A special Falcon Orange Box bundle is planned for later this year. Novint will also soon release its must have Pistol Grip accessory, which replaces the standard Falcon grip to create an even more immersive FPS gaming experience.
"We're very excited to partner with a company so dominant in the PC game industry," said Novint CEO, Tom Anderson. "Their sustained excellence, best-selling games, enormous user base, and forward looking vision make them standard bearers for the industry. Integration with some of the best-selling and best-reviewed games of all time, along with access to millions of users on Steam, are significant milestones for Novint. Along with the introduction of the Novint Falcon Pistol Grip, we believe that FPS players using the Falcon will have the most compelling and immersive FPS experience to date."
Novint is currently taking advance reservations for a special Falcon Orange Box bundle, due later this year. The bundle will include the new Black Falcon, Pistol Grip, and a touch-enabled version of The Orange Box (a $248.98 value) for $189.99. Reservations may be placed on the company's website (www.novint.com). The Falcon is currently available nationwide for $189.99 at Tiger Direct, Fry's Electronics, J & R Music, CompUSA.com, CircuitCity.com, Amazon.com and Novint.com.
