The hardware itself is just a camera that sits in front of the eyewear, and feeds a signal back to your eyes. The magic happens when an app is programmed to recognize certain objects, and know to augment what your seeing with 3D visuals on top.

This resulted in four demos at GDC, developed by Metaio: A knight and dragon fighting in a Lego scene, An alien invasion on top of a magazine page, digital doodlings on top of a specially marked surface using the optional PhasAR controller and a virtual shooting range, where the PhasAR is clipped into a gun-like shell controller. While the headset itself still feels pretty clunky and dated, the new camera tech has a lot of potential.

Both the knight and dragon demo, and the alien invasion demo are similar in that they add 3D animations on top of a predetermined object. However, the knight and dragon demo has 3D spatial recognition that knows exactly how the legos are built in all directions. If you navigate the camera away from these objects, the graphics and animations disappear. Move back on the scene, and within a couple of seconds, the eye candy reappears. You can even use the PhasAR to trigger animations. It's really cool to see the tech used in a more consumer-centric manner.

The digital doodler demo makes use of specially marked spaces that are reminiscent of QR barcodes, and when it sees that space, it knows to start superimposing doodles on the screen. You hold the PhasAR like a pen, and start moving it in the air, and as you do that, the screen is littered with your handiwork. I'm sure we'll see a bunch of virtual graffiti kiosks popping up around this eventually.

The fourth demo is the virtual shooting range, where more of those QR tiles are placed in the distance, the PhasAR is clipped into its gun shell, and in your headset is a 3D shooting range, where you can blast away to your heart's content. While this is essentially the same as playing a shooting game on the Wii (with something on your face), it's neat to think you could hypothetically set this up anywhere and casually pop a couple caps.

Like most of these hardware tech demos at GDC, developer support is key to the CamAR and PhasAR having any relevance to consumers. Vuzix says they'll begin pushing the hardware to developers in 30 days and have the product to market this summer, which will run on most computers released in the last 4-5 years. They expect both products to retail for under $100 apiece, and will also have a CamAR/VR920 bundle for those lacking the headset. [Vuzix]

Vuzix to introduce the World's First Consumer Augmented Reality Video Eyewear at 2009 Game Developers Conference

See this groundbreaking technology at Booth Number 6420 NH

London, Wednesday March 25: Vuzix Corporation, the leader in video eyewear for the mainstream consumer, defence and low vision markets, will showcase a game-changing Augmented Reality Accessory Kit for the popular VR920 Virtual Reality Video iWear.

Partnering with metaio, Inc., a world leader in augmented reality software solutions, Vuzix will demonstrate at the 2009 GDC how a simple printed page can be brought to life with 3-D animated characters that literally pop out of the book and fire breathing dragons from a fantasy tale can swoop overhead.

Vuzix AR Accessory Kit consists of two main features:

· CamAR™, a clip-on USB camera that mounts onto a pair of Vuzix Video iWear. The CamAR not only allows the user to see through to the real world but is also designed to accurately track objects and the user's position in 3-dimensional space.

· PhasAR™, a wireless augmented reality input controller is designed to be used in unison with the CamAR™. The PhasAR™ allows users to interact with virtual, mixed and augmented reality worlds with a revolutionary 6 degree of freedom tracking system that lets the computer know exactly where the user is touching in the virtual and real worlds. Depending on the application, the PhasAR™ can become anything from a powerful virtual magic wand to a 3-D virtual paint brush. The PhasAR™ enables powerful 2-D like mouse support in order to effortlessly control virtual objects in 3-D space.

Together, these new devices allow the user to perceive and interact with the real world in ways they have never dreamed of before.

"This capability, known as Augmented Reality (AR), will open up new applications in the gaming, education and business sectors," said Vuzix CEO, Paul Travers. "The applications for gaming and education will range from books that come alive to interactive worlds with 3-D characters that materialise right in your living room."

"You have to ask yourself," said Travers, "why play video games on your flat panel when it can be brought right into your living room?"

If you are visiting GDC, please visit booth number 6420 NH for the opportunity to experience this technology for the first time.

Additionally, we are also happy to set up interviews where available for an in-depth review of this technology. Images available on request.

