GameScent ($179.99), a new scent-blasting peripheral, soft-launched at the beginning of the year and picked up attention (largely the roasting variety) after Video Game Awards founder and Hideo Kojima enthusiast Geoff Keighley tweeted about it last week. Basically, GameScent is an essential oil diffuser that’s powered by AI that tells it when to use each one. The box figures out what you’re doing in the game and releases the appropriate odor. I got a chance to check it out, and it isn’t necessarily as ridiculous as it sounds.
(Credit: Will Greenwald)
How GameScent WorksGameScent figures out what’s happening in your game in a roundabout, but content-universal, manner. A transmitter you connect via HDMI between your console, PC, soundbar, or TV takes the audio signal and streams it to GameScent’s servers (the box must be online to work). Those servers use a PyTorch-based machine learning system with a huge library of sound effects and ambient noise as a base. GameScent then analyzes the stream to see if anything in it matches anything in the library that could trigger a scent. It worked fairly well in a live gameplay demo using Far Cry 6. After a few seconds, GameScent picked up the ambient forest sounds and released a pleasant woodsy scent. It also emitted a gunfire scent based on the on-screen action, but I didn’t get a good whiff of that one. There wasn’t enough demo time to determine the accuracy of the smells over longer gaming sessions (or with other titles).GameScent, the company, will sell scents in plain glass bottles like most essential oils (pricing has not yet been announced). You drop them into one of six numbered slots and place an atomizer on top. After that, you use the GameScent app to match a scent to a slot. If you find another bottle that fits into the slots, or just properly wash out an empty GameScent bottle and fill it yourself, you can use other oils. GameScent isn’t limited to releasing scents based on the audio it’s analyzing; you can use the app to manually release smells, too.This seems like a silly, gimmicky idea, but there’s some compelling logic behind it. Smells are linked to memories and emotions, and they add to the general experience of whatever you’re doing. That’s why some fancy 4DX movie theater experiences add scents to the mix. In fact, GameScent will release a MovieScent product later this year that’s effectively the same device with a different smell selection.
(Credit: Will Greenwald)
What’s In the Box?GameScent is available for $179.99 and includes the diffuser box, the transmitter, and six scent fluid bottles that contain enough liquid for 5,000 bursts. The odors are Explosions, Forest, Gunfire, Racing Cars, and Storm, along with a neutralizing scent to clear the air. Upcoming scents include Blood, Fresh Cut Grass, Ocean, and Sports Arena.The transmitter is a bit limited, which you should keep in mind if you want the highest frame rate possible while playing games. GameScent doesn’t support a variable refresh rate, and its frame rate likely tops out at 4K/60 (I was unable to confirm the transmitter’s specific HDMI version during the demo). It uses HDMI pass-through that supports ARC, but not eARC. GameScent has 5.1-channel audio, so you’ll face a downgrade if you have a system with spatial audio tech like Dolby Atmos.
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These problems can be fixed by using your TV’s 3.5mm or optical audio output instead of HDMI (if it can output an audio stream through those ports while sending the higher-fidelity audio through HDMI). The currently shipping GameScents models have 3.5mm and HDMI transmitters, but the company is already manufacturing new transmitters with optical audio ports.Future OdorsI’m cool with the nature smells, and even the weird and smoky gunfire and explosions odors, but blood may be a step too far. I get it. Blood adds to the immersion while you’re playing a horror game…but when was the last time you smelled blood? It’s not pleasant. Still, GameScent is shaping up to be a fun and unique way to add another dimension to the gaming experience.Keep an eye on PCMag for our reactions to other GameScent smells when we receive a unit for full testing.
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