SimHaptic is much better than Hapticonnect and if you pair it with FSRealistic, it is great immersion. You will want another sound device to drive the Butt Kicker else you will encounter some clicking and popping. A simple cheap USB device will do. I run my system sound through my Arctis Pro Wireless headphones and use my motherboard dedicated sound for SimHaptic.
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Thanks. Do you use a Gamer 2, Gamer Plus, or Gamer Pro??? What I don’t understand is if the Gamer Plus or Gamer Pro show up as a sound card in Windows, then why do I need a separate sound card. It’s essentially already a second sound card if I’m understanding it correctly.
I have a Pro and you are correct. If you use the USB connection it will show up as a sound device in Windows and no other device is needed. I was originally using Voicemeter Banna and when I stopped using it, it was just easier for me to just leave plugged into my onboard sound instead of recabling my Sim Rig.
That was prior to routing cables…and there were alot.
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Cool thanks.
Hi just to claify and sort things out with this. I have both the gamer 2 and gamer plus for seperate rigs. I use the gamer 2 on my racing rig which does either need a second soundcard or you can use software to create a second output without physically having one. But in regards to your question with the gamer plus you can indeed just connect the usb cable to the pc and thats it. You use hapticonnect and simply select the buttkicker for the output device and then let windows handle your normal speaker output. Thats it it all works you just need to tweak the settings to your liking.
Thanks Ryane1234. Do you know if the ease of using USB works with SimHaptic as well, or does SimHaptic require a different sound card?
I am not sure mate as i only use hapticonnect and to be fair it works pretty well. I mainly use it with airliners especially the Fenix A320 and everything is good. There are a few nuances which i still need to work out for example the rpm when i increase the volume it makes a high pitch hum but that could be the engine noise and it not being low enough frequency so instead I turn that down and turn on runway texture to high and then as you throttle up down the runway it rumbles away its great. As well as the landing gear, also landing gear turbulence is on which again is great you feel a thud on raising and lowering and then when the gear is lowered you can feel the wind hitting the landing gear. Its actually very very good. The 2 things as i said trying to sort are the rpm and the flaps for some reason vibrate a lot more than they should when changing but i just need to lower the effect so its just a slight rumble. I just wanted ease of use and it really is with hapticonnect i have simhub for my racing rig and that does everything but i really had to go through each effect with the frequency numbers etc plus that runs everything else, dash displays rumble motors, wind simulation etc and i wanted a seperate program to handle flight sim as i have other programs what control thr other cockpit components.
No worries. I’ll just try SimHaptic on the free trial when I get the buttkicker. I’ll probably also try HaptiConnect as well just so I can see what’s better.
Thanks
Will you let me know how you get on with simhaptic let me know what you prefer.
Will do. I’ll report back here once I’m able to confirm if it works without extra hardware and which one I like better. It’s currently Tuesday here in Australia and I won’t be able to get it until Friday afternoon (assuming they are still in stock).
BTW. I’ll be testing with Flight Simulator 2020.
Yes SimHaptic works just the same. It is just way better than Hapticonnect…hands down better.
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Cool thanks.
Yes I have 3 usb sound cards. I don’t use the onboard sound card. If you don’t want to use software to control the effects you can just plug in the buttkicker using the y cable to your existing sound card and just use the sound coming from the sim to drive the buttkicker, but you wont get the same experience as using the software. For the best experience you really need SimHapatic. I use these Sound BlasterX G1 - Creative Labs (United States)
Hmmm… Now i’m having second thoughts, and instead thinking of getting the HF8. No specific reason mind you, just that i’ve also been watching videos about the HF8 and it looks like it might suit me better. So, i’m not sure what software i’ll be using now. I’m leaning towards the Simshaker for Aviators, or the default HF8 software.
Still deciding though 
Decisions Decisions. Maybe i’ll start with the HF8, and then get the Buttkickers later if this doesn’t suit.
HF8 feedback is crap compared to the Butt Kicker. A huge difference…and I mean HUGE. Night and Day.
I wanted to expand a bit on my previous post regarding the HF8 as I posted quickly while at work… The pad uses motors which are much limited in the feedback they provide compared to a Butt Kicker. They motors also have poor frequency response. The thing that is really annoying is the pad is almost 2 inches thick and down right uncomfortable. Your money would be much better invested into a Butt Kicker as I said above, the experience is night and day. Good luck with your decision and I hope it works out for you. I gave my HF8 away after one week of trying to like it.
Thanks Bobo.
I think i’ve watched almost all the youtube videos out there about both the HF8, and the Buttkicker. I realise they work completely different and that for intensity, and accuracy, and speed, the Buttkicker is better. My thinking is I could always get both, or change to a Buttkicker later. I’ve never used Haptic feedback for Sims before apart from steering wheels etc. so in my case ignorance is bliss when it comes to comparing the two. I still might get the Buttkicker later, but by going with the HF8, I’ll have to deal with less of a configuration experience, and quieter experience. Considering it’s cheaper, it just makes sense to start with that, and if I find it uncomfortable, or utter crap, I can always change to the Buttkicker. I doubt they are going anywhere soon.
Anyway, we’ll see how we go. I may still change my mind again
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Ok… Today is my first day of my holidays so I was able to go buy my new toy. In the end, I decided to go with the Buttkicker Gamer Plus.
I’ve just done a quick flight using SimHaptic with mostly the default settings, and had the volume up to 23 on the amplifier. I do like it, but there doesn’t appear to be a difference between rolling down the runway, and actually being in the air. It kind of feels the same. The Gear isn’t as pronounced as I thought it would be etc.
It’s also certainly not as noisy as I thought it would be which is great. It’s behaving rather nicely with my chair.
I suspect I just need to tune in the settings better, and also the volume. I’m in USB mode and using SimHaptic.
Can anyone share their SimHaptic settings so I can try them out? Also, what volume do you usually have it at. I suspect 23 is too low, but I don’t want to overheat it by cranking it up either. I watched a Youtube video where his overheated being fully cranked up in volume.
Lastly, If SimHaptic is supposed to be better than HaptiConnect, i’m not sure if it’s worth spending the money on HaptiConnect to try it out. Suggestions?
Update: I decided to try HaptiConnect, and i’m sorry I did. Wasted $60 USD. I think it’s rather crap to be perfectly honest. I bought SimHaptic and it’s a lot better. I’m still tuning the settings, but it’s okay.
To be honest, I thought the immersion would be a lot better. It’s pretty good but it just feels a lot like vibrating and is a little too muddled. It’s better than earlier when I first tried it, but still not perfect.
It’s good though. Maybe over time, i’ll get more used to it.
Also, the reason it was so crap the first time I flew was because the two cutoffs were on by default. I turned them both off, and it’s a lot better now.
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Volume setting will be very dependent on your sim rig or chair and your preference. Dial it in to how you like it. Wish you would have listened on Hapticonnect…SimHaptic is really customizable as well. Just take your time dialing it in.