Razer's CES concept product doubles down on haptic feedback

Razer Project Esther seat mat on an Enki chair — (Image credit: Razer)

Razer's continuing its deep dive into the world of haptic feedback. Following last year's CES concept design, Project Carol, which delivered surround sound and haptics in a gaming chair head cushion, the brand has unveiled Project Esther.

It's the company's first demonstration of its Sensa HD tech - a haptic system which could eventually come for HyperSense's lunch should development continue. Project Esther is another haptic cushion (though designed to stretch across the back of a gaming chair and seat entirely), showcasing Sensa's HD wideband haptic support with multi-directional movement and compatibility across a range of devices.

The chair mat is designed to strap onto an existing gaming chair, providing real-world feedback of in-game actions. Following the brand's 2022 acquisition of Interhaptics, Razer has been doubling down on its original HyperSense advancements. In this concept, game developers have control over the direction of each haptic system but there's also a plug and play element, allowing the seat cover to turn everyday audio input into haptic feedback as well.

Razer Project Esther — (Image credit: Razer)

Razer seems to be going particularly hard on its haptic tech in the last few years, but it's still a peripheral gadget. Yes, you've got the Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense and Razer Kaira Pro headsets packing impressive results with their inclusions of the tech, but we're still yet to see significant gains in the worlds of mainstream gaming chairs. We had the elusive Razer Enki Pro HyperSense dangled on the end of a stick a couple of years ago, but that didn't materialize. Enthusiasts can spend thousands of dollars on a Ready Player One-esque setup from more specialist brands, but there's still a long way to go before such tech trickles down to the mainstream.

Project Esther likely won't make it off the CES showfloor, but it does mark a continued emphasis on haptics from Razer itself. That said, mainstream gaming chair haptics could still be a few years away considering this is our second haptic-buzzed CES.

In Association with ROG Ally

For some setup upgrades you can actually grab, check out the best gaming desks and best gaming PCs on the market. Or, take a look at the best gaming headsets for more haptic options.

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Managing Editor of Hardware at GamesRadar+, I originally landed in hardware at our sister site TechRadar before moving over to GamesRadar. In between, I've written for Tom’s Guide, Wireframe, The Indie Game Website and That Video Game Blog, covering everything from the PS5 launch to the Apple Pencil. Now, i'm focused on Nintendo Switch, gaming laptops (and the keyboards, headsets and mice that come with them), PS5, and trying to find the perfect projector.