Next Level Racing decided to turn the gaming world upside down with a haptic feedback seating pad, known as the HF8 Haptic Gaming Pad. It’s a neat little device (that’s actually not that little) that slides on top of your current chair, whether it’s an office chair or a gaming chair; heck, you could even skap it on your couch if you were so inclined. The device requires being plugged into an outlet and connected via USB to your computer, and it has built in native support for various games but can also operate via an audio input mode. As a result, you have a device that can give you rumbling haptic feedback based on the games you play, the music you listen to, or even the movies you watch. But let’s go more in depth about the good and bad of this particular gaming accessory.
Good: Easy To Install
One of the most important things about hardware installation is how easy it is to install, and when it comes to the HF8 Haptic Gaming Pad, it’s one of the easiest pieces of technology to install. Literally, plug it in and play it. That’s it.
What’s the actual process for installation, though? Well, all you have to do is slide it onto your chair, plug in the AC adapter, and plug in the USB cord to your PC or home console (including the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, or Xbox consoles). If you want, you can also hook the audio into the audio port on the chair, but I’ll get into that later.
Once the chair is hooked up you can then head to the Next Level Racing website to download the app software. Once you download it, you double click on it and you can either have it auto-configured for the app you’re using, or put it in audio mode so that it gives you feedback on any audio program, software, or media you engage in.
Good: Native App Support
The Next Level Racing app, known as HFS, for Haptic Feedback Software, has limited support for native applications. As of the writing of this article, you have games like:
- Assetto Corsa
- Assetto Corsa Competizione
- Automobilista 2
- Dirt Rally 2.0
- F1 2020 – 2024
- Forza Motorsport 7
- Forza Horizon 5
- iRacing
- Kart Kraft,
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Project Cars 2
- Project Cars 3
- X-Plane 11
- DCS World
- WRC
- and the Virtual Sound Card
The last one, the Virtual Sound Card is what you can use for non-natively supported games, and it will provide haptic feedback based on the audio feedback from the game itself, which typically works out quite well.
You have other utility options to mess around with, including different language options, the ability to start the program with Windows, the option to start minimized, the option to close the software via the tray, and to restore the installation default settings.
While the supported software is limited at the moment, the fact they keep improving and adding new games, and have the Virtual Sound Card support means you can play anything in your library and still enjoy the game via the Virtual Sound Card, or wait for official app support to be added and play it via the presets available in the HFS app. Even if you choose from the predefined settings for the game in the HFS, you can still modify the haptic feedback settings in the HFS, including things like braking, acceleration, engine, crashes, and gear shifts. So you can raise or lower the haptic feedback from 0% up to 100% for each of the predefined settings for the selected game, or import or export settings via a compatibility file, which is really cool.
Good: Audio Support
The audio support is handled via one of two options using the Virtual Sound Card: Audio Mode or USB Mode. The difference between the two is that in USB Mode if you select the Virtual Sound Card, any audio coming from the system you have the HF8 plugged into will feedback the audio to the chair pad and give you haptic feedback. If you choose Audio Mode, then the feedback will come from whatever device you have the 3.5mm audio-in cable plugged into.
What’s really cool about this is that it means you can have the chair plugged into one system but get feedback from another system. For instance, if you have the software installed on a laptop and the USB cable plugged into that laptop, you can set the laptop off to the side but then use the 3.5mm audio-in jack to plug it into your audio system for your television, for a digital piano, for your tablet, or for any other device with a compatible headphone input, and then receive haptic feedback from that device.
So, for example, if you typically watch movies on one device but play games on a different device, you can have the HF8 USB hooked up to your gaming device and then use the audio cable on the entertainment device, so this way you can watch movies, listen to music, or even watch streaming services like YouTube and get haptic feedback from your viewing experience. It’s really awesome technology. And with the 3.5mm audio out jack, you can plug in any compatible headphone or audio system that utilizes that jack so you can still get audio output from your media experience.
Plus, you can modify the sound settings using the physical knob on the chair pad. The big red button can be pressed to turn the device on or off, remotely from the HFS app, and you can use the button as a dial to turn the haptic feedback up or down. This is indicated by a little light on the button that goes from green (meaning light) to red (meaning strong). So you can fine tune the haptic experience to suit your entertainment needs as you see fit. The fact it works with any program, media, or app with any audio output is the real highlight here, and watching movies like Godzilla: Minus One or playing games like Gears of War or Call or Duty completely changes the experience, adding a whole new level of immersion to your entertainment media sessions.
