"For the gaming market, the implications of this new technology are enormous," said Dean Chang, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Technology Adoption and Partner Services at Immersion Corporation. "Less than 5% of the PC game titles on the market today have built-in force feedback effects. TouchWare Gaming software can breathe new life into PC-Windows games by instantly adding realistic and fun force feedback effects with a simple download. These effects can then be experienced by the gamer through the many force feedback peripherals on the market today."
TouchWare Gaming, which can bring force feedback effects to all PC games for Windows 95 or later, helps broaden Immersion's partners' market reach and affords significant advantages over the large numbers of PC gaming products without touch. After months of research, Immersion devised an intelligent way to analyze sound effects, convert them using advanced algorithms, and map them to appropriate haptic effects. The breakthrough is more evidence of Immersion's depth of expertise and commitment to the gaming industry.
According to The NPD Group, only about 300 of the over 6000 PC-Windows game titles have pre-programmed force feedback effects. At the same time, the market research firm's data confirm that the force feedback market share of PC hardware peripherals continues to grow year over year. These numbers indicate a large, growing demand among gamers who want force feedback peripherals. Until now, gamers with haptics-enabled hardware have been limited to pre-programmed force feedback software titles and effects. TouchWare Gaming software fundamentally changes the gaming experience, enabling players to enjoy force feedback in any PC game by easily installing the software. Immersion plans to announce the pricing and availability of TouchWare Gaming software by this summer.
Logitech, Microsoft, Saitek, Belkin and other leaders in the video console and computer gaming industries were among the first to license Immersion's haptic technology. Already, Immersion has licensed its patents to more than 100 haptic-enabled peripherals and more than 500 game titles on the market. Immersion has more than 10 years expertise in licensing and marketing haptic technology and products.