3D after all?, part II

I have only just come across this EE Times article, published at the end of May. It relates to Neurosky, who were mentioned a month or so ago on the Nintendo forums and who I wrote this post about.

Five companies, including a Bluetooth headset provider, game console maker and trucking company, are said to have signed up to market end-user products containing NeuroSky's chips.(...)

NeuroSky is working with videogame console makers on an application to sense the mood of the gamer and adjust the game accordingly. "It's like having a dancing partner who follows your lead," said Yang.

In difference to a possible Nintendo / NASA connection I wrote about in the first part of this post, this new (old) article actually mentions that the investor is a console manufacturer. That means it´s down to the big three. Now, the very idea would hardly be considered by Microsoft or Sony. So it pretty much has to be Nintendo.

If you read my old post on Neurosky, thoughts on thoughts, this technology is nowhere near as advanced to allow the gamer to steer a car or negotiate a 3D environment. If it´s just a matter of sensing the mood of the gamer and adjusting the game accordingly, that could indeed be a possibility. I remember there were rumours before the E3 that Nintendo would include this very kind of feature. If I remember correctly, the rumours related to a heart rate monitor. The practical upshot is the same, though. You are playing a horror game that knows when you are afraid. Doors unlock only when you have calmed down. That could well be a possibility.

Sorry if you have come across this before. I know this was posted two weeks ago on this Nintendo forum thread. But the story received too little attention, I guess. I didn´t see it until now, anyway.

EDIT The EE Times posted an earlier article concerning Neurosky. Here´s the interesting bit:

NeuroSky (Santa Clara, Calif.), a fabless design house that consists of U.S. chip designers and neuroscience experts from Moscow National University, is developing a dry sensor product, a signal processing chipset, and intellectual property (IP). The company also claims to have an exclusive license to brainwave interpretation algorithms, which were developed in Russia.

The company said it will embed these components in a lightweight, low-cost headset, which will interact with separate electronic and electromechanical devices in "neural-mapping" applications. Initially, it will focus on three applications: sleep/drowsiness detectors for the automotive and industrial markets; therapeutic solutions for attention deficit disorder (ADD) problems; and gaming consoles. (...)

The company, which has 17 employees, has obtained less than $1 million in funding thus far. It plans to raise some $3-to-$5 million of Series A financing in the near future.

The funding will enable the company to develop its product line, which is slated for 2006. This funding will also be used to put the chipset into production, strengthen its patent portfolio, and boost its marketing and sales efforts.

Just to show they will be able to mass-produce by 2006. Happy speculating, everyone!