3^rd Space Gaming Vest hopes to have an ‘impact’ on the FPS genre 

Technology will let players feel hits during gameplay

The idea of a vest that transmitted sensations was not new. And even the genesis of the 3^rd Space Gaming Vest has origins in the medical vest technology that transmits stats. Now transpose that to the gaming world and a vest that actually immerses players into a first-person shooter by dropping in impact sensations.

The 3^rd Space vest operates by using four air cells in the front portion of the vest and four in the back. A compressor supplies the air and releases shots or puffs of air in conjunction with hits taken in the game.

The vest will come with its own compressor and open-source game that will utilize the technology. But the folks behind the 3^rd Space vest have also worked a deal out with Activision to have the vest work with Call of Duty 2, and hopes to be able to patch in other open-source titles like DOOM or QUAKE down the road.

Most of the sales of the vest will be online, with the final retail price falling between $169-189.

The vest itself uses a USB connection to the PC and minimum system requirements include Windows XP or higher, Intel or AMD 1.0 GHz or higher CPU with 512 megs of RAM, and a Radeon 9600 video card or nVidia GeForce FX 5200 with 64 megs of memory.

GameZone.com got to try out the vest during a stopover in Boise, Idaho, and filed this report:

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