14 DAY TRIAL // Square Enix is looking to benefit from the next biggest thing in videogaming. Thus, it has partnered up with NeuroSky, a company which specializes in creation and commercialization of bio sensors, to create a videogame which can be controlled with the power of your mind. The game will be presented in the following two days on the floor of the Tokyo Games Show.
The demonstration will run on a PC and in conjunction with the MindSet, a piece of gear from NeuroSky which looks like a big headset with an electrode added has to be attached to the forehead. The MindSet can currently be used to control a PC, a gaming console and mobile phones, with various degrees of success. The equipment is set to register the current state of relaxation or of concentration of the players, which then can be used to control the videogame.
Ryutaro Ichimura, a producer for Square Enix, said that “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work with NeuroSky, and apply their advanced sensor technology in this brain-wave controlled game demonstration. Although the main purpose of the demo is to test the results of our short development period, I hope it also unlocks new potentials in gaming”.
NeuroSky is a company founded in 2004 and it aims to develop a full interface, with bio sensors and signal processing technology, that can then be used to control various electronic objects only by using one’s mind.
This sounds great for videogaming if it’s accurate and quick enough, as it will allow us to shoot our way through action titles and jump in platformers without using the now antiquated game pads or keyboards. The big problem could be that the interface is limited to broad commands and cannot distinguish between more subtle commands. Even if the demonstration at the Tokyo Game Show is less than impressive, it's clear that in a few years we'll be playing Halo V by using not our hands but our mind.