Every so often we get an element added to gaming helping us get more immersed. Over the years it has ranged from vibrating controllers, VR headsets, and even RGB lighting. Well, GameScent wants to bring you even closer adapting to the atmosphere of the games you are playing with the sense of smell. But how does it achieve this, and does it really smell as good or bad as you think?
Style
GameScent has an interesting design to it. It comes in the color black and is hexagon shaped. On the sides are panels that illuminate blue when powered on. On the back is a USB-C slot for powering while on top is the Atomizer and its six different sections.
GameScent comes with (2) USB Cables, AC-USB Adaptor, Audio Stream Adaptor, HDMI Cable, and 3.5mm cables. Interestingly the device I received from GameScent came with (1) USB-C Cable not two as mentioned on box.
To go along with those accessories is of course six scents in glass bottles. They range from:
- Gun Fire: Experience the intensity of a firefight.
- Explosion: Feel the magnitude of a blast
- Racing: Sense the speed & thrill of a track
- Storm: Immerse yourself in the fresh smell after a storm
- Forest: Connect with the soothing aura of nature
- Clean Air: instantly neutralizes any scents in the room.
So, the first five are supposed to get you more immersed in the game you are playing while the last one (Clean Air) will eliminate all those scents once you finish gaming.
Setup
While looking at all the wires might be daunting, GameScent has an app that can take you through steps for setup. It has picture illustrations on how to make the connections and even how to set up the bottles in the Atomizer.
I only wish in the app when you get to the last steps for the Adaptor and Atomizer it was clearer on advising you to go to another portion of the app to set up the Wi-Fi. Once I got that figured out, I was up and running. The app will describe what bottles are in what slot in case you forget and even give you the percentage left over in each one.
The Audio Stream Adaptor can be connected to your gaming console either via HDMI or 3.5mm cable. I opted to use it with HDMI as that was the most sufficient setup for my PS5 and Nintendo Switch. 3.5mm more necessary for PC, VR, or a portable but I used this for my Xbox Series X.
How it Works
GameScent uses AI that captures the audio you are listening to via the Audio Stream Adaptor connected to your console. It will use this audio to recognize or get an idea of what’s on the screen and then beam that to the GameScent box triggering the Atomizer. So if it hears a rainforest it will most likely set off Forest, or cars speeding that would be Racing. The reaction time is usually about 2-3secs after something initially happens. It won’t constantly release scents though as that can get overbearing after while.
Usage
You can power the GameScent via the included power plug or what I like to do is power it up via 26K MyCharge battery pack. This allows me to place the GameScent anywhere. I seen the GameScent team utilizing this the couple times I met them and thought it was a tremendous idea.
I mostly used GameScent with my PS5, Nintendo Switch, and at times Xbox Series X. Playing games like “Tears of the Kingdom” running around in the grassy leaf areas triggered the Forest scent which provided an outside earthy aroma. This was also the case while playing “Shadow of the Tomb Raider” and strolling through the forest.
Fortnite set off a couple of releases such as Gunfire and even Racing since I was driving around. Gunfire would easily be triggered again while playing “Grand Theft Auto 5” which had somewhat of a smoky aroma. I got some of that while playing Crackdown 3 as well as some Explosion based on blowing up everything in that game.
Once you are done gaming, I usually manually do Clean Air which does help alleviate any lingering scents. You can manually trigger any scents via the app. You can’t repeatedly do it as the app will tell you to wait a bit.
Sitting with the team of GameScent, I have also experienced scents like Storm while they were running through some rainy levels of Far Cry on Xbox Series S. It def gave you the feel of that damp wet smell from being caught outside.
I will say sometimes the AI audio is a bit too good, as when I’m just in the menus of say the PS5 which always has sounds it will trigger the GameScent. So, an FYI when you aren’t gaming, I’d suggest pausing GameScent which you can do conveniently from the app thus saving you some unnecessary sprays.
Verdict
GameScent is an interesting product to expand your immersion into gaming. It adds a level of depth you may have only dreamed of getting. I would be interested to see how additional scents that are coming down the line such as Blood which I can see being useful in a game like God of War and the endless possibilities and requests.
It is available now for $149.99 and as mentioned comes with the six scents. The refills I believe will be $14.99 but you can go months without needing a refill or a matter of weeks depending on how much you game.
