The Razer Enki Pro HyperSense is not Razer's first foray into the gaming chair concept, but it seems like the first one that might really hit store shelves.
This ingenious piece of furniture combines the comfortable design of the Razer Enki gaming chair with full-body tactile feedback, essentially turning everything from movies to music to games into a fully immersive multimedia experience.
Razer announced the Enki Pro HyperSense at CES 2022. But before you run out to pre-order, you should know that the Enki Pro HyperSense is one of Razer's "concept" products.
Every year at CES, Razer announces one or two ambitious and pictorial projects that may or may not see the light of day. Last year, for example, Razer unveiled the Project Hazel face mask. But Razer also announced the Project Brooklyn gaming chair.
For those who didn't see it, Project Brooklyn was a comprehensive PC gaming setup, with a rollable OLED screen, full RGB lighting, a peripheral tray, and a tactile feedback system built into the chair.
The Enki Pro HyperSense keeps the tactile feedback but eliminates everything else. Therefore, the Enki Pro HyperSense is not only "totally unthinkable," but probably "expensive" for the average PC gamer.
At first glance, the Enki Pro HyperSense looks like a standard Razer Enki. It is a high-backed black and green gaming chair with a supported back, seat, and armrests.
The difference lies in the base of the device. Instead of a simple set of casters, the base also contains a large motor. These motors send tactile signals to other parts of the chair, which vibrate differently depending on whether the person sitting in the chair is playing a game or listening to music.
Interestingly, Razer has already worked with popular haptic technology company D-Box to program native support for more than 2,000 games, movies, and music tracks into the Enki Pro HyperSense. The game selection includes Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Forza Horizon 5. Haptics on streaming platforms and compatible controllers, mice, and keyboards will also be supported by the algorithm.
The interesting question, of course, is whether Enki Pro HyperSense will be offered for a fee. The skeptic in me says no. Gaming chairs are already a niche product, and making them even more expensive to facilitate a technology that people don't really want (full body haptics) seems incredibly impractical.
On the other hand, Enki Pro HyperSense is much more feasible than Project Brooklyn because integrating haptics into a gaming chair is much cheaper than integrating a rollable OLED screen. I would not bet against the Enki Pro HyperSense being released for the consumer market, but I would not bet big money against it either.
For updates on this year's CES, check out our CES 2022 live blog.
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