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OCZ's Brain Wave Interface Headband Reviewed
Posted by
Soulskill
on Fri Jun 27, 2008 09:58 PM
from the as-good-as-you-think dept.
from the as-good-as-you-think dept.
J. Dzhugashvili writes "Could you control a game using your jaw muscles, eye movements, and brain waves? OCZ designed its futuristic Neural Impulse Actuator controller for that very purpose, and it claims the device lets players shorten their response times and interact with games more naturally. But is it really all it's cracked up to be? The Tech Report took the NIA for a spin in order to answer that question, and it made some interesting discoveries along the way. The verdict is that the NIA works (mostly) as advertised, but getting used to it can take enough dedication and perseverance to put off many prospective users."
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Mobile: Clove 2 Bluetooth Dataglove For One-Handed Typing 96 comments
An anonymous reader writes "Clove 2 is a bluetooth dataglove used for one-handed typing. It uses a 31-combination finger-chording design with three modes to allow every key on a standard keyboard to be typed with minimal effort. The bluetooth functionality removes the need to tether it to a computer, and since it profiles as a standard HID Keyboard, a simple translation layer to perform key remapping, sticky modifiers, and mode switching is the only software required. It consists of three components: the glove itself, the bluetooth module, and a custom charger for the Bluetooth module. Video, pictures, and full plans and schematics on the project page." From that page: "Please be advised that the Clove 2 Bluetooth Dataglove is a personal project, not a commercial offering." I hope that gets corrected at some point!
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Major geek cred... (Score:5, Funny)
... to the first person to frag Stephen Hawking.
Re:Major geek cred... (Score:5, Funny)
Good luck on that, Hawking with a mind interface becomes a virtual Chuck Norris. He's so badass he can rocketjump in counterstrike!
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
He's so badass he can rocketjump in counterstrike!
hax
Sounds like a bait-and-switch.... (Score:4, Insightful)
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Simple (Score:5, Funny)
Simple. Most people here in the US can't think in Russian [imdb.com].
Parent
It doesn't work for me... (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah yeah yeah, that's great and all... (Score:4, Insightful)
Powerglove (Score:3, Insightful)
So basically its a Powerglove for your head.
Easy to defeat such a player (Score:5, Funny)
It would be too easy to defeat a player using one of these. Simply flash up a picture of a naked chick and all brain activity will cease as another body part will take over the 'thinking', and this device won't be able to pick anything up anymore.
Re:Easy to defeat such a player (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
experiments using gaming (Score:2)
My wild bet is a trend to a "physical type" skill increase concurrent with a decrease in "teamwork" seen on the blue porn-viewing side. More vigilantism and lone-wolfism in blue.
Red would trend toward the "Poindexters", dodging more and advancing with teamwork. A total conjecture on my part.
I wonder what differences we would see in brain wave activity?
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100 ms (Score:5, Informative)
I hate to break it to this guy, but 100 ms is a very, very long time in most FPS games!
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Re:100 ms (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Just.. (Score:5, Interesting)
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thats because halo aims for you and the movement control is horribly inaccurate
playing on your own setup always has its advantages, mouse sensitivity and the delay between your mouse and the update on the screen is a big deal and can throw anyone off that invests enough time playing for long periods of timeRe:Just.. (Score:5, Insightful)
The reason matches tend to be so close in Halo 3 is because, contrary to your assertion, "skill" is almost nonexistant as a factor. It's an easy FPS, designed to be fun for everyone. You don't get big winners, but you don't really get big losers either. Hitboxes are huge, everything moves slowly, and controller controls are horrible for any kind of accuracy. Simple strategy and luck become the only factors, and since most people are devoid of the first and equal on the second, you get close games.
Your implication is that anyone who actually does well in PC FPSs is hacking, but that just tells me that you've never played with anyone with actual skill. While *my* former roommate wasn't into gaming much, his girlfriend played CAL Counterstrike matches, and I usually watched from over-the-shoulder. I'm not horrible myself, but in any kind of 1v1 situation, she'd wipe the floor with me, and did pretty regularly when we played public servers or LAN games. The funny part? She didn't even own her own computer at the time, she played on my roommate's, which was a mid-range Dell with nothing fancy.
About your roommate, while he's probably an idiot who wasn't very good to start with, there's definitely something to be said about your "home" machine. You get used to the feel of the keyboard, the precision and delay of the mouse, even things like the color balance or brightness of your monitor can mess you up if they're changed. Playing on a different PC can really throw someone off their game.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The hitboxes on the battlefield games and the Halo series seem to be about the same. Sure, the controls suck, but when everyone is using a similar controller, it makes for a more even battle. The game moves slowly, because it is intended to be fun on this particular controller setup and emulate the speed at which people move (like CS), as opposed to the sprinting pace of Quake or Unreal. As for accuracy, the game rewards those who are actually able to get their accuracy up, as the "headshot" hitbox is rathe
Re:Just.. (Score:5, Insightful)
What you mention seems to equate to what I was saying about consoles being more level playing fields, people are given equal machines for a reason at these events. You don't get that luxury when just bumping around on the 'net.
Bah, I forget this is /. sometimes. Everyone wants to blindly save PC gaming, which requires the use of Windows over 90% of the time unless you want to wait a long time for Wine support or a port. I say let it go down the stinker and don't look back.
No, you're still completely missing the point. Calling console gaming an "equal playing field" is like calling No Child Left Behind "equal education". It's equal because performance is equally handicapped, and because players have equally LIMITED tools. Playing a FPS at a tournament with standardized PCs isn't about handicapping, it's about making sure that every player has the tools they require to play their best, which is the very OPPOSITE of the idea behind console FPSs.
Here's another way to look at it. Say you're playing golf with your buddies, and one of them is a pro golfer. He has his own really nice set of clubs, matching tees, and a personal ball-washer. You have some hand-me-down clubs that you found in the attic, and the rest of your friends are similarly equipped. He solidly trounces all of you every time you play, and eventually you all get tired of it. You tell him that from now on, the only club allowed during your games is a mini-golf putter. Sure, he's still better than you with the putter, he makes nicer shots on the green, but it doesn't really matter, because you ALL suck with the putter compared to regular clubs. But the playing field is equal now, and that's what counts, right?
Console gaming is golfing with nothing but a putter. PC gaming lets you use whatever clubs you can afford, and competitive PC gaming makes sure that everyone has equally nice clubs and that nobody's using a guided missile to drop their ball a foot from the hole when nobody's looking. If you want to keep playing mini-golf, be my guest, I'm sure it's a good time. However, if you run around screaming about how pro golfers are only good because they have nice clubs, and that you'd show them who the real pro is if they came to your mini-golf course for a few games, you WILL be ridiculed, and deservedly so.
Finally, this has nothing to do with Windows or Linux or any other OS for that matter. For fuck's sake, you're playing Microsoft games on a Microsoft console and whining that PC games require Windows? Kindly take your stupid off-topic OS trolling and get the fuck out.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Keyboard = 4 way directional movement.
Just because a mouse alone is superior to a single thumbstick, doesn't negate all the other advantages a controller holds over a keyboard (movement, button placement, tactile response, ergonomic comfort level, analogue button response, freedom to leave your chair and keep playing, etc.)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Bitch ass cunt barbra streissand!
Re:What a twist! (Score:4, Funny)
Why is it always pizza? I've been seeing you guys for twenty years, and it's always been pizza. If you were really into non sequiturs you could factor out the trade winds and integrate with respect and courage till the cows came and went. If you get my estoppal.
--MarkusQ
Parent