Sunday, July 27th 2008

OCZ Could Bring NIA to Gaming Consoles

OCZ Technology could take the Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA), a device that provides input by interpreting brain waves to a PC, to gaming consoles where they replace the function of game-controllers. Using the device you could play games with complex and sometimes rapid control such as Unreal Tournament or Crysis without using your hands on a PC, proving it could provide a device input at a very rapid rate. TechRadar met Tobias Brinkmann, director of marketing at OCZ. Brinkmann told that the company was looking into the possibility of developing the NIA to function as an input device for major gaming consoles.

"It's definitely something we are looking into," he said. "The thing we think would be most cool is to get the NIA working with the Nintendo Wii - that would be good. But of course it would be great if we could get it working with all the consoles." Brinkmann also revealed that in the past Microsoft made attempts to acquire the technology from OCZ which was turned down by OCZ, pointing at the potential this technology has.
Source: TechRadar
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39 Comments on OCZ Could Bring NIA to Gaming Consoles

#26
GSG-9
Also keep in mind your not setting to movements or ideas, your binding keys (keyboard keys) directly to muscle movements. So if you think "im going to run behind that cover over there" its not going to do anything.

Just my understanding of it after reading everything I could find on the device. :D
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#27
PrudentPrincess
GSG-9Also keep in mind your not setting to moments or ideas, your binding keys (keyboard keys) directly to muscle moments. So if you think "im going to run behind that cover over there" its not going to do anything.

Just my understanding of it after reading everything I could find on the device. :D
Hmm, I might be wrong but I think why people are saying that you bind keys to muscle movements is because its the easiest way for NIA to recognize brain waves. (while a brain wave for "OMG RUN" might change over time a raised eyebrow will have a specific wave every time) I would like to sit down with one and see if I could relax my face and try to find ways to control it without using my face.
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#28
GSG-9
PrudentPrincessHmm, I might be wrong but I think why people are saying that you bind keys to muscle movements is because its the easiest way for NIA to recognize brain waves. (while a brain wave for "OMG RUN" might change over time a raised eyebrow will have a specific wave every time) I would like to sit down with one and see if I could relax my face and try to find ways to control it without using my face.
As long as everyone understands it still binds to keys, having this as a controller will still limit your available movements to anything you could do with a keyboard :D
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#29
pentastar111
So let me see if I've "ingested" this correctly....If it has to bind to the keyboard and it reads "facial muscle" movement, it really isn't reading BRAIN WAVES. Sounds like another gimmcky toy, one that will very soon collect dust in ones closet or drawer.
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#30
GSG-9
pentastar111So let me see if I've "ingested" this correctly....If it has to bind to the keyboard and it reads "facial muscle" movement, it really isn't reading BRAIN WAVES. Sounds like another gimmcky toy, one that will very soon collect dust in ones closet or drawer.
Facial movements are just one of the options you can set it to, you should be able to set any key to anything you can think of...but I dont have one to know that for sure.
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#31
alexp999
Staff
So if I'm reading this right, you could say, set each of your fingers moving for a different "keyboard button". Or it could be on fighting games moving your arm, actually moves causes you to strike.

This is basically a step in the direction of games like those on the Wii having no controllers, you do bowling but dont have to hold the controller, the little wireless bandana reads your brain waves.

hmm, being skeptical, this could be kinda creepy, if it can read muscle movement brain waves what else is it capable of? Maybe you could hack PC's with the power of your mind, or maybe they could even hack you!!! :eek:

imagine what it will be like when they can harness the processing power of the human brain......

Maybe we will actually be able to run crysis at max settings and playable frame rates.

Maybe you dont buy a PC, you are the PC, lol. Upgrade your own "system" components, new CPU please, now I can calculate 10BN decimals places of PI on 2 secs!

lol, anyway back on topic, this thing gives me the impression it is more gimmick than useful, I would imagine it could be quite impractical, making you look like a retard in the process.
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#32
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
it was originally designed for medical purposes, quadriplegics and such.

we REALLY need a review to know how useful it actually is.
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#33
alexp999
Staff
Musselsit was originally designed for medical purposes, quadriplegics and such.

we REALLY need a review to know how useful it actually is.
I remember reading about something like it a few years ago, then connected up a sensor to a man who was limbless. They configured the sensor to re act to his brain waves and move the mouse on screen. Then he just had to train his brain to control the mouse properly like you do when you are a baby learning how to use your limbs.

Just find it creepy how this could progress into the reality of being able to read peoples minds.

Maybe one of NASA computers will be able to work out how a womans mind works :p .........
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#34
DrPepper
The Doctor is in the house
I would just think kill everyone in game and let it do it :D
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#35
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
i can see this getting fairly well progressed as time goes by. For example, if you can train them properly (really its down to the sensors accuracy and software) you can even think-type.

I'm not so sure the NIA is going to be all that great, but the tech is going to become quite big in years to come.
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#36
alexp999
Staff
Musselsi can see this getting fairly well progressed as time goes by. For example, if you can train them properly (really its down to the sensors accuracy and software) you can even think-type.

I'm not so sure the NIA is going to be all that great, but the tech is going to become quite big in years to come.
Wow that would be good, but surely that would be reading your mind??

I can imagine if they get it right you could type as if there was a keyboard in front of you , but infact there acutally isnt...
Posted on Reply
#37
Mussels
Freshwater Moderator
alexp999Wow that would be good, but surely that would be reading your mind??

I can imagine if they get it right you could type as if there was a keyboard in front of you , but infact there acutally isnt...
well in order to not pick up stray thoughts, you'd have to train yourself to say, think in a different way. as a very made up example, if you normally thought in letters, you'd have to think in words - that way only deliberate, intentional thoughts get picked up while the normal chatter doesnt. It would vary per person, thus my point on 'training' the software to read your thoughts in particular.

(as an example for a car game, they cant assume everyone is going to think the same way for changing gears. some cars have manual transmission, some automatic, and lately some have speed-shifters on the steering wheel. drivers of each would have different thoughts when it came to changing gears)

more or less it would have to say "think of X" and then record it. lets say it does it 15 times over the period of an hour, it'd get a fairly accurate reading of what you'd think when doing such a thing (in the racing game example, it could even have a miniature racing game demo) - it really, REALLY comes down to the software imo.
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#38
PrudentPrincess
alexp999Wow that would be good, but surely that would be reading your mind??

I can imagine if they get it right you could type as if there was a keyboard in front of you , but infact there acutally isnt...
They've already designed "mind reading devices" that connect to a simple computer and give you two or three options. (ex. 3 triangles on screen tells you to think of one of them, computer knows if you're right or wrong) It won't be long.
Posted on Reply
#39
EnergyFX
Your mind makes it real, Neo.
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