Come and meet us at The Gadget Show Live at the Birmingham NEC in the UK on the 17-19th April to try out the Vuzix iWear range which offers a big-screen experience from a device that fits in your pocket. Connect with one of many mobile devices and you can enjoy a virtual screen of up to 62" for all of your mobile content including 3D.

I think there are two main concerns running through the heads of anyone that's heard of this thing: a) Latency between your control inputs and the action on the screen and b) picture quality. While this system is still in pre-beta, and both of these aspects are inferior compared to a home console or PC experience, I still think OnLive will serve well the gamer who doesn't want to kick down the cash for the latest hardware.

I played Bioshock using the PC setup, which involved an average looking Dell laptop, and a Logitech control pad. The game was running 50 miles away on a server in Santa Clara, and load times are pretty much the same as running the game on your PC.

Once I got started with gameplay, I noticed the slightest bit of lag between controller and screen. Just enough to not feel natural, but hardly enough to really detract from gameplay. Some environments (especially indoor) were more responsive than others to the point that you barely noticed any latency. Definitely not for the competitive gamer, but for the guy who just wants to play for a few hours on the weekend, it's fine.

As far as picture quality goes, there is noticeable compression and artifacting that takes place. When fire and water effects were dominating the screen in Bioshock, you pretty much saw squares everywhere. OnLive doesn't mince words about it, saying it comes with the territory, but they do expect the quality to get better over time as they hammer out the kinks. Some of the indoor textures and environments looked pretty close to running on your own console, with minor dropoffs in sharpness and clarity. The batch of screenshots below doesn't tell the entire story, but it gives a basic idea of what to expect.

I also noticed some choppiness in the framerate, but whether or not it was caused by the streaming, or the server, is unknown. As for the palm-sized, set top version of OnLive, I didn't get to actually take it for a spin, but from watching, I'd say performance was about the same compared to using a PC.

OnLive says that when they roll the service out, they plan to have data centers near every major American metropolis, which is somewhat vague, but ensures that you won't be all running off a server on the west coast. Whether or not they'll be able to support a national rollout is unknown, since it's still early in development. But OnLive seems like a gaming solution worthy of our attention. [OnLive]

For those in the dark, the Neurosky Mindset, is a gaming controller that monitors brainwaves, and uses those readings to carry out specific actions within a game. In demos, this includes sliding boxes, lifting objects, and setting crap on fire. It also doubles as a pair of Headphones with a bluetooth mic built-in.

So how well does it work? I didn't spend tons of time with the demo, but I thought it was pretty intuitive, and I was able to channel different types of mind focus into in-game action. When asked to relax in order to levitate an item, I consciously made myself "relax." Lo and behold, the car started flying in the air. "Concentration" occurs when you focus intently on one point on the screen. I wasn't the greatest at this.

The headset is pretty light and sits comfortably over your ears with the probe that rests on your forehead. This probe helps pickup brainwave signals, or "electrical potentials" to be exact. During calibration, the computer detects the type and magnitude of waves you generate in certain scenarios, then adjusts the sensitivity so that gameplay is achievable for everyone.

And to be clear, the Mindset isn't trying to replace standard gaming controls as they exist now. Rather, they're trying to add functionality that doesn't require further, more complex button combos, but intuitive hands-free gestures instead.

The Mindset will be available in July for roughly $200. Neurosky says they would like to partner up with companies and developers down the road (they're launching with Toshiba in Japan), but want to get the hardware out there so that apps can start showing up in the marketplace.

Outside of the PC gaming world, Neurosky says they're working on putting the same technology into cars, where the seats can detect how you're feeling and predict what you need (music, heater, A/C, answering in-car phone). They're also working with medical groups and companies to test disorders like ADD and Cerebral Palsy, and will even produce a DS memory game using a custom headset later this year.

As it stands now, the sticking point with the Neurosky Mindset is that it will depend on third-party developer support to really get off the ground. It won't add new functionality to old games, nor will they be developing their own apps. But they will have an SDK ready over the summer so that people can program their own apps around the device. [Neurosky]

NeuroSky® and Toshiba® to Launch Brainwave-Reading Headset for PCs

San Jose, California (March 26, 2009) – Toshiba, Inc., a leading manufacturer of personal computer (PC) equipment, and NeuroSky, Inc., a Brain-Computer-Interface (BCI) technology company, today announced the launch of a jointly-developed brainwave-based advance headset that operates with most PC products.

