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Simulation games are huge and continually growing in popularity. So, too, is the chase to build the most realistic experiences possible. At the recent Sim Racing Expo in Charlotte I saw a lot of wild hardware, some of it with equally wild price tags.
But one of the more interesting things I got to experience was from Sensit Haptics. The company was showing off its MTC-P Extreme haptic seat insert, a product you can use right now with some of the most popular racing games on the planet to add an extra dimension to your experience.
It's not the cheapest, coming in at a little over double the price of the Razer Freyja, the only other haptic seat cushion I've personally tested. But with a narrow focus, in this case, sim-racing, the results are astonishing.
I have limited real-world track racing experience, but I have done some. The one constant I tried to get a feel for the accuracy of the haptics was driving over curbs. They're horrible on any track, and taking movement out of the equation, the feel is uncanny.
If I'd thought to point a camera at my face while I tried it, you'd see the shock. When it comes to racing, the feel through the seat of your pants is almost as important as seeing where you're going. You can feel the car beginning to slide, for example, before you'll see it.
This is where Sensit's haptics really comes alive. During my time testing it out, I did a run around Road Atlanta, and the vibration feedback was electrifying. Besides the curbs, you can feel when the ABS kicks in, when the traction control rescues you, and when the car is getting unstable. Paired with good force feedback from the wheel, it's as close as you can get to reality while sitting still.
Where the Sensit MTC-P Extreme differs from something like the Razer Freyja is in its focus. You couldn't play Call of Duty in this, for example, and get haptic feedback. Sensit doesn't use audio as a source for its haptics at all, instead relying purely on telemetry from the racing titles it supports.
Those titles right now include Assetto Corsa, iRacing, Assetto Corsa EVO, F1 25, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Le Mans Ultimate, Project Motor Racing, Raceroom, Assetto Corsa Rally, and Automobilista 2. Alas, no Forza Horizon 6.
The Sensit MTC-P boasts a whopping 14 actuators (for context, the Razer Freyja has six) with six in the base and eight in the back. It's a simple USB connection to hook it up to your PC, and Sensit has its own app to help you tune the seat, while also supporting the popular third-party tool Simhub.
It's hard to truly describe since it's a feeling, rather than something quantifiable, but I'll be damned if it didn't leave me with the biggest smile.
When I reviewed the Razer Freyja, I said that I could imagine it being applied to iRacing, and well, here we are. The Sensit MTC-P is still a significant investment, but compared to getting a motion platform, it's more affordable and more approachable.
Especially since you don't have to get a full seat, you can get the cushions and use them on your existing one. It's compatible with a range of popular sim-racing seats, where the stock cushions are replaced by the Sensit ones.
When I'd gotten comfortable and really in the zone, my brain genuinely thought I was moving; that's how realistic the haptic feedback feels. It's truly remarkable.
Haptics are the next big thing we should care about when it comes to immersion in gaming. Right now, Sensit is focused on the more serious sim-racing experience, and that's fine. It's doing what it does extremely well.
Once you try it, you'll get it. I want more people to be able to try it. I want this space to become a bigger playground. We talk about realism in games; this is one way to help us get it.
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