Good: Can Slide Onto And Off Of A Chair
This might seem like it was covered via how easy it is to install the HF8 Gaming Pad, but I also wanted to highlight just how easy it is to slide onto and off of your gaming chair, office chair, or sitting chair. The adjustable straps on the back and on the bottom make it so that you can adjust the fit according to the chair you use.
The adjustability of the straps basically make it universal for almost every type of gaming chair, sim chair, office chair, flight chair, or dimensionally appropriate sitting chair. You can just plop it onto the chair and slide the straps over the top or the bottom and you’re good to go. There are also clips you can snap or unsnap to further secure the pad to the chair. Heck, even if you don’t want to use the straps on the chair, you can just sit the pad upright on your favorite sitting surface and use it without strapping it down. So technically you can even use it on a reclining chair or a couch if you wanted to.
This kind of modularity really adds a lot of versatility to the way you can use the HF8 for a number of different seating surfaces, so you’re not cordoned into only using it for specific kinds of chairs. So you definitely get a lot of value out of it in this regard, especially if you have a uniquely shaped chair or are worried about whether or not it can strap to the chair of your choice. Due to its design, essentially if there is a will, there is a way to get it to work with your chair.
Bad: Limited Native App Support
Now to talk about the bad points. Obviously, the native app support is severely lacking, and if you wanted specialized haptic feedback for a specific kind of game or app that you use, tailored around the mechanics of that game, you may be greatly disappointed in the limitations of the native app support.
This obviously doesn’t detract from the fact that you can just use the chair by selecting the Virtual Sound Card and enjoying the game or app that way, but obviously the Virtual Sound Card does not have native app support for the intricacies and nuances of that specific game. A good example is that if you’re playing something like Star Citizen or No Man’s Sky, you’re only going to get feedback based on the audio input, and in those games there is a lot of ambient sound effects, so those will affect the haptic sensations as well. This isn’t a deal breaker for me, because I just tuned the feedback to the acceptable levels that I found suitable, but for some people who may only want native app support, this could prove to be a drawback for those individuals.
Bad: Various Cords To Deal With
I know that the installation is fairly straightforward and easy, and the plug-‘n-play nature of its design makes it highly compatible for any home console or Windows systems (I have not tested it with Linux, but typically you could plug the HF8 into any device with Windows on it, install the HFS app and then use it in Audio Mode on a Linux system by plugging in the 3.5mm jack). However, there is the cord issue you will have to deal with.
The two main cords are quite long, which is really good, well over six feet, and so it gives the chair plenty of versatility in terms of usage based on your room setup. Then there are the two sub-cords, including the 3.5mm audio output jack that for your headphones, which is rather short, and a 3.5mm audio input jack for the sound you want to come into the pad for haptic feedback, which is quite long.
Altogether, you have up to four cords, and if you’re making use of all of them as part of your media experience, it can get quite… entangled. Sadly, I do not know a real way around this conundrum. As cool as this device is, I know some people like to keep their cord management svelte and clean, especially in their entertainment rooms.
Bad: Price
Personally, I don’t think the price is that bad. $179 didn’t seem like too big an ask, but then again I’m always willing to spend whatever I feel like on whatever I want to buy to increase my gaming or entertainment media experience. However, if you’re working on a tight budget or looking for a good haptic feedback experience without spending an arm and a leg, $179 just for a haptic seating pad might be a huge cost factor for many gamers out there.
Just the same, given the compatibility and versatility, the “Price” could also be seen as good. You can use it with any program or any media that has audio feedback, and the native compatibility list will only keep growing in the years to come. But, it’s still going to be quite pricey for someone gaming on a budget. You could get a Nintendo Switch for that price if you don’t have one already, or several controllers for your gaming rig or home console, or a refurbished Quest VR headset. The thing is, $179 isn’t that expensive compared to some other gaming peripherals out there (especially if you’re into hardcore flight sims or racing sims), but it’s still that step into the enthusiast arena where casuals or midcore gamers might feel it’s a step too far outside their budget.
Now, if you are a core gamer, if you want that core experience, if you want to bring your immersion to the next level, then hands down the HF8 probably won’t seem like such a huge investment for you, especially considering that it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than even the most cheapest motion rigs out there. Will it give you the same level of immersion as a motion rig? No. But will it give you some level of haptic feedback to increase the immersion more than just your standard gaming chair? Absolutely. And for that reason alone, the price might feel like a justifiable investment for you.