Corsair's latest headset dances on a dome with tactile feedback

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Corsair's latest headset dances on a dome with tactile feedback

Corsair is tipping its hat to a very small circle of headsets with haptic feedback that brings the rumble found in most controllers to your eardrums and head. The company's new HS60 Haptic does this through special bass processing by Taction Technology.

The idea is based on the notion that "we perceive heavy bass as vibration rather than hearing it." To help with this, the earcups of the HS60 Haptic are equipped with tactile transducers that Taction describes as "a 200-pound subwoofer in a 1-ounce module."

This generates tactile feedback in response to the thumping bass of music or the low frequencies of a grenade exploding in a game; according to Corsair, this will allow the headset to "detect sounds in games that other headsets miss."

"Hearing the deep, low rumble of an explosion or the reverberating hum of nearby machinery is a richer, more engaging experience with the HS60 Haptic," Corsair said.

Corsair is not the first to do this; Razer's Nari Ultimate also shakes your skull with a version of haptic feedback it calls HyperSense. I have never played with the Nari Ultimate, but I have owned a Rosewill headset with basic vibration effects.

I can only assume that Corsair's implementation is more sophisticated than Rosewill's-the company claims that its Taction transducers pick up low frequencies with greater precision than other tactile headsets, but I cannot speak from ear experience. However, like that headset, the H60 Haptic allows the user to adjust the level of tactile feedback.

Aside from the rumble effect, the HS60 Haptic uses a pair of custom-tuned 50mm neodymium drivers. It does not offer features like virtual 7.1 surround sound or RGB lighting, nor is it a wireless solution. However, it does feature a detachable noise-canceling unidirectional microphone, braided cables, and adjustable earcups padded with memory foam.

The H60 Haptic is available now for $130 (£120).

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