GDC08: Watch Emotiv's 'performance anxiety'

by Andrew Yoon { Feb 20th 2008 at 10:45PM }

Emotiv's press conference was less than stellar (if you recall). Technical problems plagued the presentation, making us walk away saying "wow" ... but for all the wrong reasons. We were skeptical about brain controlled gaming, and Emotiv's conference did little to change our jaded expectations. The test subject utterly failed to produce the results the company expected, much to the dismay of the presenters. Watch the awkward silence that fills the room as we wait (and wait) for the test subject make a block disappear with the power of his mind!

Afterwards, the company was forced to continue with a brave, but awkward presentation where we're encouraged to use our imaginations in lieu of a working demonstration. Ultimately, the company blamed the "very high power, frequency-hopping, spread-spectrum technology" headsets used by the sound crew for all the technical glitches. Hmm. Whatever caused the problems Emotiv faced, the night ended up being rather surreal, and we hope this video can capture a little bit of the awkwardness that filled the theater.

Tags: emotiv, gdc08

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

zhine @ Feb 20th 2008 10:48PM

first for teh lulz

ThornedVenom (Ludwig Defense Force) @ Feb 21st 2008 3:44AM

Kindergarten hasn't taught you how to count yet.

kevinski @ Feb 20th 2008 10:48PM

God, that'd be embarrassing...

horngreen @ Feb 20th 2008 10:51PM

They've watch too many Star Wars films. Does brain power really require holding your hand up like Vader?

Bluebrake @ Feb 20th 2008 11:00PM

Well, maybe. Could be that the signals for large muscle movement are easier to detect than the ones for pure thought.

NukeAssault @ Feb 20th 2008 11:01PM

Totally embarrassing. And that guy was really loud. O_o

Jeremy White @ Feb 20th 2008 11:02PM

That would be horrible.

crackerjaq @ Feb 20th 2008 11:09PM

at least he still showed enthusiasm.

Yeah.me @ Feb 20th 2008 11:10PM

Assume the fetal position.

tmacairjordan87 @ Feb 20th 2008 11:10PM

i love a good old fashioned train wreck, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

venk @ Feb 20th 2008 11:28PM

Sure the technology isn't ready, but am I the only who thinks the concept is extremly cool? Especially if they can do without a headset that looks like a rugby helmet?

Thats the thing about innovation, you always have people laughing at you for a while before they line up to throw their money at you.

Jeremy White @ Feb 20th 2008 11:42PM

I'm still not down with flailing around like an idiot. Sometimes games are supposed to be mindless fun.

ThornedVenom (Ludwig Defense Force) @ Feb 21st 2008 3:45AM

They wear helmets in rugby?

DCBlack @ Feb 21st 2008 10:02AM

I agree, once they get all the kinks out, that looks like a great concept they've got going for themselves.

Zodiac @ Feb 21st 2008 12:47AM

I wouldn't say the failure of presentation made it awkward...I would say it was the guy showing off his voice emodulation problem. Besides, it's hard to take a guy with a pony tail that long seriously...

Obie @ Feb 21st 2008 12:44AM

How much you bet that some tech behind the scenes had to run and press a button to make that cube "dissapear".

Meh, I am willing to give them a chance, but that gear looked like junk.

lyrebird @ Feb 21st 2008 12:44AM

Technology failure aside, that was pretty entertaining, and not nearly as awkward as I had expected. The second presenter's gusto and levity seemed to transform an extremely embarassing situation into something resembling a humorous piece of performance art. Which I suppose is pretty surreal for a press conference, though I wouldn't call it a train wreck; not if you compare it to the Jamie Kennedy/Activision debacle, anyway. :p