At an E3 inundated with alternative control interfaces, one of the most potentially groundbreaking pieces of technology wasn’t even on the show floor. I met with NeuroSky’s Vice President of Marketing and Business Development David Westendorf, in a crowded café at the Los Angeles Convention Center. David had something in his bag he wanted to show me.
At first, the Mindset looked like little more than a pair of headphones, but David was quick to point out its immediate implications for revolutionizing the way we play video games.
“Where we are right now is, for the first time, taking a small step into bringing your brain into the gaming experience,” David said, pulling the device over his head to demonstrate. A gesticulating arm fit snugly against his temple.
“All of our bodies give off electricity,” he continued. “And that electrical signal ranges from the loudest of heartbeats to the faintest of brainwaves.”
The Mindset intercepts and translates those cranial impulses, and although the hardware was initially developed for use in the medical industry, David and his team have been busy talking with developers about more recreational applications.
He offered a few concrete examples. For instance, in The Adventures of NeuroBoy, which comes bundled with the Mindset, players are given force-like telekinetic powers, allowing NeuroBoy to levitate and toss objects or light them on fire. David later mused that the environment of a shooter could be cloaked in the fog of war, requiring the player to concentrate on dispersing the mist.
The possibilities are virtually limitless, but still David doesn’t want to set up unrealistic expectations.
“It’s not like you think something and it happens on screen,” he explained. “It’s much more of an enhancement to informing the game experience.”
Nevertheless, big things are happening for him and NeuroSky, and with the Mindset in the hands of developers, the company hopes to aggressively expand its presence in the gaming space with “big releases” in the next 12 to 14 months.
NeuroSky may not have had the booming, gaudy presence at E3 some larger companies afford, but it certainly made one of the biggest impressions. The Mindset and nine apps are currently available at NeuroSky.com, as is a brief video demo for the device (embedded below).
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It began with a Colecovision and a string of second-hand Nintendo Entertainment Systems, and I haven’t looked back. I’m an avid gamer, but with a background in film and video production, I put particular importance on story and atmosphere in the videogames I play. As a result, I find myself gravitating to adventure or horror titles that give a convincing sense of place, and I am less interested in shooters and button mashers.
I also love unusual and experimental games (Zen Bound, Endless Ocean, Puzzle Quest) that you might scoff at hearing an explanation of. I treasure these new and creative gaming experiences far more than the rehearsed adrenaline of an average AAA blockbuster title.
Most of all, however, I’m open to anything unique and fun.
