Are we living in the future or what?
This is the ForceTube.
With this thing, you can feel gun recoil in Virtual Reality.
So when you shoot in VR, this will give your shoulders a kick simulating a real gunshot.
ProTube, the company behind ForceTube, has recently made cups for the Valve Index and
the Oculus Quest.
You can use the ForceTube with almost all major VR headsets, but in this video, we’ll
focus on these two headsets.
Stay tuned if you want to know what the ForceTube is all about and what it is like to feel it.
Subscribe if you haven’t yet to join more VR adventures like this one!
In case you don’t know ForceTube yet.
Here’s a quick introduction!
The ForceTube is a haptic VR gun accessory made by ProTube.
ProTube is a well known VR gun stock manufacturer in the community.
They’ve been making VR gun stocks for a while now.
We have reviewed the ProTube ourselves too and have been very happy with it.
Basically, the ProTube allows you to feel like you are holding a real gun or rifle in
VR.
I’ll link this video below in case you want to know more about the ProTube.
Now, ProTube has also created a gun stock with haptic feedback allowing you to feel
the recoil of your weapon amongst other things.
This back end vibrates and kicks when you shoot in VR, making you feel like you are
in the battle even more.
ProTube sent the first generation to us so that we can check what it’s like.
It is the devkit so it is still a prototype and because of that we are not doing a review
in this video, but showing you our first impressions.
The GEN2 version is already out for preorder.
And there are a couple of changes.
For example, this GEN1 ForceTube has an external charging solution and batteries, while the
GEN2 version will have an internal batteries charger.
But how do you use it?
You can buy the ForceTube buttstock separately or with a ProTube.
If you already have a ProTube, you only need the ForceTube buttstock.
You can replace the back end and put the ForceTube on it.
Then after that, you’ll need to adjust the ProTube with a hex key, which is provided
to you too.
Getting it to feel right probably takes the most time as you need to adjust it to your
favorite in-game rifle and your arm length.
I’ve talked about what I did to make it comfortable in the ProTube review so check
that out if you want to know how.
Once you have it comfortable, you’ll need these cups.
We have magnetic ones here, but you can also get non-magnetic ones.
We have two pairs, one for the Oculus Touch Controllers so these will work with both the
Quest and Rift S, and I also have these Valve Index Cups.
The advantage of using magnetic cups is that you can easily detach and reattach it from
the ProTube.
Handy for reloading for example or when you want to grab your knife.
After you got everything assembled you can get started.
ForceTube connects using BlueTooth.
For PC VR you get a Bluetooth Dongle that you can plug into a USB slot.
On the Oculus Quest, you can connect it to your phone.
So before we continue.
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Now, let’s talk about using it with the Oculus Quest first before we move on to PC
VR headsets.
At the moment there are no VR games on the Oculus Quest, yet that has support for the
ForceTube.
However, you can already test if it works.
ProTube made a test app and a test game that you can sideload on your Quest.
The app allows you to open your Bluetooth settings in the Oculus Quest and connect with
the ForceTube there as you can see me doing here.
You only have to give the ForceTube permission once, after that it’ll automatically connect
to the ForceTube if you open this app.
After connecting, it’ll work with any compatible game that you launch.
For example, I’m trying it out now in this test game provided by ProTube, which consists
of shooting floating targets using a rifle.
Every time I made a shot, I felt a kick on my shoulders, and I have to say, it felt very
cool.
The game was simple and just for testing, but I had some fun in there even though there
wasn’t much to do.
I think doing this on a headset like the Quest immerses me more because I’m freed of wires.
The Oculus Touch controllers feel good with the magnetic cups of the ForceTube.
I didn’t have much trouble getting the ForceTube to feel right.
This is the case with the Oculus Rift S too.
It’s a shame that there are no VR shooters available yet for the Quest, but I think that
takes time before those kinds of games will appear.
ProTube has told us that they are working with developers on this though so I'm looking
forward to that.
For now, I am happy to know that we can enhance our Quest experiences with accessories like
the ForceTube in the future.
I am looking forward to seeing more...
And let me know in the comments below if you are as well!
Now, let’s try out the ForceTube on the Valve Index.
Using PC VR, there are two ways to use it: - One: You can use the ForceTube on games
that have integrated support for the ForceTube - Two: You can use a companion app to make
it work on any shooter Let’s start with the games with native support.
