Go Go Gadget Gamer. That's the loving term I have been affectionately labeled with lately as my desk has begun to look like a PC Accessory Isle at your favorite PC shop. Ok so I admit it I love gadgets and anything that will help me feel more absorbed in a game I have to have.  I was among the first to outfit my PC with a S3 Virge card to enjoy Descent 2 in all its 3d glory. What don't go back that far? Let's put it this way I paid $329 for my Diamond Monster 3D Voodoo Graphics board and then spent months telling people that it was the best thing since sliced bread. And let's not forget the countless hours on IRC explaining how you can feel the stall of your plane in my favorite WWII Sim with my nifty new Force Feedback Flight stick. Yes I love gadgets.

When I first heard about the Rumble FX Force Feedback headphones the gadget lover in me was excited. However, I was rather skeptical. Let's Face it, force feedback is the last thing you would expect in headphones, and is more often associated with joysticks. The thought of having my head vibrating with explosions just didn't register as something that would improve game play.  Boy was I wrong.

In the Box
The headphones feel extremely well built and though made entirely out of plastic, feel very solid.  The comfort is above average for a headset of this price range and the headband like the ear cups is padded with soft vinyl covered foam and is adjustable to fit nearly every head. The cord on the headphones is two foot long and terminates on the controller that houses the force feedback and volume control and doubles as the battery compartment (2 AAA Batteries Included) which clips neatly on your belt.  To connect the controller to your PC an extension cable that has typical gold plated 1/8" stereo headphone jacks on both ends, which measures just over 10 feet in length and plugs into the headphones controller, and your PC on the other end. Also included is a 1/8" to 1/4" Stereo adapter for use with audio equipment that uses the older 1/4" jack.

Usage
When I received the RumbeFX in the mail I immediately had to plug these babies in and give them a test drive with Quake III Arena.  My first impression was unbelievable. I could not believe my ears.  The Rumble FX added a dimension to Quake III that I wasn't aware was even there. You can feel the bass just as you would with your subwoofer except without disturbing everyone in the room.  In Quake III you can feel the rumble of machinery in levels that before now were just background noise.  The closed ear design also means they block out most of the outside world much better than typical walkman style phones so you can play at lower volumes and still become fully absorbed in the game. And if that weren't enough, the drivers that produce the vibration are independent so when teamed up with a good 3D sound card with positional audio you can literally feel which direction an opponent is attacking from. Way cool stuff.

Another game that totally absorbed me was Lucas Arts' Rogue Squadron, which I have recently fallen in love with due to the 3D Glasses I have been reviewing.  In Rogue Squadron when piloting a snow speeder in close proximity to the large walkers, I was blown away by the fact that though the footsteps of the walkers don't have much low end they do obviously have some frequencies in their sound that triggers the RumbleFX. This means that you can literally feel every step, which gives you the feeling of being right there in the game.

I can't help but feel that the RumbleFX enhanced every game that I threw at it to some degree.  The rumble of the charging bull in Serious Sam will leave you shaking in your boots. In Thief: The Dark Project you can feel the rumble and clanking of the factory through the cold stone floor in the prison level. And you can't forget the feeling of your shields disintegrating as you fly through the exploding mass of a drone fighter exploding just feet in front of you in Battle of Naboo. And that just scratches the surface.

The RumbleFX headphones aren't just for PC gaming either.  They will enhance your MP3 and CD collection as well adding the ability to feel the bass, an experience that you previously only got from being there live or a nice high-powered subwoofer. Testing with my favorite Pantera and Tool CDs proved to be just as impressive as any of the games I tested. One of the coolest and most impressive music pieces was in Battle of Naboo. When you pause the game it plays some tense orchestra piece that has the most incredible low end that if you closed your eyes you could just imagine being in the front row of the London philharmonic.  Too Cool.

Conclusion
The Rumble FX headphones are a real treat to game with, and in my opinion, well worth the $60 MSRP. The headphones feature as high of quality sound reproduction as can be expected for a pair of headphones in their price range and have the added bonus of the force effects.  What's better is that any game, or actually any audio, can take advantage of the headphones as is, so you can start enjoying them right out of the box.  If you shop around you can find these at the rock bottom price of $39.95 from places like Buy.com, which makes them hard to pass up.  Because I thought these were such a great product at a great price, I give the RumbleFX 3D Gaming Worlds Editor Choice award for a product well done.

Review by: William Gall
Date: April 15, 2001