ENTERTAINMENT

Novint Falcon

PC game controller

B-For PC.

$189

WII MEETS PC: The Falcon is one of the most bizarre and promising PC controllers ever released. The device – which looks like a basketball with three arms connected to a doorknob – is essentially a three-dimensional mouse that lets you feels the shape, texture and contour of on-screen objects. But while the hardware is a stunning achievement, the tiny number of (mostly crummy) Falcon-compatible games is disappointing.

HOW IT WORKS: The three arms rotate and move around as you control the knob, but the real genius lies in the motors inside the main ball that react almost instantaneously to your movements. In the tutorial software, spheres of various textures and materials will appear on the screen. As you push the cursor toward the sphere – remember, the Falcon senses movement in three dimensions, unlike a mouse, which is limited to two – the cursor comes in contact with the sphere, and the motors provide resistance. You literally feel the shape and texture of the spheres through your fingers.

BOTTOM LINE: At $189, it's hard to see this thing becoming popular enough for a bigger game publisher to throw its support behind it. But man, what an awesome toy.

Victor Godinez