great job reporting this fully. Why try to use it for games?...keyboard and mouse are totally accurate and people are so used to them as gaming interfaces. forget replacing them with this, only a curiosity for these purposes!

instead why not try dj, vj, synthesis, visualization, robotics, any media or hardware you can control with numbers, instead of competitive up-to-the-ms gaming? sheesh, what can you control with numerical parameters on a computer? um... anything and everything digital, and by extension, anything electronic. decide for yourself with maxmsp and ditch them addictive video games.

yes i am also a UT2003 addict, but max is a way better addiction, trust me!

Well it's not perfect, but the first try at anything never is.

Was anyone else dissapointed in the fact that this review focused on the NIA's ability to recognise facial muscle movement's, as opposed to detecting Alpha/Beta brainwaves?

Imo the eye movement recognition/eyebrows/jaw movement recognition is useless and doesn't appeal to me at all, however detecting brainwaves as a source of input I find extremely interesting and I beleive is a technology with a big future. Imagine being able to control your character by just thinking something, even sub-concious reactions or instinct could become part of your gaming, even something a simple as the "heat it up/slow it down" modes(?) in games like SWAT 3/4 where the NIA could measure your aggression or panic levels and automatically adjust your and the bots speed etc.

Is there a reason you didn't really give any attention to brainwave detection Cyril? I'm thinking that if you couldn't get it to work or it wasn't fully supported that'd make sense but would be enough reason to post pone the review. I would really like to see additions to this review including a thorough review of the brainwave detecting function.

Imagine, in a few years these sensors could be built into your headphones and you could skip a song on your music player by just thinking. That is, if were still using earphones rather than some other gadget that electrically injects music straight into your brain.

Good review. Are there any potential apps besides games?
I'm thinking it might be handy in learning software where you're doing something else w/ your hands, like cooking? In addition, I'm always going "Shi* shi* shi*" whenever I'm doing more than nuking spuds.

I would like to see someone playing I Wanna Be The Guy with that device.

Oh hey, for the disabled this may be the best invention since the artificial limb but I see the word "gimmick" all over this.

My guess is that OCZ are simply marketing this as a way to reclaim some wasted R&D on a failed product.

This thing screams "Power Glove" to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYDuy7wM8Gk

It *might* be worthwhile to bind just ONE function to the NIA. If it registers "surprise" in your brain, I would bind that to fire in CSS. There'd always be a few times when I'd come around a corner too quickly or something and be caught off guard, but the gun would be pointed in the right direction. Being "surprised" and then finding the enemy dead before you know it would be nice for CSS.

Anything else though sounds like a crapshoot.

Seems weird to use/market this device for games, in a game you are much too concentrated to also think about controlling your face really.
Although in CS you could tie clenching your teeth to say "damn cheaters" I guess :)

I thought of this review today. I was riding my bike directly behind my son (maybe at about 3 mph), and he suddenly slammed on his brakes. Before I could recognize that I should slam on my own brakes, my hand had already squeezed the brake handles on both sides.

Does it adjust to a 3" diameter? Now we're talking 'killer app'.

I've heard some people asking about the possibilities the NIA brings to people who have difficulty using mice or keyboards. The NIA does not replicate full mouse or keyboard functionality, but something that my classmates cooked up for a final project does:
http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/ee476/FinalProjects/s2008/...

It's a mouse + keyboard that you wear on your head. It tracks eye movement and winks, allowing a user to direct a mouse pointer around the screen, click, and right-click. It also allows the user to switch into keyboard mode and (slowly) enter text. It connects via a pair of PS/2 connectors. It lacks the thought-activated rapid response of the NIA, but the fact that it worked at all really impressed me. For their demonstration (no video, sorry), one of the makers used it to open wordpad and type a short message. Very cool.

Man, that thing looks like something you'd use to get audited for Thetans.

It sounds like there are too many limitations for this to be practical for most kinds of gaming, but there may be more use for something like this for people who can't use a mouse because of carpal tunnel or other disabilities.

The Emotiv EPOC can kick this thing's ass. It can actually pick up thoughts and emotions.

Cyril, maybe your problem with the Alpha Wave detector is that expletives just don't sound as threatening in French >|'D

I'm glad to see the retail price is hitting around $149 since numbers as high as $399 were being rumored after the device was first announced, but I'm still having trouble seeing the application here. I can understand using the device for dodging or rapid firing, since the brain and eyes will lock onto a target/threat faster than a finger can ever get to the keyboard, but at that point, it's just an expensive accessory controller.

This does look like something that could provide a very good edge, but would be extremely tedious to get used to. I'm sure this would require a lot of effort in order to get used to. So often we aren't conscious of our facial expressions, patterns, or do things without even thinking about it. Your jumping off a cliff for no apparent reason was probably spawned by the 'oh shit' reaction, which followed by you making the 'no no no, not that way' reaction, and then the 'wtf reaction' without you realizing any of it.

Indeed, this sort of device would require quite a bit of finis to get used to and self control. I'm very happy OCZ is taking a step into this direction as I'm pretty sure facial recognition or brain wave reading will be the sucessor to the keyboard and mouse as the next best input device.

However, the technology is still new. This sounds like a crude first attempt at a concept that no one has been willing to take on. I'm damn sure this will improve with later and later revisions. I hope OCZ will be courageous enough to continue developing this line of product regardless of initial sales as they will be low.

"The result is as I described—almost great."

But the review appeared the exact opposite?

Videos or it didn't happen!

i applaud OCZ for trying something really cool, though i won't buy it.

If these things catch on, will we start seeing the equivalent of carpal tunnel syndrome in peoples' jaws?

Neat technology and idea that needs more development. Wait until v 3.0 I'd say :p