I don’t know about you, but when I’m playing a competitive shooter or open-world fantasy game, I just can’t feel properly immersed without really feeling the bullets hitting me, or the pain my character feels as they tumble down a hill.
And no, my controller rumbling just isn’t enough.
Thankfully, Razer is here to save the day with its new Freyja sensory gaming cushion: a padded device that can attach to your gaming chair and, when connected to your gaming console or PC, will provide haptic feedback across your body corresponding to what’s happening on screen.
The Freyja, which was showcased at RazerCon 2024, uses a proprietary technology Razer created called ‘Razer Sensa HD Haptics’ with the aim of delivering feedback to players in a new way.
Within the cushion lies six high-definition haptic motors which have been arranged to provide multi-directional feedback, allowing you to feel the “intensity of in-game events across different areas of your body, drawing you deeper into the game”.
Now, you may think, ‘wait a minute, if I’m getting haptic feedback on my body, I also want it through my head’, and don’t worry, because Razer thought the same thing and has launched the new and improved Razer Kraken V4 Pro: which also features the company’s Sensa HD Haptics technology, and pairs with the Freyja cushion through Razer’s desktop app, Razer Synapse, or Razer Nexus on Android.
Now, the Kraken V4 Pro brings quite a few new things to the table compared to prior models, such as a separate OLED audio control hub which helps you to manage the haptics of the headset, and can display system metrics and audio options on its display, but the real star is the ability to broaden Razer’s Haptic system to more parts of your body
The headset also features Razer’s Chroma RGB lighting on the outside of the cans, which can be customised within the company’s apps, and can connect through 3.5mm audio jack, USB cable, Bluetooth or Razer’s HyperSpeed Wireless USB.
Partners in Crime
While the Sensa HD Haptics tech will feasibly work across any game you throw at it, Razer has worked diligently with a few partners to create a more robust experience for its players.
Which games work best with the Haptic ecosystem, you ask? Final Fantasy XVI, Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl, Frostpunk 2, the upcoming Silent Hill 2, MechWarrior 5: Clans, Once Human, Sniper Elite: Resistance, World of Warships, SnowRunner, and a bunch more.
It’s not clear how these experiences will differ from non-optimised ones, but it’s likely that the movements and rumbles will be more precisely tuned to evoke a more subtle or specific feeling in the player tuned to that game specifically. I can imagine a low rumble when exploring a particularly dangerous and tense hospital in Silent Hill 2, for example.
And the best new of all, both devices are on sale starting today: The Freyja cushion starts from US$299.99, whereas the Kraken V4 Pro start at US$399.99, and both are available online though Razer’s online store.
