Next Level Racing unveils the HF8 Haptic Feedback Gaming Pad

HF8.jpg
Are buttkickers about to become obsolete? That is a good question to ask ourselves with Next Level Racing's new product announcement.

The HF8 Haptic Feedback Gaming pad is a cushion that can be fitted on a chair or on a racing seat which features 8 vibrating pads: 4 behind your back, 2 under your butt and 2 under your thighs. The product is said to work with any application on any platform, including consoles, with PC allowing for more in-depth software profile customization. Among other uses likes FPS shooters or flying sims, the product is also heavily marketed towards simracing.

The concept itself seems very interesting and, if executed properly and supported by racing simulations, could very well be a good alternative to try giving body feedback to people who are used to feel lateral Gs and other things in a real car without having to resort to cumbersome, complex and extremely expensive motion rigs.


Global retailers should be selling it this month already, with MSRP being 249 EUR for Europe, 229 USD for North America, 399 AUD for Australia and 229 GBP for UK. Considering the advertized versatility of the HF8, this looks like pretty good value. We hope to be able to test it and provide a review soon!
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About author
GT-Alex
Alexandre Tonini
Global motorsports enjoyer, long time simracer, Gran Turismo veteran, I've been driving alongside top drivers since the dawn of online pro leagues on Gran Turismo, and qualified for the only cancelled FIA GTC World Tour. I've left aside competitive driving in 2020 to dedicate myself to IGTL, a simracing organisation hosting high quality events for pro racers and customers, to create with friends the kind of events we wished we could have had. We strive to provide the best events for drivers and the best content for viewers, and want to help the simracing scene grow and shine further in the global esports scene.

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Comments

Metla
Premium
Flux8067 said:
You made my day! Gonna try this as soon as it arrives tonight.
Click to expand...
It is really quite incredible with Simhub. I picked the exact effects I wanted, gave them all a response curve, adjusted the strength, Jumped in game, and near perfect.

I understand they would have wanted to ship the product with a very simplistic interface so everybody can get it up and running, But there bundled software is terrible and I would consider it a significant failure.

I need to buy another simhub license, that program has been a saving grace multiple times.
 
MrBraindown
Premium
Metla said:
It is really quite incredible with Simhub. I picked the exact effects I wanted, gave them all a response curve, adjusted the strength, Jumped in game, and near perfect.

I understand they would have wanted to ship the product with a very simplistic interface so everybody can get it up and running, But there bundled software is terrible and I would consider it a significant failure.

I need to buy another simhub license, that program has been a saving grace multiple times.
Click to expand...
Interesting, I think I might give it a go if it has simhub integration. Thanks for all your progress reports/info, it’s been much appreciated.
 
Maharg1971@rd
Metla said:
It is really quite incredible with Simhub. I picked the exact effects I wanted, gave them all a response curve, adjusted the strength, Jumped in game, and near perfect.

I understand they would have wanted to ship the product with a very simplistic interface so everybody can get it up and running, But there bundled software is terrible and I would consider it a significant failure.

I need to buy another simhub license, that program has been a saving grace multiple times.
Click to expand...
Was wondering how it would work with Simhub, thank you for the
investigation work.
 
F
Metla said:
It is really quite incredible with Simhub. I picked the exact effects I wanted, gave them all a response curve, adjusted the strength, Jumped in game, and near perfect.

I understand they would have wanted to ship the product with a very simplistic interface so everybody can get it up and running, But there bundled software is terrible and I would consider it a significant failure.

I need to buy another simhub license, that program has been a saving grace multiple times.
Click to expand...
Would you be open to sharing your settings?
 
F
So mine came in an I installed it immediately. First impressions? A nice to have but not really a game changer. I’m not to crazy about its thickness and how it changes my seating position too. Still, this might change after I fine tune it and make some rig adjustments.
 
Metla
Premium
Flux8067 said:
Would you be open to sharing your settings?
Click to expand...
I haven't adjusted them since my last post, But I essentially cleared everything and just enabled the three effects I wanted and only tuned the REVS option so far. Then jumped into the secondary panel and assigned effects to corresponding wheels/vibration pads. The revs I assigned to the back panel.
set 1.jpgset2.jpgset3.jpgset4.jpg
 
Last edited:
Ryan Soucy
Updated 10 days later in a subsequent post...


