Novint, Valve Bring Falcon Control To Orange Box, Portal

Closely following a similar deal with publisher Electronic Arts, 3D touch tech company Novint Technologies has announced a new partnership with Valve to bring Novint Falcon support to a number of the developer's, including Half-Life 2 and Portal. The company says that using its custom Falcon controller will allow gamers to "feel extremely realistic touch sensations such as the weight of a ball as it is thrown, the sideways acceleration of a car as it drifts around a sharp turn, or the realistic recoil of a machine gun." Under the new deal, The Orange Box, Counter-Strike: Source, the Half-Life 2 series, Team Fortress 2, Portal and Left 4 Dead will support the controller, and the two companies will partner with a "Falcon Orange Box" bundle later this year. Said Valve president Gabe Newell, "Recently we've seen how new interfaces have changed gaming. The Falcon adds a new level of interaction for PC gaming, adding compelling force feedback while maintaining controls as accurate as a mouse, and now the millions of Steam gamers will have the chance to play, feeling this new type of experience."