Baptist Air, Tuctsleeve Review

I’ve explored how well these peripherals go down the tactile rabbit holes that are suitable for Baptix’s latest vest and armbands and can take you.

Two Baptix tact suit bundles, a starter bundle and an FPS bundle were offered. Each comes with a vest and armband, the difference is that the starter includes tact suit air with 16 vibration points, while the FPS includes 32 tact suit pros.

Boxed, Hardware, Build Quality

Inside the Tactsuit Starter Bundle package is a Tactsuit Air vest with 16 eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors located to distribute feedback to both the chest and back. The vest shell uses a breathable synthetic fabric with an inner neoprene lining. These materials are relatively flexible and lightweight, and contain a total of 2.5 pounds, making air more suitable for long gameplay sessions.

The bundle also includes a pair of tact sleeves that add four more ERM motors per arm, as well as a bundled TP-link Bluetooth 5.3 USB dongle that supports Vest’s Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless connection. Three heavy duty USB-C cables are also included, but the ones that are not particularly present are dedicated charging bricks, which have been trending in many manufacturers in recent years. Not everyone has a spare charging brick all the time, so it’s great to see companies coming back that include everything their customers need to use their devices, especially if it’s already an expensive purchase.

In comparison, the FPS bundle containing the best Pro version doubles the amount of ERM to 32, leaving the original Tactsuit 40. The motor arrangement is also tighter and is controlled by all customizable RGB backlight dials on the Pro model. This allows for fine-tuning of strength, particularly obvious in the upper and lower waist zones that are not present in air models.

The Pro model uses thicker rubber-like outer material to increase the overall weight of the vest to more than 4 pounds. These refined black materials used also look like tactical gear compared to airborne fabrics that resemble cheap superhero costumes from hope. Pro models have a more sturdy strap system on both sides for greater adjustment.

Apart from different vests, both bundles contain the same tact sleeves and the same accessories.

Baptix also provided the TactVisor Facial Interface. This adds four ERMs via a replaceable FacePad. Although intended to be universal, the meta is not able to be attached to the default facial interface in Quest 3, as it has separated from the removable padding in the 3rd generation headset. So if you have quest 3 or 3, you have two options. Purchase an additional 3rd party face gasket that allows you to attach the tactVisor via a velcro strip, or surgically remove existing padding from the quest 3 or 3S facial interface and use additional velcro strips to protect it.

I only didn’t want to mangle the Quest 3 face mask so instead I tested tactvisor with play for the Dream Mr. Headset. This is because traditional hook-and-loop style methods are used to connect padding to the interface, and the tactile fascia fits like the gloves on this headset.

Setup and connection

The Baptic Suit Vest works wirelessly in Bluetooth or wired mode using a standard 1/8 inch headphone cable and can include an audio splitter. This dual connection feature allows for support for a variety of PCs and standalone VR headsets. The method requires installing the Bhaptics Player software, a command and control interface.

The Bhaptics Player app also allows you to switch between native or modified haptic-in support and the audio-to-haptic interface of your system. This makes you feel like you’re washing your body with a loud rock concert and the curated experience you get when the game is supported.

Ergonomics and long-term wear

Both vests are better designed and provide a better and even weight distribution when compared to the old Baptix tuxes. Like previous versions, when using the Best, my whole body heat buildup is still a problem and is prominent during longer play segments. I was a bit uncomfortable, especially after about an hour of intense gameplay, using a thick pro model vest. This means that I had to take a quick break before continuing.

The tact sleeve is an improvement over previous models that I tried and still retained the blood pressure cuff style strap. Over time, it becomes somewhat uncomfortable as I tend to dig my arms with the inner joints of the elbows while I bend them. The sleeves also use elastic grip tape on the inner forearm pads, which can cause sensory issues for some users. During the play session, I noticed that when the sweat started to sweat, the grip material tended to pull on the thin hair on my arms. This causes a prominent feeling that takes me away from the deeper immersion I feel. It’s easily denied by placing a cloth between my grip and my skin, but as long as the sleeves aren’t very tight, they remain firmly fixed on the arms and the side effects of sleeves that aren’t firmly attached to the sleeves.

There are no ju apprentices on TactVisor yet. It’s an interesting feeling, especially in games like the battle thrills, but overall this tact suit piece feels like a gimmick and is very uncomfortable to my face due to long-term wear. Unlike the facial tactile sensation I experienced on the PlayStation VR 2, Baptistic Statto Visor tends to be distracting and take me away from the immersion I feel. At higher power levels, my vision vibrates in sync with the touch, and also has the effect of creating strange optical anomalies that are likely to last for a few minutes after the session is finished.

