The Gadget Show aired the "Ultimate Battlefield 3 Simulator" last Monday night. The Birmingham, UK-based television show which has a great number of followers is well known for its challenges to its hosts to test, review, and even build their own gadgets, and giving surprising results. But this simulator they built takes the cake.

In anticipation of the Battlefield 3 video game release. The Gadget Show Team decided to embark on building the simulator as a challenge to make the most immersive first person shooter video game set up in the world. With the wonders of Google, the team of Suzi and Jason, were able to pull a team of hackers, simulator makers, lighting specialists, and paintball experts to build this.

Whilst there have been shooting simulators in a 360-degree virtual environment, The Gadget Show Ultimate Battlefield 3 Simulator goes to another level: the human shooter gets hit also when the virtual enemies fire back and the sensors sense a hit. Thus, an immersive video game environment where you do not only sweat it out, adrenalin-pumping, you also get to be hurt bad when you're shot. I can't recall of any simulator that does that,  not even the COMBATREDI combat simulator that was developed by Cubic Corporation which is just a high definition OLED video display that is mounted on the helmet and costs over US$100,000 each. The Gadget Show simulator costs £500,000 to build, but it provides more than just a helmet mounted display system, it gives a full package of shooting experience that only live firing exercises and real world dangerous combat missions can beat.

The result of playing the simulator was indeed impressive enough, that I myself would be willing to pay good cash to experience even just one level of Battlefield 3 with it. If they will be displaying this for The Gadget Show Live 2012 at the NEC, I'll be queueing up to play.

Watch Jason gets deeply into the role of soldier as he tries the simulator, especially in the second attempt as the first attempt was aborted due to calibration issues. He treated his virtual team mates like real humans, shouting at them, and even dragging a wounded virtual soldier.

But the real treat of the episode is the appearance of Andy McNab, SAS hero, author of best sellling "Bravo Two Zero", and consultant in the development of Battlefield 3 (he also write the Battlefield 3 Novel that will come with the game). He gets on the simulator and his training showed in the game, which is far from how Jason conducted his tactical movements. Andy McNab was really impressed in the game, and his sweat showed it.

A simulator that every FPS game will dream of owning one, too bad it will be out of reach for most. But the military might be interested in one. If they will be able to program a squad-based simulator with it, then it would be more awesome than a LAN party.

It would even be more realistic if they used airsoft guns with this simulator.