Want to feel the heat of nearby fire, explosions, or radiation? Or even just the gentle warmth and breeze of a sunny day in the wasteland? If you said yes, you’re in luck because [GingasVR] created an immersive heat mod and wind mod for the VR version of Fallout 4 that leverages economical smart outlets and game scripting to do just that.

The heart of this hack lies in gluing two things that don’t normally go together. In this case [GingasVR] uses a bit of game scripting to control TP-Link HS100 or HS110 Smart Plugs, allowing virtual events to control things in the real world. An ordinary fan in a smart plug creates wind on demand, and heat comes from a 250 watt infrared heat lamp aimed toward the player. For heat, an IR lamp is the way to go because it’s highly directional, can be quickly cycled on and off, and responds rapidly.

The range of immersive effects opened up by this is pretty compelling. Sunny weather yields a gentle glow of warmth, but nearby explosions cause a short full-blast flash of heat. The heat of fires also grows and fades with proximity. This being Fallout, [GingasVR] ensured local radiation has an effect on the heat level as well. Want to see it in action? She briefly explains around the 3:20 mark in this video.

Using ordinary appliances and smart plugs controlled from within VR to modify environmental effects is clever, and we like that it’s entirely nondestructive. The scripting mod for the game doesn’t overwrite any game files, and the hardware used requires no modifications.

Not into Fallout? [GingasVR] has similar Skyrim VR mod, if that’s more your bag. And if you’re modding Skyrim VR anyway, consider adding a “meditation device” headband to make magic respond to your actual state of mind.