CONCLUSION

    Due to some unforeseen circumstances (both personal and in regards to the cockpits I have in the lab since had to change places, something that took a very long time to do - sorry NLR) I ended up using the HF8 for months and well, it was mostly good. The reason I say mostly is because it's not as strong as I was hoping it would be in terms of vibrations. We are talking about a seat addon so perhaps my expectations were unrealistic from the get-go (it's not like this can compete with a motion platform) but coming from someone who's actually taken part in races both in tracks like the Nürburgring and off-road (amateur ones) the difference was massive when playing racing games. When it comes to games like DCS and MSFX on the other hand, well, I haven't flown a fighter plane (or any plane for that matter), but it did feel nice (whether or not it comes close to the real deal that's not something I can comment on). Performance aside the HF8 is a solid product, build quality is good (the PU leather cover may not last very long however, not if you don't use another cover over it - I do), it's easy to install and as for compatibility it fully supports many of the leading simulator games in the market today (please add Start Citizen NLR). Unfortunately, not all is perfect and so the HF8 isn't exactly plug and play since you will need to adjust settings in some of the supported games. For example, in Forza Horizon 5 you will need to enable data output and change both the IP and port from within the HUD settings tab. This is certainly not a deal breaker, but I do understand that for some people these steps may not feel easy enough (not to mention that the "action required" notice in the HFS app under each game is not that visible to begin with).

    Currently the HF8 Haptic Gaming Pad by Next Level Racing retails for USD202.37 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 238.63Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de), a price tag which is quite balanced. Again, the HF8 is far from perfect which actually makes me wonder why NLR has yet to develop a cockpit chair with 10 or more vibration motors built-in (stronger, fixed position) for more demanding users. It is what it is however and even though the HF8 is rough around the edges, the fact that there are nowhere near as many such devices in the market today combined with its overall performance are more than enough for the Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Overall Haptic Performance
- Innovation
- Compatibility (Games, Movies & Music)
- Chair Compatibility
- Easy To Use

CONS

- Vibration Intensity
- Extra Steps Required With Some Games