Lauren spends most of her time lifeless in League of Legends, or equally as lifeless in Valorant. Do not ask her about Vampire: The Masquerade.
Printed: September 10, 2026
I’ve a confession to make; one which’s perhaps a bit too private. At Gamescom 2026, I sniffed a sheep in Minecraft – there, I stated it. On digital paper, this sounds notably heinous; arrestable, one might argue. In observe, nonetheless, it is not unhealthy in any respect. Belief me.
Amid the flurry of Gamescom preview invitations I acquired, one caught my eye: Scentbar. “What’s that?” I requested myself; “bizarre identify for a brand new recreation.” Upon nearer inspection, it seems that Scentbar is successfully smell-o-vision however for videogames, powered by distinctive AI tech that analyzes the digital atmosphere round you, and emits odours that match it. Certain, there was Warlock, Castlevania, even The Witcher – however this, proper right here, is the quickest appointment I’ve ever locked in.
So how does Scentbar work? Created by Zestum, a Neuss-based startup, the bar – which is vaguely paying homage to the previous Xbox Kinect – incorporates varied completely different scent capsules, every with their very own distinctive ‘taste.’ Throughout my demo I encountered every part from smoke to grass and flowers, in addition to a menthol-inspired scent that represented ice. You possibly can choose as much as ten of those and slot them into the Scentbar, which disperses the smells utilizing followers.
The purpose is fairly easy: “scent your video games.” CEO Salomo Bertram and CFO Samuel Wiebe boot up Minecraft, and drop me right into a forested biome with a close-by shoreline and a few lava in addition. I am left alone to discover, and I watch in awe as Zestum’s AI algorithm begins to acknowledge my environment.
As anticipated, the forested areas scent like a combination of grass and timber, with some floral notes after I stare at some brilliant pink flowers. As I start to cut wooden, issues start to scent like a lumberyard, and as I enterprise in direction of the lava fields, my nostril tingles with smoke and brimstone. The scents aren’t overpowering – admittedly we have been in a closely air-conditioned sales space, which doubtless did trigger a little bit of particle dispersal – however they’re undoubtedly there.
After a fast jaunt to the seaside, the duo whisk me away to – you guessed it – a herd of sheep. “Let’s sniff some sheep,” I say, far too loudly, prompting amusing. “I like to scent all of the sheep,” Bertram joins in, making me really feel barely much less bizarre. Initially there’s the scent of grime, which shortly begins to mingle with the grossly acquainted scent of manure. I am fast to return to a close-by flower patch, however I used to be genuinely struck by simply how genuine stated small balls of wool smelled. I am undecided how Zestum performed its market analysis there, and truthfully, I feel I am blissful in my ignorance.
Whereas Wiebe informs that that Scentbar works throughout varied video games – together with League of Legends, the place you possibly can scent the Jungle – it additionally works in your browser. He brings up a picture of a pineapple and swaps out one of many capsules, and instantly every part begins to scent vaguely like piña colada. The AI tech works by taking a look at a photograph and figuring out it utilizing a share recognition system. Then, it pairs it with its respective scent. It is intelligent, however most of all, it is simply enjoyable, and God is aware of we’d like extra enjoyable as of late.
The bar can also be absolutely programmable – Bertram offers me the instance that I might, if I wished to, set off it to “scent like cola when [you] see zombies in Minecraft.” You can too regulate the depth of scents, and blend and match them as you go.
With over 33 scents and a profitable Kickstarter, Scentbar is at the moment accessible in pre-order part for PC, and will probably be coming to console a bit additional down the road. The bottom mannequin is priced at €299 (~£284) and you may select from Nature, Motion, or Racing-focused scents. The professional is available in at €389 (~£334), and contains reactive LEDs that mirror the colours in your display screen, in addition to the Scentbar Sync Module, which lets you join a number of Scentbars to your Professional if you wish to expertise ‘encompass scent’ (it is like encompass sound, however with smells – I ought to trademark that). You possibly can choose up a Scentbar through Zestum’s web site, with pre-orders set to ship in This autumn 2026 (between October 1 and December 31).
The Scentbar is, after all, a premium product – you do not want it to play video games, and it will doubtless solely enchantment to a choose area of interest of high-level gamers. However, as somebody who genuinely wasn’t positive what to anticipate, I might argue that it is greater than only a foolish gimmick. It is enjoyable, it provides one other layer of immersion to your expertise, and it seems like a fantastic product for a comfortable gaming night time in. Or, alternatively, for those who’ve ever simply puzzled what a Minecraft sheep smells like, it offers you an excuse to sate that curiosity; for higher, or worse.
