Virtual reality games and headsets are more popular than they’ve ever been, with certain titles making full use of the medium to deliver a thoroughly engaging experience. For tech enthusiasts who love trying out accessories, there are plenty of other ways besides VR headsets to make your gaming sessions more immersive, including companion apps and multi-monitor setups.
Capable of providing physical feedback in accordance with your in-game actions, a haptic VR vest is one such device that lets you enhance the realism of your beloved titles. After testing the Woojer Vest 3 over the last two weeks, I have to admit that it’s a solid addition to any gaming enthusiast’s setup – provided you’re willing to strap a 3-pound vest to your torso.
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The Vest 3 is perfect for sim racing fans
Combine it with Shutoko Revival Project, and you’re in for a ride
During the thousands of hours I’ve spent in Automobilista, Assetto Corsa, and Dirt Rally 2.0, I’ve used everything from driving wheels to button boxes to make my sim racing sessions as immersive as possible. The Woojer Vest 3 was the best addition to my sim racing tool collection, second only to my Oculus Meta Quest 2. The Vest 3 packs six transducers that can oscillate independently at varying intensities. While we’re on the subject, it relies on audio input and can transmit sound as physical vibrations to select transducers. This means you’ll experience directional haptic feedback if your games support 5.1 or 7.1 audio.
Comfort-wise, I’ve got no issues with the Woojer Vest 3, especially in sim racing titles where I don’t have to stand for hours on end (more on that later). The Vest 3 supports Bluetooth 5.0 and USB connection, but since I was planted on my chair, I used the latter to minimize the feedback latency. After that, I plugged my Audeze Maxwell headset into the 3.5mm audio port of the Vest 3, and booted up the Happogahara track via Assetto Corsa’s Content Manager utility.
And I was floored within the first five minutes of drifting around the map. The hum of the engine reverberated through the Vest 3 – making it feel as though I was inside the AMG GT3. Setting the oscillation intensity to level 3 was enough to immerse me in the game without making the feedback too overwhelming. Accidentally driving off-road or ramming my virtual vehicle into another racer would deliver the impact straight to the Vest 3’s transducers, further amplifying the immersion.
And that’s before I stuck the Meta Quest 2 to my face and fired up the game with all VR mods enabled. Let me tell you, nothing can deliver the same cathartic feeling as blasting Free Bird on Spotify while driving on the Shutoku Revival Project’s track with my VR headset, Vest 3, and racing wheel combo.
Nothing can deliver the same cathartic feeling as blasting Free Bird on Spotify while driving on the Shutoku Revival Project’s track with my VR headset, Vest 3, and racing wheel combo.
It pairs well with shooters and hack-and-slash titles
Especially if you’ve got a VR headset
After testing other racing sims from my Steam library with the Vest 3 and fighting the urge to stop working on this review and continue gaming until late into the night, I shifted my attention to other genres. Helldivers 2 was the first game I launched, and plays great with the Vest 3 – once I’d dialed the chat and music sliders down a notch. Whether it’s shooting down drop-ships with my beloved Quasar cannon, launching an explosive crossbow bolt into a group of voteless Illuminates, or using an autocannon to spread managed democracy in a Terminid-infested colony, I felt the impact of every in-game action. On the single-player games front, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon felt just as good, though I had to turn down the comms volume to avoid unnecessary feedback every time an ally contacted 621. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Evil West, and Elden Ring worked just as well. Trepang2 felt even better, especially once I paired it with PrayDog’s amazing UEVR mod.
I felt the impact of every in-game action.
While we’re on the subject, switching to VR brought another factor into the mix: cables. Up until now, I was seated in a chair where I didn’t have to deal with wire clutter getting in the way of my gaming hours. However, I had to get rid of the cables and switch to Bluetooth connectivity to allow better freedom of movement when swinging my arms through the air.
Thankfully, I didn’t encounter major latency issues when connecting the Vest 3 to the Quest 2 via Bluetooth and using Air Link to stream games from my PC. Hack-and-slash titles like Until You Fall felt amazing, as I could feel the impact behind every jab, cut, and block. Similarly, playing Robo Recall was even more immersive, as I could feel a slight tinge from reflecting enemy bullets. Meanwhile, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners kept me on my toes once I cranked the feedback intensity to maximum on the Vest 3.
Hack-and-slash titles felt amazing, as I could feel the impact behind every jab, cut, and block.
You’ll have to calibrate the in-game audio for the best results
And you might want to ditch Bluetooth connectivity in rhythm games
Despite my positive experience with the Vest 3, it’s time to address my biggest gripes with the device. Since the feedback is tied to the audio, I had to spend some time modifying the sound settings in most games to ensure the Vest 3’s transducers wouldn’t vibrate from random voice lines – or worse, from navigating the in-game menus!
The weight of the Vest 3 (and pretty much every other haptic vest, for that matter) is another factor you’ll have to consider when gaming for extended sessions. While I had zero issues when using the device for racing sims, I did feel a little fatigue after nearly two hours of Until You Fall – partly because of the constant feedback and also due to the 3-pound vest strapped to my torso.
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While I had no issues with fast-paced games, rhythm-based VR games were far from ideal for the Air Link + Bluetooth combo. I was particularly disappointed when playing Metal: Hellsinger VR. That’s because the audio latency on the wireless connection was all over the place, and this is coming from someone who has beaten most levels in the base game while staying at 16x fury for the most part. Not to mention, I couldn’t exactly lower the music, because it’s tied to the core mechanics of the game (and well, I wouldn’t want to miss out on the electrifying vocals in each track). Likewise, turning down the SFX would result in the guns losing their oomph factor. The Vest 3 would vibrate constantly as a result, which is far from the directional feedback I wanted from the rhythm shooter. Pistol Whip was in a similar boat (though it was still very playable).
So, what’s the verdict?
Considering the Woojer Vest 3 costs $399, I’d say it’s a worthy addition to your gaming space. If you’re into sim racing games, it’s hands-down the best method of adding vibration feedback to your favorite titles, especially if you don’t want to tape multiple transducers to your premium gaming chair and have wires running all over the house. Likewise, it’s perfect for VR gamers who want to feel that extra immersion inside action games.
If you’re only here for music, I’d say a nice pair of headphones or a soundbar would be a better investment, particularly if you’re a metalhead like me. It’s also hard to recommend it to casual gamers or folks who don’t want to strap a 3-pound weight on their backs. Otherwise, it’s a worthwhile purchase if you’re into VR or racing sims (and is a must-have accessory for people who are into both).
Woojer Vest 3
The Woojer Vest 3 is a haptic vest that makes your gaming sessions more immersive by turning the audio feed into physical feedback. It’s armed with six transducers, each strategically placed to make you feel the weight of every in-game action.