While the next-generation full-body haptic suit from bHaptics, the Tactsuit Pro, has been available for some time, I had the opportunity to experience it firsthand during CES 2025. This was a thrilling experience, as I had previously been skeptical about haptic suits, thinking they were just a gimmick inspired by “Ready Player One.” However, after trying it out myself, my perspective changed entirely.
At the bHaptics booth, I was greeted by Deborah Oyeyinka, the Business Development Manager, who not only made the experience enjoyable but also guided me through the process with great expertise. She helped me get into the bHaptics Pro vest and TactSleeve, which was especially appreciated since I was already exhausted from being on my feet all day. She led me through each demo, making sure I understood how everything worked.
Speaking of the suit itself, while it may appear a bit bulky, it’s surprisingly lightweight. If I had to estimate its weight without checking the official specs, I’d say it weighs around 3 pounds. It didn’t restrict my movement at all, which would have defeated the purpose of the suit. The TactSleeve, in particular, felt almost weightless on my wrists, and once strapped in, it stayed securely in place without loosening or falling off, even when I tried to make it do so.
The only downside I experienced was with the TactGlove sensors. The issue wasn’t with the sensors themselves, but due to the high volume of people using the gloves at CES 2025, we had to wear a plastic glove under the TactGlove. This caused my hands to get very sweaty, which slightly impacted my comfort during the demo.
The first demo had me using the Tactsuit Pro, TactSleeve, and a pair of controllers and had me picking up a variety of weapons—a handgun, an assault rifle, and a shotgun. As I fired at a test dummy, I could feel the subtle feedback with each shot. Then, I tried the same demo but with the haptic feedback turned off, and the difference was immediately apparent. It was like using a controller with haptic feedback turned on and then switching it off— once you experience it, there’s no going back.
Next, I faced a mirror version of myself using those same weapons. Each shot I fired triggered corresponding feedback in the area of my body where the impact would have occurred. While it was fun at first, I felt the feedback wasn’t strong enough—I wanted to feel the blast hit my chest. Deborah explained that there was a knob to adjust the intensity of the feedback, but since I was wearing a VR headset, I couldn’t easily reach it. Thankfully, Deborah stepped in to help me adjust it, and once I did, I could immediately feel the difference.
As the demo progressed, we used a range of weapons before moving on to another test involving TactGlove sensors. Here interacted with various items by twisting, pulling, and pressing buttons, each action triggering subtle feedback that let me know I was performing the task correctly. At one point, I picked up a small pulsating energy sphere with my fingertips, and the sensation was unlike anything I’ve experienced in a video game. It went far beyond what haptic controllers can deliver. I do wish I had more time but given what I’ve experienced, this instantly went on my Cool Tech list for the event.
Put it in my bag, I’m sold… or at least, that’s what I was saying to myself.
What makes the bHaptics suit so exciting is that it’s not limited to VR applications. As long as developers can incorporate it into their games, it could enhance a variety of genres, including fighting games. The potential of this suit seems limitless, and I’m eager to see how developers use it to create new immersive experiences. This truly feels like the future of gaming. However, there is one potential concern about bHaptics and that would be the cost of entry may be higher than what most gamers are willing to pay. Still, it’s worth considering that most have already invested over $1,000 in handhelds, gaming consoles, CPUs, GPUs, and possibly even self-bending monitors in the near future, so maybe it isn’t after all. Regardless, if you’re looking to take your VR experience to the next step, then look no further than this!
Yep, you can bet that I’ll be picking up the bHactics suit as soon as my bank account recovers from both Christmas 2024 and attending CES 2025. If only I knew about this before, I could have asked Santa Claus to get this for me.
And once again, a big thanks to Deborah Oyeyinka for walking me through the bHaptics demo, you rocked it.
