If you're like me, you've caught yourself daydreaming about stepping into your favourite video game world and with virtual reality, we have finally gotten so close to feeling like we're there from that visual perspective. Accompanied by excellent cues via binaural audio introducing 3d sound into the mix for that extra level of immersion, it's about time someone else has added another sense into the mix. Smell.
The idea of weaving scents into our entertainment isn't a fresh-out-of-the-box concept.
Theatres experimented with it back to at least the 1800s and the Smell-O-Vision and Smell-o-Rama devices brought smells to the big screen in the mid 1900s. Many television shows throughout the years have used the idea as a gag and you've almost certainly turned to your friend and said how cool it would be to be able to smell what you were watching or playing. There's a curiosity there, a kind of collective daydream we've all shared.
It seems like this daydream might just be stepping out into the light of reality and I'm excited.
Introducing Gamescent
Powered by "AI" and utilizing the sound from your games, Gamescent claims it will help immerse you into the game with scents of gunfire, racing cars, storms, and more. You will of course need to purchase refills for your scents as they deplete, but could the experience be worth it?
The unit ships with 6 different scents, which includes "clean air" that can be manually triggered to clear the room of other scents when you're done gaming. Other scents included are:
- Gunfire: Let the smoky echoes of gunshots immerse you in the adrenaline-pumping world of virtual combat.
- Explosion: Smell the detonations from explosions and debris as you navigate through virtual warzones.
- Racing: Accelerate into the fast lane with invigorating blend of rubber, fuel, and asphalt propels you into a high-speed race-ready arena.
- Storm: Feel the freshness of rain and ozone as you walk through the rainy streets of gotham, or travel through rhodes.
- Forest: Immerse yourself in the scent of ancient pine and earth, transporting your gaming space into a magical realm of adventure.
But wait, there's more! You can't download more scents but there are more scent refills coming down the line.
- Ocean: Inspired by the open seas. Let the refreshing breeze and saltwater transport you to pirate-infested waters or a day at the beach.
- Fresh Cut Grass: Immerse yourself in the invigorating essence of a sunlit lawn as you swing the golf clubs, or field.
- Blood: Prepare for intense brutal battles of combat. Immerse yourself in the bold and metallic essence, adding raw intensity of virtual horror.
- Sports Arena: Score big in the cheers and energy of the crowd, turning your gaming room into the ultimate stadium for victory celebrations.
There were also mentions of Napalm, Golf Course, and Human Exertion, though we couldn't find any up to date descriptions of them and it feels like they may be placeholder names for other scents. They also mention an "Anime" scent in their FAQs which has us a little concerned about what that might smell like.
Speaking of the official FAQ, they are working on a dedicated VR adapter for the Gamescent since as of right now it's requires a bit of a more extended setup to get working with the way headsets work,
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Is this is the biggest revolution in gaming in decades as they claim? Maybe not, but we're willing to take a chance on it and have made the purchase so we can figure out how good this really is. Not sponsored, nor has the company reached out to us to talk about the product, this is coming directly out of pocket for the most unbiased review possible so stay tuned for that in the coming weeks.
What games do you want us to play with the Gamescent?
All links inside of this post that go to Amazon are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Out of Games earns from qualifying purchases.
If you're interested in giving Gamescent a go yourself, it is available right now on Amazon at an introductory discount. If you're feeling lucky, Gamescent has a giveaway going on for the next couple of days that you can go and enter.
That's a Canadian price so it's effectively Monopoly money but we're going all-in!
Comments
Geoff made a tweet about it too: https://twitter.com/geoffkeighley/status/1762496577132974223
The Napalm scent is hilarious though. Imagine a SWAT team storming your house coz a neighbor complains they can smell dangerous chemicals 🤣
Remember the Smelloscope from Futurama? It's here in the year 2024!
And we didn't even need to get frozen in time to experience it!
For your sake, Demon, I hope they don't come up with "theme park vomit" as a smell.
VR headset + haptic suit + surround-sound speakers + this = sad, lonely, expensive tears lol. Just need the gaming equivalent of Willy Wonka gum now XD
I'm so glad the taste aspect isn't absolutely required. Though it would make Overcooked more interesting when your friend burns the food.
I really hope the Gamescent ends up being good. Even if you don't use it all the time, it would still be nice to break it out occasionally when you want that extra bit of reality. I'm really hoping that the burning tyre smells are good because we're going to have an incredible time in VR with my racing wheel playing F1 and Assetto Corsa.