So. This morning's massive Steam update brought with it some interesting bits and pieces. Sure, there was plenty of new stuff for Team Fortress 2, but what's really interesting is the subtle mention of the Novint Falcon.

According to what I'm reading, the Novint Falcon is "an entirely new type of interface for PC gaming" - that is, it's a tiny robot, which enables high-fidelity three-dimensional touch elements to be added into games, so you can actually feel the game. We've got a video to show off how it all works, if you're curious.

Download Tomnovint's First Look Video - Falcon Pistol Grip and Shooter Games

Pretty cool, huh? Valve obviously think so, announcing that they're adding Falcon support to several of their best-selling games (including, at this stage, the contents of The Orange Box).

Today's update adds support for the Falcon to Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2 - and the original Half-Life 2 is playable through a download available from Novint. Valve promise that they're working on support for other best-selling titles including Left 4 Dead, Day of Defeat Source and Counter-Strike: Source.

In addition to these Valve titles, Novint have also been working hard on releasing support for many, many other games, ranging from Action/Adventure, Racing, RPG, Shooter, Sports, Strategy and even Family, Casual and Edutainment titles. Check out the whole list!

But what does it do?
Put simply - using a Falcon, you'll be able to feel realistic weapon recoil, vehicle movements, enemy attacks and interactions with the environment. To add further realism to the experience, Novint have also added a must-have "Pistol Grip" accessory, replacing the standard Falcon grip.

And how do you get one?
You head over to the Novint Store, where you'll discover that Novint and Valve are running a special promotional deal - for one week only! Pick up the special Orange Box bundle for US$149, which includes the Novint Falcon, Pistol Grip, the games which make up The Orange Box, plus more than US$150 of additional software. Given that the standard controller is US$189 normally - this is quite a deal!

Novint CEO, Tom Anderson (better known as Tomnovint) gushes:

"We're very excited to partner with a company so dominant in the PC game industry. Their sustained excellence, best-selling games, enormous user base, and forward looking vision make them standard bearers for the industry. We feel Falcon support for their online games in particular could be our first real killer app, which is an exciting milestone."

...now it's worth noting that, at time of writing, we were unable to determine whether or not Australians could purchase the Novint Falcon, but we are pessimistic about our chances. If you want your very own Falcon, you might just have to have a helpful friend in the US, or some other way of wrangling an appropriate postal address... or else, deal with Novint customer support. I'm sure you can convince them.