FlightSim.Com Reviews: TFS Tactile Feedback System

TFS Tactile Feedback System

By FlightSim.Com Staff (14 December 1999)

WARNING: This is a "gotta have" piece of hardware.
We just wanted to give you fair warning.

main seat pad main control box

What is it?

If Tim Allen were a flightsimmer, I can only imagine his reaction. What you are seeing are pictures of what's going to be any flightsimmer's best friend. It will provide you the best tactile feedback "full body" sensation you'll ever get without being in a real FAA flight simulator or full motion rig! This attractive little pad that looks like one of those expensive back massagers costs only $180. Compare that to the competition's cumbersome "that thing's not coming in my house" spouse inducing unit. Now, with that in mind, knowing you're not going to go broke here - please read on!

Story

When I was designer of Flight Unlimited III at Looking Glass Studios, an enthusiastic young fellow named Craig Thorner came in to our offices to demo his new force feedback seat thing. When I heard of this I ran to meet him and his product. I went home with a full TFS Tactile Feedback System in my hands! Slightly lacking in any real technical know-how (yeah, yeah, I can fly aircraft in real life, but that's different) I approached setting up this hardware with a slight bit of nervousness. Boy was it easy! All you have to do is plug in the stuff where it fits. That's about it! You really can't hook it up wrong. Basically the sound card gets an output to the main control box and the computer gets hooked to the box via a cable. The control box gets hooked to the chair pad and you're ready to roll! I have been wanting to talk about this product forever, but Craig has been finishing designs and now production is finally done.

What Craig has invented is the world's only lightweight "vibrating seatpad" that is truly portable, honestly comfortable, and provides the very best sensations I've ever felt in any similar product. As far as I know, the only product I refer to is a complete chair. I don't think there is anything available yet that even comes close to the VRF system! Craig is so confident that you'll be happy with his product, he is offering to pay you if you choose the competition over VRF. I quote from the official VRF site (I just love this)...

Here's the deal: Buy our Tactile Feedback System. USE IT FOR 30 DAYS. If you don't think we've thoroughly embarrassed the competition, and want to return our Tactile Feedback System, we'll take it back and give you a full refund of your purchase price. If you buy a competitor's product within 30 days of your return, we'll mail you a check for $30 signed personally by our founder and president Craig Thorner (he's the guy that invented, designed, and developed our system).

Operation

Since this product has been in development for the last year I have had this unit, I have not even been able to test out the new custom made IntelliVIBE modules. These are force feedback effects built just for specific software titles that support this technology. FS98, FS2000, and many more flight and auto racing simulations will be using this technology to give you specific sensations for specific actions as they occur. In FS2000 for example, you will be able to actually modify the forces by using drop down menus. You will be able to custom make forces for the King Air, LearJet 45, 777 or whatever you choose! If you want the landing gear bumps and vibrations to be particularly strong in the 737 you can do it! If you want a right leg to left leg vibration to give you a feeling of G's in a hard right turn, you can do it! It's all part of the IntelliVIBE system! It's got it all!

Even if the program you're using doesn't yet support these custom modules, you can use it like I have been for the last year. Using the main mode switch to select AudioSense (works with the audio output of every game), you'll get outrageously awesome bumps, rattles, shakes and vibrations in the seat of your pants, based solely on the digital analysis of the sounds produced in your favorite sim! I am telling you this is really incredible! I could not fly without this seatpad! I am very impressed with how the sounds in Flight Unlimited III and FLY! work with the VRF pad. The ground rumbling in these two products will shake your "tootsies" as if the ground you're taxiing on is loaded with gravel. You can control the vibrations with the handy control knobs right on the box. If you are shaking too much, lower the levels. You can even set up the level of vibration for treble, bass and more. I really like to have my pad rumble and shake moderately on the runway, but as soon as you're airborne, it's nice and smooth. You'll know when you break ground and the mains have left the pavement. But then when you raise flaps or landing gear, the pad will really shake again.. and slowly wind down as the sounds quiet down. In Flight III, the landing touchdown produces a very loud rumble. Boy! You'll know it when you touchdown! Vooom! In fact, you can have the settings so high, that it will really rattle your seat to pieces. My wife tried it once on FU3 and screamed "aaaahhh, get me out of this thing!". She has never been back again! Just sitting in the pad, cranking the knob to maximum, will create enough force to throw a book.

Conclusion

Every now and then a product of excellence comes along. For hardware, the VRF system is the best there is bar none. It will slip right over your existing chair, stay in place, feel comfortable to sit in even when you're not using it and best of all it looks great! Normal people without hobbies will see the pad thinking it's part of the chair or one of those back savers. Just be sure to hide the control box and cables however, or you may be in for some explaining!

You're a die hard flightsimmer. You owe it to yourself to enhance your flights 250%. YOU WILL NEVER FLY AGAIN WITHOUT THIS - I personally can guarantee. In fact, if you travel with your flightsim, bring your pad with you! You wouldn't fly without a sound system, monitor or a set of controls would you? Why fly without Tactile Feedback?

My personal thanks to Craig and his crew for building such a fantasic product. I can only hope everyone out there will support his effort, as flightsimmers worldwide realize what a great enhancement to this hobby he has just provided us with!

The VRF Tactile Feedback Control System gets a 100!

Visit VRF.COM for more information and purchasing. You "gotta have" it!
http://www.vrf.com

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