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!
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: veralin, GTxForza, WASNLOS and 8 others
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.

More in Hardware

Comments

E
Premium
Well, took mine apart.

I initially commented that it was more comfortable than I expected.

That is when I had laid it on top of my simrig seat (GS-5, which comes with Kirkey cover).

As this alters the contour, as noted by multiple others, I took the Kirkey cover off and laid down just the HF8.

That was not comfortable at all.

So I bit the bullet and stripped the hardware out of the fabric casing.

At first, I thought I would just pull out the motors, and did that to the first two or so.

It turns out, it was better to keep the back foam lining intact, and remove the units together, still attached to the back padding, orientation intact, wires secured.

This laid down readily underneath the Kirkey cover, and now the comfort is there without distorting the contour of the seat. Now it feels good!

The Kirkey cover has very thick foam under the thighs, so I'm not feeling these transducers, if at all. And I definitely turned up the motors to get enough action. And definitely the sensations are somewhat muted/diluted compared to vanilla, but the comfort and contour are there, the cosmetics are back, and the fiddle factor gone. I'm not going back to vanilla that's for sure!

I may decide to remove some foam from the Kirkey to get the motors closer to contacting the body, but that will take a little effort. What I did so far, no important effort. Just the willingness to sacrifice the unit as designed.

Makes me think they should sell just the innards, at a lesser price, for sim users to put under their own covers. Laying the thing on a dedicated rig will be a no go for a lot users I suspect.

Two issues I have to watch for:

I'm a little worried there might be an overheating issue, but so far, the transducers seem cool to touch. I'll keep watching.

I haven't fired up the GS-5 to see if I need to do further manipulations to allow the GS-5 panels to move without compromising the motors. I was thinking maybe back the whole thing up with a strong, smooth fabric, like that on a raincoat.

Meanwhile, I'm only using it for non-racing games, but it's doing what I want, and I continue to be quite happy about it. It's definitely a huge extension to the rumble in a gamepad.
 
Neil Roberts
I have to agree with the "positive" replies here - the simple game rule(s) for the HF8 are - 1) Do NOT use the NLR software !! (Simhub is the way to go), 2) Definitely deselect as many feedbacks as you are able and just leave 3-4 such as suspension, gear shift, low engine revs (ie - dial out as increase is better) and rumble. I'm playing AMS 2 and it's spot on - I have no delays, I setup each effect one at a time and tested to ensure it's one that I wanted and for sure check "master volume" (in sim hub) as I think that defaults low(ish) so you can turn that up. Now all I'm missing is pedal effects so I invested in a Nobsound amp and a couple of exciters and I will stick those on the pedals or under the deck and turn on traction and abs effects. I have come from nothing (not even a butt kicker) but everything I read says the HF8 is a better alternative - although I am adding a couple of small exciters for the pedals which I think is all they need.
 
pihops
esteady1 said:
Well, took mine apart.

I initially commented that it was more comfortable than I expected.

That is when I had laid it on top of my simrig seat (GS-5, which comes with Kirkey cover).

As this alters the contour, as noted by multiple others, I took the Kirkey cover off and laid down just the HF8.

That was not comfortable at all.

So I bit the bullet and stripped the hardware out of the fabric casing.

At first, I thought I would just pull out the motors, and did that to the first two or so.

It turns out, it was better to keep the back foam lining intact, and remove the units together, still attached to the back padding, orientation intact, wires secured.

This laid down readily underneath the Kirkey cover, and now the comfort is there without distorting the contour of the seat. Now it feels good!

The Kirkey cover has very thick foam under the thighs, so I'm not feeling these transducers, if at all. And I definitely turned up the motors to get enough action. And definitely the sensations are somewhat muted/diluted compared to vanilla, but the comfort and contour are there, the cosmetics are back, and the fiddle factor gone. I'm not going back to vanilla that's for sure!

I may decide to remove some foam from the Kirkey to get the motors closer to contacting the body, but that will take a little effort. What I did so far, no important effort. Just the willingness to sacrifice the unit as designed.

Makes me think they should sell just the innards, at a lesser price, for sim users to put under their own covers. Laying the thing on a dedicated rig will be a no go for a lot users I suspect.

