Buttkicker Gamer

DanAus1983 · Trainee Joined: May 02, 2008 Posts: 5

Hi guys, I got a Buttkicker gamer a few days ago and was asked to post a review, so here it is:

It comes complete with about a million different connectors, so you can hook it up to your PC, gaming console or home theater system. A cord runs from the PC to the back 100 watt amp, with another cord providing 240v power. The unit attaches to the centre post of your chair (there is a large range of adjustment available so it should fit just about any standard chair - I have a high back leather one from Officeworks with what seems like a standard size post, and the unit if roughly in the middle of its adjustment range.

Two velcro ties secure it to one of the legs of the chair, and there is a rubber strap supplied to put a loop in it so there is some slack there if it is accidently tugged on. The heavy duty speaker cord from the unit to the amp is very long - mine is coiled on the floor, but it would give you enough room to have the amp just about wherever you want it.

There are a few controls on the front of the amp - low filter cutoff, high frequency cut off with a dial to select a setting and volume. The volume adjusts the intensity of the output, while the high frequency cutoff is used to adjust what range of sound the unit will transfer. For example, in Team Fortress 2 I managed to set it so that voice didn't transfer a signal, but lower frequencies came through - gunfire, rocket blasts, even footsteps made a slight signal.

I've only used it in FSX once so far, but I was very impressed by it. When advancing the throttle you can feel the rumbling intensify, and if you pull the mixture excessively lean you can feel as well as hear the engine running roughly. Even things like flaps being deployed are felt.

Before I used it I was a little skeptical about how good it was going to be, and imagined that it would simply transfer any base as a rumble. This is not the case - the unit is incredibly tactile, and shows a great deal of fidelity when it comes to transferring different in-game events.

Going back to TF2, if playing medic you can feel a low rumbling when using the medigun, then if the Heavy Weapons character opens fire with his minigun nearby you can feel the 'rat-a-tat' feedback from the weapon firing while the low rumbling from the medigun is maintained.

The controls are sufficient to allow one to adjust the unit to their own preferences, and make adjustments for different games/music etc as they see fit. Playing Audiosurf with the unit was a pure joy - you don't realise that there is something missing until you experience it for yourself, and I will certainly never go back.

It's not particularly cheap at around $270AUD, but I think for anyone who invests a significant amount of time or money on Flight Simming, Gaming, Music or movies on PC, it is an essential investment.

Nosf3ra2 · Junior Flight Officer Joined: Mar 21, 2008 Posts: 26

Great review Dan, very well written and informative.......looks like more money to spend!