Next Level Racing unveils the HF8 Haptic Feedback Gaming Pad

HF8.jpg
Are buttkickers about to become obsolete? That is a good question to ask ourselves with Next Level Racing's new product announcement.

The HF8 Haptic Feedback Gaming pad is a cushion that can be fitted on a chair or on a racing seat which features 8 vibrating pads: 4 behind your back, 2 under your butt and 2 under your thighs. The product is said to work with any application on any platform, including consoles, with PC allowing for more in-depth software profile customization. Among other uses likes FPS shooters or flying sims, the product is also heavily marketed towards simracing.

The concept itself seems very interesting and, if executed properly and supported by racing simulations, could very well be a good alternative to try giving body feedback to people who are used to feel lateral Gs and other things in a real car without having to resort to cumbersome, complex and extremely expensive motion rigs.


Global retailers should be selling it this month already, with MSRP being 249 EUR for Europe, 229 USD for North America, 399 AUD for Australia and 229 GBP for UK. Considering the advertized versatility of the HF8, this looks like pretty good value. We hope to be able to test it and provide a review soon!
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About author
GT-Alex
Alexandre Tonini
Global motorsports enjoyer, long time simracer, Gran Turismo veteran, I've been driving alongside top drivers since the dawn of online pro leagues on Gran Turismo, and qualified for the only cancelled FIA GTC World Tour. I've left aside competitive driving in 2020 to dedicate myself to IGTL, a simracing organisation hosting high quality events for pro racers and customers, to create with friends the kind of events we wished we could have had. We strive to provide the best events for drivers and the best content for viewers, and want to help the simracing scene grow and shine further in the global esports scene.

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Comments

P
The product is nothing new, it has been done before and it's available in the market. Problem was that it was either expensive (SRS) or seller was sketchy (Gametrix).

NLR is well known and asking price is nearly half of SRS's. Now, NLR has had mixed reviews on their previous products. Hopefully this will be a good one.
 
T
it's very good for the immersion.
If like me you play with an OLED 4K 48" Gsync (pg48uq), and FPS or racing game with a gamepad on a very good seat, it's awesome with the games, like BF2042, COD MW2, or anything.....wooow.
I don't know if it's the monitor or this which give the best immersion, but the combo is crazy.
I will try it on my cockpit, it will feel cool.
I really like new things like that
 
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M
pai said:
The product is nothing new, it has been done before and it's available in the market. Problem was that it was either expensive (SRS) or seller was sketchy (Gametrix).

NLR is well known and asking price is nearly half of SRS's. Now, NLR has had mixed reviews on their previous products. Hopefully this will be a good one.
Click to expand...
Don’t know what sketchy means but I have a Gametrix Jetseat for many years already and it still works like a charm in all my sims (especially AMS2)…
 
RCHeliguy
Premium
pai said:
Now, NLR has had mixed reviews on their previous products. Hopefully this will be a good one.
Click to expand...
As a previous NLRv3 owner, I'd have to say NLRv3 did a great job with that product.

They have solid easy to configure software that works reliably and I can't think of anything negative to say about the company.
 
P
Mike1304 said:
Don’t know what sketchy means but I have a Gametrix Jetseat for many years already and it still works like a charm in all my sims (especially AMS2)…
Click to expand...
Product was good, but many people paid for it and were left out for hang waiting.
 
P
RCHeliguy said:
As a previous NLRv3 owner, I'd have to say NLRv3 did a great job with that product.

They have solid easy to configure software that works reliably and I can't think of anything negative to say about the company.
Click to expand...
Not everybody liked their motion platforms from what I could read. Good to know you had a great experience with it!

I am actually on a phase where I need to be talked down from ordering this! Lol.
 
Kurupt CDN
Did NLR contact every Sim Racing Review site and content developer and tell them to release a review at XX o'clock today?

This is the 5th review for this product I've seen this morning lol

I've been interested in this type of product for a while now but having multiple buttkickers I never pulled the trigger.

Not really sure what extra advantages it would hold, nor can I think of any advantages of Back feedback in RL other than back pain....which I naturally have.

There was one seat I saw back in the day before motion Sims became popular that had moving pieces on the back to simulate cornering g forces for stationary rigs.
 
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Bonehead
Premium
RCHeliguy said:
As a previous NLRv3 owner, I'd have to say NLRv3 did a great job with that product.

They have solid easy to configure software that works reliably and I can't think of anything negative to say about the company.
Click to expand...
V3 here also with a rock solid DD2 wheel stand. With the small problem I had , their technical support was A+. I'll buy from them in a without thinking twice..
 
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B
For me, seat comfort while simracing for hours on end is very important. I have a Sparco circuit racing seat and find it very comfortable. I've tweaked it with some additional thin padding behind the removable section in the lower back area. It fits my body shape perfectly.

Without trying one of these NLR Haptic type 'inserts' I would imagine they would play havoc with my seat comfort. My seat is finally tuned to suit me and I think this would make my seat a tad uncomfortable, perhaps with a series of pressure points?? Maybe they'll design a seat from scratch that incorporates this type of system, but until then I'll give this one a miss.
 
Metla
Premium
Very tempted, Just had a look at the race sim shop down the road has them in stock.

Have a NLR Motion device and its always performed perfectly, Though I am wondering if I can use the same install to tune both devices if I buy one.
 

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