Fluid Gamepads, Tapping Windows and Haptic Strums
The latest edition of All Things Haptics
Hi Haptics Insider,
A big portion of the haptics news cycle this month is dominated by sales and discounts. Like a flood, buzzwords galore.
That’s not the whole story.
From the return of the Steam Controller to Windows quietly rolling out haptics, and patents hinting at fluid-shifting gamepads and smart rings with tactile response, there’s more going on than the headlines suggest.
That’s why All Things Haptics is here. Let’s jump right in.
Latest News
🕴️ Full Body VR Haptx - Ten years in the making, HaptX just unveiled a full-body VR haptics system with force feedback, targeted at industrial use. (Forbes)
🎮 Steam Controller Haptics: Valve’s new Frame controller keeps the dual trackpads, adds analog sticks, and includes haptics in the grips. (PC Mag)
🎸 Guitar Hero - RKD’s Gibson SG controller brings back the clicky strum bar. Simple haptics make each pluck feel more physical. (IGN)
🪟 Windows Gets Haptics (Quietly) - If you blinked, you might have missed Microsoft’s quiet but broad move into haptics.
Nov 7, 2025 — A new Windows 11 Insider build goes live. Testers spot early, disabled settings for haptic feedback in trackpads and mice.
Nov 10 — Several outlets, including Windows Central, flag the “hidden” feature. Coverage describes subtle haptics for snapping windows and other UI interactions — similar to macOS or iOS.
Nov 17 — Microsoft formally confirms the changes in its official blog post, as part of the 25H2 update stream.
Nov 25 — Pocket-lint wraps it up, framing it as a broader initiative covering haptics for pens, trackpads, and mice.
New Patents in Play
🔋 Huawei Technologies Co Ltd - A haptic actuator uses its moveable energy storage element to both produce haptic vibrations (actuation mode) and recharge itself from ambient vibrations (power generation mode). (Google Patents)
🖱️ Logitech Europe S.A. - A haptic element that is pre-loaded against the button to ensure its keyplate is seamlessly flush with the housing when at rest. (Justia 12481364 / Temp)
😵 Sony Interactive Entertainment - A method to detect early signs of motion sickness in VR and then providing a preemptive warning, like vibrations. (USPTO 12481353 / Temp)
✋ Sony Interactive Entertainment - A gesture-to-input system that could layer in haptic cues to confirm when a gesture is recognized or when an action can’t be performed. (20250352908 / Temp)
🌊 Sony Interactive Entertainment - A game accessory that shifts fluid inside itself to subtly change its feel and boost immersion. (Justia 20250352892)
🔧 BOE Technology - A piezoelectric component designed to reduce misalignment and improve transfer accuracy when mounting it onto a glass substrate. (USPTO 12484451 / Temp)
📡 Apple - An electronic device generates tactile (haptic) output that changes characteristics based on the device’s orientation relative to a nearby object. (USPTO 20250356743 / Temp)
💍 Apple - A smart ring that senses touch on its band and adds tactile feedback to confirm actions. (USPTO 20250355514/ Temp)
📡 Joby Aero, Inc. - A system where the device uses haptics to translate abstract spatial data (like distance or orientation) and digital processes (like data sharing) into a physical sensation you can feel. (USPTO 20250356767 / Temp)
🧠 Accenture Global Solutions Limited - An AI tool that mixes survey data, facial cues, voice tone, and even haptic responses to help designers build more inclusive products. (USPTO 12475436 / Temp)
🧬 Cognixion Corporation - A BCI-enabled AR headset that reads your bio-signals and feeds back to you through visuals, audio, or simple vibration cues. (USPTO 20250349091 / Temp)
Resources
📱 Texture on Screens: A Northwestern team developed a bandage-like device to simulate texture on touchscreens. (Northwestern / PubMed)
🎵 Haptics in Music Accessibility: A new wearable device is helping blind and low-vision musicians play together. (Carleton University)
🦿 Wearables That Boss You Around - Pedro Lopes shows how future wearables won’t just track your body but guide it, nudge it and sometimes move it. (UChicago)
📈 Haptics Market Forecast: Growth is expected in wearables, automotive, and metaverse applications through 2032. Hopefully by then we’ll also have hoverboards! (GlobeNewswire)
🎭 Haptic Illusions - Japan’s NTT found a new haptic illusion where changing the spacing between touch points makes the same motion feel faster or slower. (NTT)
📊 Feeling Frequencies - A breakdown of how different tactile frequencies affect perception, with examples from audio, haptics, and everyday design. (Titan Haptics)
🎥 Haptic Visibility - Not ‘haptics’ but the art of feel in movie production. Older films felt “touchable” as they had deep focus and real sets. (Open Culture)
Thanks for reading
That’s it for this edition. Stay tuned for another update soon, including a special end-of-year issue.
If you have not already, you can subscribe, go VIP, or share to help spread the word. And if you spot something worth sharing, send it my way. This newsletter exists to support you and grow the industry.
Yours truly,
Ashley Huffman
Founder, All Things Haptics
Strategic Partnerships at TITAN Haptics
Co-Founder of Haptics Club Podcast
Follow me on LinkedIn, X and Bsky