GameScent lets you smell your video games, and we’re not sure how to feel
Ah, we love the smell of Shrek 2 in the morning. There have been some weird and wonderful innovations in gaming, and while VR still hasn't taken off like it was supposed to, a new level of immersion is causing a stink in the industry. Yes, Smell-O-Vision is here.
Sound has been a long-time immersive element of gaming, with surround sound making us feel like we're really there on the Call of Duty battlefield. The same can be said for touch, as the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller lets you feel more than the average rumble. Now, it's smell's turn.
GameScent is an expensive way to smell your games
As shared by gaming maestro Geoff Keighley, GameScent is a new peripheral that captures real-time audio and processes it into one of five smells through hyper-intelligent AI. If you're burning rubber in Mario Kart, expect to get a whiff of the 'Racing' scent. Shoot up Urzikstan in Warzone, you'll be blasted with 'Gunfire.'
Other scents include Storm, Explosions, and Forest, meaning the lush plains of Hyrule could come to life in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. There are also expansion scents featuring the likes of Golf Course and Human Exertion, but to be honest, we're not sure we want the pong of sweat.
If you're sold on GameScent, the adapter comes in at a hefty $180, with the DLCs costing more on top of that. The site has a list of upcoming scents, including Blood. If you were already sceptical about the idea, the idea of putting the 'blood' in Bloodborne might be a step too far.
Fans think GameScent idea 'stinks'
Click to enlargeAlthough there are plenty of rave reviews on Amazon, people were less kind in their responses to Keighley. One critic said, "'DLC Scents' was enough to convince me to wish the company a slow and painful bankruptcy," while another added, "...it's not April 1 yet."
A third said, "'Human exertion' -- Dear lord we don't need any more of that smell," and a fourth concluded, "No way am I playing Resident Evil 2 with this thing! 🤮" To be honest, we think we'll survive without smelling the damp and decaying bowels of BioShock's Rapture or the Medieval stank of Skyrim for now.