- To connect the ForceTube with your PC, all you need to do is turn it on.
There’s a switch here.
- Then pair and connect it using Bluetooth.
So yes, you do need a Bluetooth dongle if you don’t have Bluetooth on your PC.
- And then just run the game, and it will detect your ForceTube and work straight away.
Games with native ForceTube support at the moment are Onward, Contractors, and Wardust.
I’ve tried it out in Contractors and I think it is a lot of fun.
But only once you have the Valve Index controllers adjusted with the ForceTube...
I had some trouble getting it to feel right here.
It took me way longer than with the Oculus Touch controllers, even with the Gun Stock
Calibration Tool that Contractors provide.
I’m not sure if this is because of the cups or the controllers, but I can’t get it to
feel as good as the Touch Controllers.
Once I did get the hang of it, it is cool to feel the recoil of the weapons that you
use.
It feels more satisfying shooting enemies, and the kick makes it feel more like you are
shooting a real gun.
I think using the ForceTube in first-person shooter VR games makes it more immersive.
Next, I tried it in Wardust too, which has native support.
To my delight, here, I noticed that the ForceTube also rumbles when you walk or when an explosion
happens.
It has a vibration pattern for each effect too.
For example, an explosion vibrates a little harder and longer.
While walking vibrates like a ticker.
It makes walking in VR feel more realistic.
So the ForceTube not only enhances the VR experience when shooting but also with other
effects.
After this, I tried out the ForceTube on a shooter that does not have native support.
For this to work, you need to launch a companion app that ProTube provides to you.
Here, I set a profile.
One for Pavlov already exists.
So I picked the profile here and then launched Pavlov.
And it works straight away.
And I found that the ForceTube works well, even in a game without native support.
I even have the feeling that it works better than Contractors.
Every weapon has its own vibration pattern, and here, the ForceTube also rumbles with
you when you walk.
I enjoyed playing Pavlov with this.
I think there is a lot of potential for ForceTube if more and more developers integrate support.
Especially for someone who plays a lot of VR shooters, this is going to be the way to
make it more immersive.
The kick that simulates recoil is easy to feel, but not too strong to distract.
So it does not feels exactly like a real gun, but I’m not a gun expert at all.
I only tried shooting once with my grandfather’s handgun and a shotgun at a gun range.
The recoil in real life was a lot harder there.
So the ForceTube is more comfortable, and I appreciate that.
I find using a gun stock in VR also makes shooting more stable and accurate.
It does get tiring faster though since the ForceTube is heavier than using just the controllers.
So I think it’ll depend on how competitive you are to say if it's worth it.
So I think the ForceTube works fantastic.
It’s cool to feel that extra kick when playing VR shooters; it makes VR shooters more fun
to me.
I’ve never really been into shooters until I tried it out in VR, and these kinds of accessories
really add to that experience.
The only thing that would keep me from buying one is that the ForceTube is available for
299 euros and I think that is an expensive accessory.
I do not know how much it costs to manufacture something like this in a small industry like
ours.
But as someone who does not play VR shooters as often, I would not buy one for that price.
Also, keep in mind that cups for different controllers are different too.
For example, the Oculus Touch controllers have these cups that you can easily put the
Touch controllers in and I’m pretty happy with these.
The Valve Index cups are harder to set up and are a permanent setup.
It uses zip ties to put everything together.
This means you can’t take it off anymore after putting it on.
Not a problem for someone who always plays VR shooting games with this gunstock, but
as someone who plays a lot of other games too I like to be able to take it off.
So I would say that if you eat, sleep, shoot and repeat in VR, and you have the budget
for it, then the ForceTube is going to enhance your shooting experience.
I think this is an accessory for the VR shooter enthusiast, someone who plays a lot of shooting
games, but not so much for someone who does not play as much because of the price.
If the ForceTube were cheaper, I would recommend it for anyone.
You can preorder a ForceTube from the ProTube website which I’ll link down below.
And right now, it is the only one in the consumer market too.
So what do you think?
Is this going to be the future of VR shooting games?
Would you buy one?
Let us know in the comments!
A special thanks goes to artArmin, and a special shout out goes to his Patreon page.
Check it out guys!
Everyone, thank you all so much for your support by watching.
And as always VR on!
*Bloopers*