Mine came yesterday. Here's my 2 min review:

I'll be returning it.

Cons:
- Not a good fit for office-style gaming chairs. It pushes you too far forward so you have no support under your thighs. Also bumps you up too high for most desks. I'd have to replace my casters for lower profile "feet". I'm not buying a new chair to facilitate using this.
- 1st party game support is weak. iRacing is of course supported and you'll probably see all the reviews on iRacing as the demo. If you're an iRacer with a nice race seat setup, this is your jam. There's a reason they don't publish the game list on the website.
- Differentiation b/w left and right is hard to feel.
- They used bigger motors with heavier weights, they might have been better off using higher frequency motors with lower weights.
- Cable management in anything other than a sim cockpit is ugly and/or a trip hazard
- There is a noticeable delay in effects, though this might be due to Simhub vs the native software. I can dip onto and off of a rumble strip and I don't feel the effect until I've got 4 wheels back on tarmac.

Pros:
- Seems pretty well built
- Does add to the immersion. If my expectation was a 10, then the reality was a 6 or 7. Smaller motors might help.
- Simhub support saves the day. Game support and configuration options are great. Apparently this is the same product as the Realtus ForceFeel pad, and this had previously been incorporated into Simhub. Without this support, I could not recommend this product at all.
- Not uncomfortable. If I put this in a nice racing bucket seat, I'd bet it was actually comfortable.

What it did make me realize is how effing good wheel effects have gotten. All these effects that I was expecting to feel through my bum were in my hands instantly. They told me everything I needed to know. Maybe a little rumble and vibration would be nice, but it noticeably trailed the wheel effects and that limited the immersion.

Again, we are pretty spoiled as simracers in that this stuff is available affordably for our home systems.
 
Last edited:
Neil Roberts
Metla said:
And the saga continues...

I emailed simhub and asked about future support for the HF8, and was advised that its already there as the HF8 uses the same electronics as the forcefeel pad which is listed under devices. And sure enough, it connects right to it and purrs away.

So, its just a repackaged version of this seat pad https://www.realteus.com/products/forcefeelView attachment 631187
Click to expand...
May I ask simple question using this config can I use USB or do I need to go to audio ?
 
Metla
Premium
Maybe the chair has an impact on it, I can tell left and right,forward and back no problem at all, I would consider it quite pronounced.

I can tell when a single wheel goes off track, and which wheel it is, and I just realized last night that Im locking up just the front wheels far more often than I thought.
 
S
Ya, I just watched The Simpit's 3rd video of the HF8 and he now says the separation issue he had was fixed. I'm not sure I understand why he had the problem in the first place. It sounds like he had all motors vibrating. If that's truly the case, then there's no actual issue in feeling the difference between L/R, the issue is simply a software setup that makes both sides rumble and therefore is purposely limiting or eliminating separation.
 
GT-Alex
Metla said:
Maybe the chair has an impact on it, I can tell left and right,forward and back no problem at all, I would consider it quite pronounced.

I can tell when a single wheel goes off track, and which wheel it is, and I just realized last night that Im locking up just the front wheels far more often than I thought.
Click to expand...
I would assume this will work better if laid directly onto a fiber shell VS it being on top of soft padding which will surely absorb some of the effect. If someone has a racing type seat, I'd suggest trying to remove the cloth cover, put the pad on the seat shell and fit the cover back on top. I'd be curious to get feedback on that.
 
Ryan Soucy
Spinelli said:
Interesting. At least one other person said the same thing (The Simpit youtube video). I wonder why. The L/R separation on my SimShaker JetPad is fantastic.
Click to expand...
The motors might just be too close together? I'm going to play with it a little more and maybe reduce effects that affect all four motors, like the braking. I need to play more with isolating the effects.
 
Ryan Soucy
Ryan Soucy said:
Mine came yesterday. Here's my 2 min review:

I'll be returning it.
Click to expand...

Not so fast, Ryan! I worked with it a little more last night and found a more comfortable seating position. Comfortable enough to do an F3 race in AMS2. So it should be comfortable enough to try it for another week to play with the motors. I think the end result will be that I use less total rumble.

I will say that I still cannot get the HF8 software to work. I'm really hoping that we can use the USB connection to get effects via audio. I still need to play with that feature, but I would like to play Mass Effect and Far Cry and feel those FPS effects.
 

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