Why you should transform your racing sim setup with a haptic feedback pad

Thanks to HF8 Haptic Feedback Gaming Pad, I was able to add haptic feedback to my racing sim cockpit, and I wish I had done it way sooner.

There’s no doubt that everyone who enjoys racing games has thought of building a full racing simulator complete with a force feedback wheel, a cockpit, and accessories like a shifter or handbrake for maximum immersion.

I’m lucky enough to have all of that available, but I couldn’t help but wonder how I could make the experience even better, without taking up more space in my already crowded apartment.

In the chase for an even better sim racing experience, I found the Next Level Racing HF8 Haptic Feedback Gaming Pad. After quickly setting it up in my Playseat Challenge X, I fell in love with the immersion it offers.

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The perfect addition to any racing sim setup

When I unboxed the haptic feedback pad, I was worried that it was going to be super complicated to set up, as it would take away from the whole experience of making my gameplay even more fun.

The included instructions calmed those worries, and the process was ultimately pretty smooth. The pad requires specific software to work. But, Next Level Racing requires you to input your HF8’s serial number to access the software, which felt like a very unnecessary step.

Most racing games don’t ship with support for this type of accessory out of the box, so you’re required to have the software installed and running while you dive into your favorite title.

Game compatibility was another major worry, but I was very surprised to find that Next Level Racing managed to ship the HF8 with support for nearly every popular racing game that is available on PC. Both Assetto Corsa titles, Dirt Rally 2.0, Forza Motorsport and also Forza Horizon 5.

The setup was a breeze, and experiencing the feel and immersion from the haptic feedback once I entered each game was way better than I would ever have expected. On road course sims like Assetto Corsa and Forza Motorsport, I noticed myself feeling the curbs in each corner and the engine vibration in the various supercars I decided to take around the track.

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Where the experience really shines, though, is in dirt and rally racing. Dirt Rally 2.0 is the main title you can experience this on with the HF8. It gives you a jolt with nearly every jump and slide, and I often found myself forgetting that I’m in the corner of the bedroom and not inside of a rally car.

You can get comparable results from dirt track racing on iRacing, where you can immerse yourself into a sprint or modified car.

My experience was influenced quite a bit by using it with a folding cockpit, as the haptic feedback pad makes a massive difference in quality.

Next Level Racing recommends you use one of its racing style gaming chairs for the best experience without a cockpit. I was able to test it out in the Secretlab Titan Evo 2022. The overall feel and experience are almost identical to how good it felt with the full cockpit, but without the added immersion that the feeling of sitting in a cockpit offers.

What I can recommend against doing, however, is using it in an ergonomic chair. With the Razer Fujin Pro, the Next Level Racing HF8 Haptic Feedback Gaming Pad was very, very, uncomfortable. The feedback was hampered by the design chair. On top of that, the vibration motors in the pad caused significantly more rattling with the various parts of it, making it just an unpleasant experience all around. So, just be aware that a racing-style seat is pretty much required here.

There’s no doubt that my setup is on the lower end of the spectrum, when it comes to immersive sim racing setups, but the Next Level Racing HF8 Haptic Feedback Gaming Pad is one of the coolest things I’ve added to my rig since using a force-feedback wheel.