'Mind Gaming' Could Enter Market This Year

An anonymous reader writes "In an adapted version of the Harry Potter video game, players lift boulders and throw lightning bolts using only their minds. Just as physical movement changed the interface of gaming with Nintendo's Wii, the power of the mind may be the next big thing in video games. And it may come soon. Emotiv, a company based in San Francisco, says its mind-control headsets will be on shelves later this year, along with a host of novel "biofeedback" games developed by its partners. Several other companies — including EmSense in Monterey, California; NeuroSky in San Jose, California; and Hitachi in Tokyo — are also developing technology to detect players brainwaves and use them in next-gen video games."

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Patents?

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's see how many people will be saying that the technology is patented.

Couch potatoes unit!

[Cheerio Boy]

I can see this going two ways:

1) They make a complete interface that allows the gamer to sit on the couch and do nothing physical when he/she is playing the game.

2) They make this interface work in conjunction with other body movement - like maybe adding it to the Wii games like Avatar. You'd actually have to move and think the right things to get the character on screen to do what you want.

The former will make even bigger couch potatoes and the latter will make people even more active while gaming.

I personally would choose the latter if given the choice.

Translation

[Zouden]

'Mind Gaming' will be this year's vaporware buzzword.

Re:The Power Glove seemed cool too

[vertinox]

There was a lot of hype surrounding the release of Nintendo's Power Glove, and in the end it was used for only a few games and then abandoned.

True. However, it wasn't that the new interface that made the Power Glove fail but rather the fact it didn't work. I had gotten one as a kid and the thing never worked and was very cumbersome to program. The was most likley due to the fact it was of poor quality and was more of a gimmick than actually being a well designed product.

The same fate happened for the VR Boy. It was basically an LED that was on a spinning mirror. Great idea but the worst possible implementation ever.

I personally think the technology was not ready for either back in the 90s. However, they kind of got it right with the Wii remote and maybe someday LED technology will allow VR glasses that don't weigh 20lbs and give you a head ache after an hour of use.

Re:and people worry about comcast?

[billcopc]

Cameras ? What about tall kids and midgets ?

A more effective and cheaper solution would be to run PSAs throughout the day and evening, telling parents to "be fucking responsible" and "watch your kid". All the technology in the world cannot compensate for idiot parents.

Re:Wearable computing and the return of hats.

[spacefiddle]

"However, wearing something like this on my head would make me look kind of silly in the business world."

Kind of like sticking a little Borg-like flashing widget behind your ear and walking down the street talking to thin air? :D

From what I can see, what is acceptable in the business world morphs as something becomes popular, useful, or trendy with the C-levels. The first adopters will be snickered at; and then if it becomes as ubiquitous as iPods and bluetooth Borg-earpieces, those same snickerers will rush right out and get theirs. Some of them will even brag about how early they got in on it. People are funny.