Two issues I have to watch for:

I'm a little worried there might be an overheating issue, but so far, the transducers seem cool to touch. I'll keep watching.

I haven't fired up the GS-5 to see if I need to do further manipulations to allow the GS-5 panels to move without compromising the motors. I was thinking maybe back the whole thing up with a strong, smooth fabric, like that on a raincoat.

Meanwhile, I'm only using it for non-racing games, but it's doing what I want, and I continue to be quite happy about it. It's definitely a huge extension to the rumble in a gamepad.
Click to expand...

If you own a GS5 seat why didn't go the route of installign transducers directly on the GS5 seat paddle which are pre-driller for that purpose ? didnt' want to fiddle with a custom setup ?
 
Ryan Soucy
Okay, I initially said I would be returning it, and even went to the lengths of disconnecting it from my chair. But after some perseverance and tweaking, I'm at a place where I'm going to keep it and I actually enjoy feeling the effects.

--The only use for the official software is for the sound integration. I have gotten that to work where my audio affects the rumble through the USB connection. I use this for NR2003 which does not have Simhub support.

--I purchased a licensed version of Simhub, that may give me quicker effects. I've always been bothered by the delay (however slight) between the wheel and the seat. I'm looking forward to using their dashboards. SimDashboard is at times wonky.

--I use less Accel and Decel effects and more lateral G effects. I was hoping to emulate a motion rig initially, it doesn't really do that. I then wanted to see if I can use it to notify me of slip or yaw, the reaction speed isn't there yet. Now I have it dialed in as an immersion enhancer and it does that. And to be honest, the massaging feels good while I'm working hard at the wheel!

If you have a $1200 wheel or a collection of $300 wheel hubs and you balk at this price, I don't get you. If you're on a budget, this isn't the killer app in simracing.

Thought I should update y'all after my initial skepticism.
 
RayTruant
Premium
Neil Roberts said:
I have to agree with the "positive" replies here - the simple game rule(s) for the HF8 are - 1) Do NOT use the NLR software !! (Simhub is the way to go), 2) Definitely deselect as many feedbacks as you are able and just leave 3-4 such as suspension, gear shift, low engine revs (ie - dial out as increase is better) and rumble.
Click to expand...
The NLR software is awful. You have to start it, minimized in tray, then start the game, get into a car, than back to HF8 and chose the profile for the game, then back to the game and drive. But once in the game, if you exit out of drive, the pad disconnects and will not connect again unless you restart the computer. The software does not actually quit in windows.

I would tolerate this for a <$80 toy, not at this price point. If you actually enable all effects, the pad just vibrates constantly. It's as if the software dev has never raced a car.

For those considering purchase, you need the full version of Simhub. Shame on Dave Cameron ("not a review") for promoting this only demoing it on iRacing.
 
RayTruant
Premium
dazzcupra said:
anyone care to share their setting /profiles
Click to expand...
My settings for ACC and AC:

GAIN 100

ABS OFF

ACCEL 19%

DECEL 95%

GEAR GRINDING OFF

GAR SHIFT 100%

JUMP LANDING OFF

LATERAL GFORCE OFF

MISSED GEAR OFF

ROAD IMPACTS 100%

ROAD RUMBLE 100%

ROAD VIBRATION 60%

RPMS 82%

SIMULATED ROAD TEXTURE 40%

SPEED OFF

SPEED WITH CURVING OFF

STATIC WIND OFF

TC OFF

WHEELS LOCK 100%

WHEEL SLIP 100%
 
Ryan Soucy
This just in: best game with the HF8 is ... Forza Horizon 5. Hands down. Caveat is you have to use the Simhub software which is totally worth the registration cost.

Everything seems to work better in this game:
Acceleration/deceleration
Speed with curving (to get lateral G's
Rumble strips
Rough terrain texture
Feeling of weightlessness when all seat noise disappears on a jump

As an added bonus, I just upgraded to a GT Omega Art cockpit with the RS6 seat. The sharp vibe effects through my TX when racing off-road makes the pedal plate rumble too which really adds to immersion. Needless to say I am actually really excited about the upcoming rally expansion. (The Hot Wheels expansion was "mid" as my 13 year old would say.)
 
