OCZ's Brain Wave Interface Headband Reviewed 89
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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Says the newb who just got fragged ten times in a row in deathmatch.
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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: (Score:1)
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Whoever modded this up doesn't play Halo3. Only two weapons in the game have auto-aim, and that's because are targeting weapons. The rest shoot precisely where you aim the cross-hair, with exception to the assult rifle and turret guns spraying round off at angles when sustaining a high rate of fire.
Perhaps you are talking about the PC version, for which I can't comment, but my original comment basically affirming what you are saying abut needing to be at your own PC. Not very fun to be tied to a machine whe
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Only two of the weapons in halo 3 may have noticeable auto aim, but I guarantee they all have some.
There are several types of auto-aim, and most games use a combination, for instance, its common to reduce your aiming sensitivity when you pass your croshairs over any enemy, making your reticule stick to them a bit, also, as you mentioned, some games will curve projectiles towards your enemy, register hits on near misses, or even follow
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(I say crosshair. A reticule is "Noun 1. reticule - a woman's drawstring handbag; usually made of net or beading or brocade; used in 18th and 19th centuries". Reticule = Microsoft trying to destroy good terminology. Its a conspiracy!)
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I didn't say curve toward enemies, they start spitting out in angles becoming inaccurate. The differences between version 1 and 3 are huge. 1 & 2 had slight auto aim, 3 only has 'face painting' or whatever it's called for zeroing head shots with certain guns.
If we are going to go by this, I don't think we can safely say any shooter doesn't have some degree of auto aim.
Odd that this is informative when the person admits never having played the game. I'm just going to refrain from posting about consoles
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Re: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.
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This means even Fatal1ty plays on an unknown system, but only provides the tools he is comfortable with. The level of talent in players in a professional level transcends what tweaking, cheating, or hacking can provide. The abil
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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.
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.
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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.)
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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.
There's plenty of variables in console gaming. Some people have nicer TVs and sound systems, and others buy fancy controllers. I certainly had a set of fancy Nintendo and Super Nintendo controllers when I was younger.
I think a better analogy would be saying that console gaming is like a cheap, public golf course; and PC gaming is like an expensive private golf course. Or, you could say that console gaming is like using "regulation" clubs & balls, and PC gaming is like using unregulated clubs and ball
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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
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Are you kidding? Online FPS DRM hasn't changed since counterstrike. None of the big multiplayer FPSs that came out last year even needed the CD in
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Amen. I've been playing CS since 1.3, and have to say, the amount of skill people show in CS is.. frankly.. scary. These people I know personally and do not hack. A couple are CAL-o, and one is CAL-i. They have to play on certain servers, servers that welcome better players, because on your standard pubbie noob server, they get banned. Interestingly though, their steam_Id's are all 5 digit. They've been playing since the dawn of time. Mine is
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Re:Just.. (Score:5, Interesting)
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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!
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He's so badass he can rocketjump in counterstrike!
hax
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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].
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It's sensing movement. But instead of the movement of keys or the mouse, it senses movement of your head/face/ears, nose etc.
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Say 'Fire!' into the headset and it will fire (Score:1)
Or you can just blow into the microphone.
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It's a Nintendo DS joke.
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Actually, this was a joke about the old C64 game Echelon, which came with such a headset. Annoying gimmick. The game was Ok though.
brain-wave inputs (Score:1)
For instance, one can trigger the Alpha 2 meter by thinking of an expletive.
Oh, the possibilities... 8)
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Bitch ass cunt barbra streissand!
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.
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Technically, that would make it the Powerhat.
What a twist! (Score:1)
I hear OCZ has a new twist on brain waves.
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
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)
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The list of which co-incides perfectly with servers I don't play on.
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)
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Damn LPBs!
In MY day we had 300ms ping times and LIKED IT!
NIA step in the right direction (Score:1)
Things like this aren't really that spectacular until v3 or v5. Once they have most of the bugs and kinks worked out from people using it and telling them, what sucks so much and just getting feedback in general will allow the later versions to greatly appeal to the regular Joe PC gamer or even Console gamers.
This being the first release of a completely new consumer category i really didn't expect much. More than likely we'll see other company's following through with there own brain wave scanner things, i
I got your hybrid.... ;) (Score:2)
One thing the NIA won't let you do is control mouse movements; the software only supports binding inputs to keystrokes. Since the "glance" meter only tracks the X axis to begin with, I doubt the NIA would be a useful mouse replacement even if OCZ implemented such a feature. You'll still have to use a good old mouse to look around in first-person shooters.
Seeing that at the end of the article almost nixed it for me... until I remembered seeing this [vuzix.com] recently and now wish I had the extra cash to see if it IS possible to use them in conjunction...
Brain wave interface? (Score:1)
Obligatory quote from Back to the Future: "Do you know what this means? It means that this damn thing doesn't work at all!"
That's great but (Score:1)
Blink of an eye (Score:2, Interesting)
Fear Factor? (Score:2, Insightful)
This should make games like "Alone in the Dark", "Resident Evil" and "BioShock" a LOT harder.
Monster: "OOOGITY-BOOGITTY!"
Me: GYAAH!! OHSHITOHSHITWHERESTHEFIRECOMMAN*
Game: You have been eviscerated. Try again.
Needs Onboard DSP (Score:2)
A DSP that computes a
"Conductive nanofibers"? (Score:2)
BS factor = 0.79 (WTF is a "conductive nanofiber"? This is the sort of terminology you use when you're trying to pull the nonconductive wool fibers over someone's eyes.)
Rammifications... (Score:1)
Just add monkeys (Score:1)
Finally, humans will be able to use a mouse AND keep two hands on the keyboard, or develop the skill to scrape a dinner plate into a flip-top bin!
I like my idea better... (Score:1)
One similar on the ABC (Aust) (Score:1)
WMV http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/vodcast/newinventors_2008_ep21.wmv
MP4 http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/vodcast/newinventors_2008_ep21.mp4
This special episode features new ideas on how to use your mind to control machines; drive blind but know the danger ahead; and fit men with a remote controlled contraceptive.[/quote]
This device seems easier to learn and interface with.
This episode shows a head set that enables the wearer to control objec