Mind Games: Play Videogames Just by Thinking Your Moves

Emotiv EPOC
$299, emotiv.com
The graphics in modern PC games are so realistic that Project Origin gives your little brother nightmares. The sound is so lifelike that your neighbors call Homeland Security when you crank up Crysis. Yet, for you, the illusion is spoiled by the keyboard and mouse, the mundane intermediaries between you and the virtual world. The creators of the Emotiv EPOC have been working for five years to correct that. Though the headset looks like a mind-control device, it's really an ... uh ... OK, it is a mind-control device — only your mind is doing the controlling. Sixteen sensors actually read your brain's electrical signatures to let you play a videogame by just thinking about it. Included software lets you use the device to manipulate any PC title. Think run and you're out of there; think shoot and your enemy is toast. Too bad it can't handle meatspace requests like "Make me a Hot Pocket." Not yet, at least.