The name says it all - the VirtuSphere is a giant… well… sphere that lets the user move around freely in a virtual reality world.

Visuals are projected via a motion-tracking headset worn by the player. He can then run, jump, roll, or crawl around the virtual world in any direction.

VirtuSphere works sort of like a hamster exercise ball. Well, exactly like a hamster exercise ball. The player gets in a large, hollow sphere that sits on rollers and can turn it 360 degrees in all directions to move around.

The manufacturer makes the system to client specifications. VirtuSpheres have already been sold to military and law enforcement organizations as well as entertainment companies.

Don’t get to excited to buy one of these, though. The VirtuSphere costs over $30,000, and that’s a lot of cash to shell out on gaming.

We do wonder how ridiculous a person might look while playing a game inside this thing.

[via Ananova]

OCZ, following in the footsteps of Emotiv, is set to launch its $300 Neural Impulse Actuator (fancy for “brain mouse”) in the near future.

The device uses Electroencephalogram (EEG) readings of the brain’s alpha and beta waves, along with muscle and eye movement readings, to let users control a computer without touching anything.

The NIA is geared toward gaming. OCZ demoed the device in a game of Unreal Tournament 3 running smooth as silk with no framerate slowdowns.

Users first learning to use the NIA will certainly have difficulty. However, once accustomed to the gadget, OCZ claims a 60 percent reduction in reaction times. The company is promising that average users will be able to begin using the device after only a few hours of initial practice.

It looks like 2008 will turn out to be the year of the “brain mouse,” although no one yet knows how effective these devices will be. Hopefully the competition between companies will bring us some great products so we can finally use our computers hands-off.

[Via DailyTech]

Although it looks like some sort of strange spider on your head, the Emotiv EPOC headset is actually a much smarter creature. The device lets you use your mind to interact with a computer, allowing you to control games via your thoughts.

Emotiv has been showcasing the technology at this week’s Game Developer Conference and several people have tried it out with pretty impressive results. They report being able to move a cube around the screen by just thinking about the direction it should go.

To do so, the software is first calibrated with the user’s thoughts. It tells the user to think about the box moving up, for example, and records what that person is thinking. Then, the next time the same thought occurs the box will actually move up.

The company claims that EPOC can also detect more than 30 different expressions, emotions, and actions such as smiling, winking, grimacing, and angry or happy feelings. Read more »