The Buttkicker Gamer 2 adds a deeper level of immersion and realism to your games, particularly simulator racing. This is a product that’s been on my radar since I first looked in to building a simulator rig, and as you’ll see at the end of the video, something I’d prioritized more highly!
It works very much like a subwoofer, with the audio signal from your PC or Console being sent to an amplifier. This powers a voice coil inside a vibration transducer rather than a speaker, creating deep vibrations that let you feel what’s going on in the virtual world.
For sim racing, things are taken even further, with software packages such as SimVibe and SimHub allowing you to output specific signals to the Buttkicker to simulate things like ripple strip and tyre vibration, road texture. Engine RPM and even the thud of a gear change in incredible detail. Note that for this to work, you will need a second audio output device available. Thankfully most DisplayPort or HDMI monitors have this functionality and you can simply use the headphone jack as an additional audio device to drive your buttkicker independently.
In today’s video I unbox my Buttkicker 2, get it installed on my simulator cockpit and walk you through the initial software set-up in SimHub to get you up and running with the most realistic experience. I’ll then take you along for a drive in F1 2018 as I experience it for the first time and give my impressions.
I’ll be putting together another video in a few weeks once I’ve got a few hours of usage under my belt to walk you through how to fine-tune the settings in SimHub to optimize the realism.
Note that I paid full retail for this product. This video is my honest opinion and impressions of the product and is in no way sponsored by any manufacturer or reseller.
