Videogame controllers could use an update. The joystick is more than 30 years old--ancient by high-tech standards. And the gamepad is just a few mini-joysticks melted together with a couple of extra buttons. And let's not even get started on the mouse and keyboard; they're the de facto PC game controllers, but they're a little slow on the trigger. It's been starting to seemed like cool cyberpunk technology would never get here, but OCZ Technology Group announced it has begun mass production of the Neural Impulse Actuator--the first commercially available brain-computer interface designed specifically for gamers.

How does it work? According to a company press release:

The commands are easily assigned with the NIA's user-friendly software and are calibrated based on the individual's physiology and personal preferences. Each of the Actuator's signals can be assigned to a specific keystroke on the keyboard or a mouse button; consequentially, gamers can run, jump, and fire faster all without "lifting a finger."

A prototype was unveiled at CeBIT last year, and the final version will be shown in all its glory at the upcoming CeBIT in Hanover, Germany. This final version of the NIA will feature a USB 2.0 interface and streamlined carbon "dry" interface sensors. How well it will work and what it can actually do for gamers isn't 100 percent clear. But every innovation needs a first step. And the NIA could be that first step toward "I think, therefore I game."

Post by Peter Suciu