But with the thrill of the fight, this anomaly actually added to the immersion. With better comfort and tuning, the TactVisor Haptic Face Pad might be a great add-on, but at the moment it’s not something I can recommend.

Software and Integration

Thanks to developers who support the SDK, Bhaptics natively supports a wide range of VR games across multiple platforms, allowing profiles to be automatically loaded once the software is set up.

For non-native apps, the Windows Bhaptics player allows custom mapping and use of community profiles. It also has an audio-to-haptics feature that converts all sounds on your PC or mobile device into non-target haptics that rely on bass and other cues to activate the best ERM. This is an interesting experience, but especially watching movies and listening to music, in the game, of course, doesn’t feel robust compared to native support.

Bhaptics also offers companion mobile apps for Android and iOS, simplifying firmware updates, providing profile testing, real-time gaming tuning, and dialing settings to a comfortable and immersive level from within the game. Mobile companion apps are the best way to control the entire experience on all systems, and are far better than using Alt-Tab on your PC to try to change settings on the fly.

Gameplay Test

In my first test, I chose the quest’s B4T Games epic roller coaster for native support for both Tactsuit and Yaw 3 Motion Simulator. It was great timing – all I could think about was to pair these two devices and create an experience that really brought the feeling of riding a roller coaster into the house.

It was incredible to feel the sophisticated tactile material pulsating through my body and arms, coupled with the more basic rumble sensations the chair itself provided. For a while, all my senses were practically involved. And it raced my mind about other types of games that may be enhanced by the tact suit.

This time I decided to wear an air vest and wear a suit and go back to Arizona Sunshine 2, one of my favorite zombie infected landscapes.

I’ve played this game many times before and it’s gotten more intense than ever with the added feeling of simulated gunshots, explosions and zombie attacks.

Arizona Sunshine 2 is a game where native support shines, and some of the sensations touch on feeling almost completely realistic. For example, when I dropped a clip on the vest in the game, I could feel my chest slip when it fell into place. Even with limited 16 ERMs offered at the best of the air, it was still a very satisfying experience.

After hunting more zombies and testing a few other FPS-style games, I thought it was time to jump into some form of vehicle simulation.

For this I chose the recently released V-Racer Hoverbike. Because it also has native haptics support. Wearing the pro again is another great experience, the vest and sleeves really enhance the feeling of the hoverbike motor purring under me. In addition to rushing accelerated, the believer also increases the feeling of unplugging the truck and hitting the sidewall.

Find more detailed hands-on coverage right away. Now, put on your Tactsuit Pro again in your suit, jump into the motion simulator and take out the V-racer hover bike for the right spin.

These games are just a sample of a vast library of 300 native and mod supported games.

Complete the tact suit

Aside from the vest, sleeves and facial interfaces, Baptix has also created the foot module, and now you can get some interesting tactile gloves for developers. This year, when I met Deborah Oyeyinka, global marketing manager at Bhaptics, I previously tried TactGloves at CES.

Deborah walked around me through a demonstration where you could feel a sense intended to simulate various tactile pressures when you pet your cat and manipulate the buttons and switches. I was even able to feel the sensation of running water at my fingertips. When these gloves are ready for prime time, they aim to bring more sensations to the virtual world that are related to physical touches. Once the technology is ready, I’m excited to put it back into practice again in search of a detailed look.

Overall, Tactsuit’s starter and FPS bundle enhances my immersion while playing the game in VR. But now, I have a big question about the minds of many readers: “Was this immersive enough to justify the high cost?”

For those with a budget, Tactsuit Air stands as a practical entry into the wearable VR Haptic Tech, offering a lightweight, easy-to-use design that offers basic tactile immersion. This bundle is perfect for new users or those who need more affordable options, and can be purchased at just under $400 in stock at current selling prices.

Pro brings finer accuracy and more robust strength to gamers who want to spend more on the added realism of combat and simulation games, with a larger ERM array and extended battery. Because PRO has additional features, the model is offered at a much higher price tag and is currently selling for $650.

For those who want VR interactions to be more than visual and auditory sensations, these baptic bundles offer what I consider to be one of the most consistent and technically mature solutions on the market today. We are confident that advances in physical immersion are coming closer than ever to Ready Player One’s fictional X1 Haptic Bootsuit, using both the Air and Pro.