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Brainwave Technology Company Envisions Mind-Controlled Games
Ever since the launch of the Wii in 2006, motion control has been a trend that publishers have aggressively pursued. Devices like Kinect and Move have tried to capitalize on this trend in recent years, but brainwave technology company NeuroSky has a vision of a gaming future that seems even more futuristic. Their technology has already been put into use in toys like the Star Wars Force Trainer (which allows you to float a ball through a tube by concentrating), and they spoke to developers at GDC about potential uses in console and mobile games.
Much of the company's traditional focus has been on fitness applications, such as shirts that include biosensors that can measure your heartbeats and send the info to an iOS device. They also plan on bringing similar technology to bike handlebars and iPhone cases. The tech can also be used to encourage concentration, which we saw in a video showcasing a device that shocks users if their mind wanders from a specific task.
We can only imagine the ways game developers could utilize NeuroSky's brainwave-scanning headsets (which are currently available between $99 and $129), but NeuroSky offered up a couple of examples. One scenario involved military shooters and sniper situations. If you're actually calm and focused, your sniper scope will stay steady. If you're rattled and/or distracted, you'll be punished with an unsteady scope. Another involved a hypothetical stealth scenario. Sneaking around in a game like Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell could potentially be made more immersive if you were forced to calm your mind and body before slipping past guards. Playing the game while tired or over-caffeinated would be to your disadvantage, causing your character's sneaking ability to be less consistent. Your brain could even be used offensively in games, as seen in a demo that featured players making a barrel explode by focusing hard enough on it.
If this technology could be introduced to games in a reliable and responsive way, it could potentially be an intriguing element of gaming in the future. With a device like Kinect, there are factors like lighting and available space that cause it to be less than ideal for some gamers. Neurosky's headsets are small and rely on nothing but brainwave activity. We're probably a ways away from fully mind-controlled video games becoming a reality, but the utilization of this technology could prove to be interesting as the industry moves forward.
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