It’s common to see gaming headsets at CES, but this year is the first time a gaming headset that can be controlled with the human brain was unveiled.
Neurable a Boston-based tech company announced that it has partnered with HP to develop a HyperX-branded headset powered by neurotechnology.
Available to see on the CES show floor, the Neurable prototype, which doesn’t yet have a name, has earcups fitted out with brain-computer interfaces (BCI), the same type you see used in MRI machines. These BCIs are designed to read and track your brainwaves when you play different games. Neurable / HP boasts that the headset enhances gameplay using real-time brain insights.
Details on how the prototype works are scarce, but it appears that the headset measures player concentration. Players use the headset in conjunction with a program called Prime to “prime” their concentration. They get visual cues as to when their concentration is honed, which they can then apply to their gaming.
Neurable/HP
In a press release shared by BusinessWire Neurable stated that Neurable’s neurofeedback Prime system delivered measurable gains: everyday gamers and esports athletes showed faster reaction times, improved accuracy, and hit a higher number of targets during FPS training sessions. On average, participants improved reaction time by 43 milliseconds, increased accuracy by 0.53 percent, and hit nearly nine additional targets in a target shooting psychometric task
Neurable CEO and cofounder Ramses Alcaide said of the collaboration: “HyperX allows us to bring neurotechnology to gamers at a scale we’ve never been able to reach before.”
“We look forward to the excitement of this strategic relationship, which represents a promising future of gaming, one where understanding your mind becomes as natural as understanding your mechanics. By making brain-computer interfaces (BCI) intuitive and invisible inside the tools players already use, we’re proving that neuroscience can meaningfully elevate performance and transform the way people play.”
The headset doesn’t yet have a release date or pricing.
