For most people, the prospect of replacing your computer mouse with a bulky apparatus that's almost a cubic foot in volume wouldn't be something to get excited about. That's because most people haven't heard of the Novint Falcon, a peripheral that's much more than a mouse — more of a gateway to adding texture and motion feedback to your pointing and clicking.

The Novint Falcon is really something you have to try yourself to appreciate, and I had the opportunity last week. A mouse-like controller sits on the end of three mechanical arms, which shake and push back in response to your movements, depending on what you're clicking on. So if you were, say, playing a game that had your character running a hand over a rocky surface, the Falcon would simulate the texture by bumping and shaking as you moved the controller. The controller is removable, and there are plans for alternates such as a pistol grip.

More impressions after the jump.

Obviously, the Falcon wouldn't have a lot of use outside of games and advanced graphics programs, and it's a good chunk of desk space to sacrifice for some extra immersion, but the effect is like nothing else out there. Playing a little Half-Life 2 with the Falcon (games need specific mods to work with it), I thought it was pretty cool to know that someone offscreen was shooting at me by feeling how the controller was shaking.

Unless you're a hardcore gamer or work for Lucasfilm, it's probably not something you'd want to keep on your desk all time. But after you try it, you'll want to use it for every game you play — especially "first-person" titles, where the screen show's your character's perspective. At $239 ($189 pre-order), the price is certainly right. — Peter Pachal