The MindSet™ wireless Bluetooth® headset features brainwave-reading and mental-state-translational technology from NeuroSky, Inc., a Silicon Valley company. With earlier NeuroSky partner announcements in the toy (Uncle Milton Force Trainer™, under a Lucas Licensing deal) and video gaming industries (Square Enix Judecca™), the Toshiba-NeuroSky product launch represents the first BCI peripheral directed to mainstream PC users.

"The joint development effort between Toshiba and NeuroSky is a historic step into fusing brainwave-enabled peripherals into the mass market of computer users," stated Hitoshi Tokuda, General Manager of the PC Options Marketing Division at Toshiba.

Stanley Yang, CEO of NeuroSky, considers this announcement a key milestone for both companies. "This Toshiba and NeuroSky partnership is an exciting step towards revolutionizing the way people interact with computers."

Game Developers Conference

NeuroSky will be demonstrating the MindSet along with a variety of partner products at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in booth #6402, North Hall, Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA, on March 23-27.

How MindSet Works

The MindSet headset resembles a pair of headphones with one distinct difference-a single electrode-fitted arm that contacts with the user's forehead. The electrode reads the electrical potentials found on the skin's surface, which are induced by the neuron activity that occurs in the frontal lobe of the user's brain. Various "mental states" of the users-for example, their level of focus and relaxation-can be deciphered from the brainwave patterns. That information can be passed to a variety of PC-based applications for entertainment, health, wellness, education, and training purposes.

Pricing and Availability

The MindSet may now be pre-ordered by consumers, application developers and researchers on the NeuroSky website (www.NeuroSky.com).

The headset will be available to order online under the NeuroSky brand for U.S. residents on June 1, 2009, and roll out to select international markets later this year. MindSet will be priced at $199 (MSRP) and will be accompanied by two demonstration games, Brainwave Visualizer™ and The Adventures of NeuroBoy™. Alternative developer programs will continue to be available on a worldwide basis through NeuroSky.

Both consumers and developers will be offered further incentives with this summer's launch of the NeuroSky Application Store, a portal of downloadable, third-party applications created by the NeuroSky Developer Network.
Begin harnessing the power of your mind with the NeuroSky MindSet headset. This Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) turns your thoughts into actions, unlocking new worlds of interactivity. By measuring your brain waves, the headset can send messages to your computer-allowing you to control the computer with your thoughts. The NeuroSky MindSet can be paired with video games, research devices or a number of other tools for an enhanced user experience.

New applications are coming soon, so get your Mindset to begin developing your mind power.

* The MindSet reports the wearer's mental state in the form of NeuroSky's proprietary Attention and Meditation eSense algorithms.
* Captures brainwave signals from 0-30Hz.
* Providing information on a user's Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma EEG band power levels
* Features Bluetooth microphone input and stereo audio output capabilities.

Also included:

* Instructional videos and detailed documentation
* "NeuroBoy," - a game demo and example environment that highlights different ways to implement NeuroSky's brainwave algorithms. In the game, you play as NeuroBoy, a gifted kid with mental super powers. Float, push, burn, and interact with the world using your mental might.
* Brainwave Visualizer and NeuroSky's demonstration tools - The Brainwave Visualizer paints brainwave activity dynamically displaying the information in an artistic and vibrant manner. With the additional NeuroTech R&D Kit, users can perform their own brainwave research, or develop their own software and hardware applications to interact with, and take advantage of all the MindSet's capabilities.

System Requirements:

* Windows Vista Preferred
* 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo or Equivalent Processor
* 1GB Memory
* DirectX 10
* 256MB 3D Graphics Card for Games/Demonstrations

Saltsman notes: "I think the defining thing is how quickly you can describe your product to someone else." That is to say, the most successful apps are straightforward and can be described to potential customers quickly and easily. He used the strategy game Galcon versus a "crappy" mood ring app dubbed Mood Touch as an example. The latter broke the top ten in downloads while the former languished below the top 100. Why? Because Mood Touch could be described in five seconds, making it easier to sell to the masses.

Anyone who has taken note of the popularity of fart apps could have guessed that quality had fallen by the wayside. The bottom line here is that consumers need to discriminate a bit more to prevent the throngs of new developers out there from churning out nothing but crap in search for a quick buck. [Kotaku]