By the end of this year we might be able to take control over computers just with your thoughts. That’s what Nintendo’s president and CEO Satoru Iwata promises in an interview with Times Magazine (german summary on macnews). The australian company Emotiv has developed “neuroheadsets” equipped with 16 head-mounted sensors that read mind activity, the so-called EPOC. It will cost $299 according to the website of EPOC (they mention it in the GDC video). For sure we have to wait 20 years until this technology really works well and whole games can be mind-controlled, I guess. But according to reports mentioned in the interview, this technology is the tip of the iceberg and a glimpse of what will be possible in human-computer interaction.

Another product in this category is the nia - the Neural Impulse Actuator - from OCZ Technology. It can be used as a normal PC periphery via USB, and converts bio-signals from your brain into keyboard signals. They state it cuts your reaction time in computer games by 50%. Yeah, right. But it is only recommended to use it as additional input for a more immersive gaming experience.

“As soon as we think something in our brain, it will appear within a video game”: for Nintendo, the next step after the Joystick and the Wiimote is the thought-controlled computer game. Well, I’m looking forward to christmas! I wonder what kind of world this is where everything you think appears in the game. Solaris? Firefox? Strange Days?

PS: The tagline of Emotiv is kinda scary: “We know what you’re thinking.”