Ryan Soucy
Settings? Everyday I learn a little more and tweak. Some things I've found:
-My seating position understates the back effects vs. seat effects, so I've put seat effects at 50% relative to the back and give it more overall power.
-Speed with curving gives me the best lateral g-force feeling. You have to tune down the overall speed feeling b/c it gets harder with speed, I just want the side to side feeling
-Lateral Gforce and wheel slip: I can't seem to get a consistent feeling across games. needs more testing
-More accel than decel here
-No simulated road texture, but I go higher in the road effects
-I use the Virtual audio card in the NLR app for NR2003 and Mass Effect. Otherwise I only tune in Simhub. Whom HF8 needs to pay or copy...
 
Andy_J
Just ordered my HF8. I can't afford expensive setups like buttkickers and racing rigs, so this will have to do. My Haptic Corsair headset does a good rumble of a V8 engine too. So hopefully I will feel more immersed in my sim racing.
 
Andy_J
Ryan Soucy said:
Settings? Everyday I learn a little more and tweak. Some things I've found:
-My seating position understates the back effects vs. seat effects, so I've put seat effects at 50% relative to the back and give it more overall power.
-Speed with curving gives me the best lateral g-force feeling. You have to tune down the overall speed feeling b/c it gets harder with speed, I just want the side to side feeling
-Lateral Gforce and wheel slip: I can't seem to get a consistent feeling across games. needs more testing
-More accel than decel here
-No simulated road texture, but I go higher in the road effects
-I use the Virtual audio card in the NLR app for NR2003 and Mass Effect. Otherwise I only tune in Simhub. Whom HF8 needs to pay or copy...
Click to expand...
Hi Ryan
Can you assist me please? You say you use the Virtual audiocard in the NLR APP for NR2003. Could you explain that a bit more to me please? I can't seem to find the virtual audiocard in the NLR software. Many thanks
Andy
 
Last edited:
Ryan Soucy
Andy_J said:
Hi Ryan
Can you assist me please? You say you use the Virtual audiocard in the NLR APP for NR2003. Could you explain that a bit more to me please? I can't seem to find the virtual audiocard in the NLR software. Many thanks
Andy
Click to expand...
When I open the official NLR HF8 software its the last item in the game list, right after X-plane. When I click on the "Virtual Sound Card" whatever sound played by the computer is sent to the HF8 so I feel the rumble (all motors at once) in the seat. Its not the best, but its something.
 
Andy_J
Ryan Soucy said:
When I open the official NLR HF8 software its the last item in the game list, right after X-plane. When I click on the "Virtual Sound Card" whatever sound played by the computer is sent to the HF8 so I feel the rumble (all motors at once) in the seat. Its not the best, but its something.
Click to expand...
OK, thanks. But do you still get sound through your normal speakers or headphones at the same time?
Cheers
Andy
 
Andy_J
Just a little update on my purchase of the HF8. I am very pleasantly surprised. Having followed a few guides and using the official software (I do have a licenced version of SimHub too) I made some changes to the AMS 2 settings and I really love it. With my Corsair Haptic headset and the HF8 on my normal office racing chair, I did a race with the Stock cars and it was the best I have experienced. This is a budget setup in the great scheme of things but along with my T500RS, HF8 and H60 Haptic headset I was in the zone and fully immersed. I really like the HF8. The gear changes, the braking, the rev limiter vibes. Great stuff. And this was using their own software. I will experiment with simhub soon.
brasil-chevy-19-1920.jpg



PS, I have also used simhub to get a basic bit of haptic feedback when doing some oval racing in Nascar Heat 5 which I really like for the atmosphere and close racing. And it is more immersive.
Really enjoying my AI sim racing at the moment.
20230228234845_1.jpg

20230228233416_1.jpg
 
Last edited:
P
Trying to set this up. Do I understand it correctly it comes with no profiles at all except for iracing. None of the supported games have any default profiles so you can try it out? Mine works in the setup menu but I can not get any effect in acc, ams 2 or fh 5. The page for these games is blank there is no profiles at all
 

Latest News

Article information

Author
Alexandre Tonini
Article read time
1 min read
Views
29,303
Comments
120
Last update

Share this article

Are you buying car setups?

  • Yes

  • No

Results are only viewable after voting.
See comments…
Back
Top