The Woojer isn't the first device to try and bring the rumble and immersion of a video game controller to other parts of your body, but it is the first that doesn't make you look completely ridiculous while using it. Sure, despite its small matchbox-like size, the Woojer isn't going to go unnoticed, but compared to the likes of the KOR-FX gaming vest, or the joys of sticking a few spare Xbox controllers in your pockets to play Child Of Eden, it's a more discrete proposition.
What's a Woojer?
The Woojer is described as a "wearable woofer" that you place between your audio sources and your headphones or speakers using a standard 3.5mm jack cable. All sorts of hyperbole about "acoustic meridian lines, polyphonic sensations, and perceptual inference" make up the Woojer's Kickstarter page (where it raised a substantial $143,377 to bring the gadget to life), but it's really just a small transducer that reacts to bass frequencies and translates them into rumbles.
A surprisingly strong magnetic clip lets you place the Woojer anywhere about your person, although the base of the spine or the middle of the chest is recommended. The sides of the unit house an on/off switch and a slider that lets you select from three levels of rumble, while the bottom houses the input and output jacks and a micro USB port for charging. Battery life is a claimed four hours, which is about what I got out of it during testing. Unfortunately, the Woojer takes around two hours to charge from empty, so you'll want to keep it topped up often if you don't want to run out of juice in the middle of a game.
It's Easy To Set Up Then?
Because the Woojer relies on cables to work, it's not the most elegant of devices. With the PlayStation 4 you can plug the Woojer into the controller's audio output, and then plug your headphones into the Woojer, running the lot up your shirt in order to strap it to your chest. A similar setup is possible with the Xbox One (if you forked out for Microsoft's 3.5mm adaptor) or any portable audio player, but using it with a speaker system is a far more convoluted affair, particularly as the Woojer only comes with a laughably short audio cable.
Because the Woojer relies on bass frequencies to work, naturally the more bass you can feed it the bigger the rumble. Volume helps considerably too, but because the Woojer only has a direct pass-through for audio, what works as an acceptable volume for the rumble effect might be far too loud for your headphones. A volume control on the Woojer--even just a simple passive rotary one--would have worked wonders here, although, you can buy in-line volume controls or headphones with one built in.
So How's The Rumble?
The effectiveness of the Woojer largely depends on the audio source you feed it. Initially, I used the Woojer with Super Smash Bros. Wii U, but it's audio isn't exactly filled with bass, resulting in a bunch of largely ineffective rumbles. However, switching to Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare on the PS4 yielded better results. The Woojer had to be on its maximum setting, and the volume cranked up pretty high, but pulling the trigger and feeling a substantial thump in the chest was well worth the effort.
No, it's not exactly a full body-shaking rumble, but the effects during Advanced Warfare's action-packed campaign--especially the slightly disconcerting rumbles as I was shot--were noticeable enough for me to miss the Woojer when I went back to the game without it plugged in. Driveclub worked similarly well, with the throaty rumble of a car's engine being neatly translated to my chest. Interestingly, the effect wasn't nearly as pronounced when I wore the Woojer at the base of the spine, with everyone in the GameSpot UK office agreeing that the chest position was far more immersive.
Outside of games and action-packed movies, the Woojer has more of a bass-enhancing effect. Listening to the likes of Deadmau5 and other electronic acts like Little Dragon, kick drums and synthy baselines are given a punch that's not unlike the feeling you get when watching a loud live act. Unfortunately, it's not nearly as good with rock music, so if you were hoping to recreate the blood-curdling double-kick thump of a Slayer concert, you're out of luck.
Should I Buy A Woojer?
It's hard to recommend the Woojer outright, because--apart from the steep $100 price tag--its effectiveness is limited to a very specific slice of games, movies, and music. That's not to mention the awkward, cable-ridden setup; a wireless option along with a headphone output volume control on the unit would have made the Woojer far more useable.
As it stands, the Woojer is a nice novelty, particularly if you're a big FPS player keen to give those bullets an extra thump. Everyone else is better served by some good ol' fashioned controller rumble and a sweet audio system.
