First showcased at last year's CeBIT, the Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA) from the OCZ Technology Group has finally been finalized and it even entered mass production. With a development period that should make the Cryo-Z and HydroJet jealous, the NIA is PC game controller that only needs software and a human brain to work.

"Advances in hardware and software allow today’s games to offer consumers an exceptional entertainment experience, and we wanted to take the next step by immersing gamers into these environments with the innovative new NIA," stated Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group. "The NIA radically changes the ways that gamers can interact and control elements within games, and can be configured in a matter of minutes for any game that is already published or will be released."

The NIA is the first commercially available BCI (brain-computer interface) specifically for gamers and it will be fully configurable via the software it is bundled with. Because the NIA converts EEG (electroencephalograph) signals into specified keystrokes, the device can be used with any software. Upon proper configuration, the NIA will allow users to control PC games without the use of a keyboard and minimal use of a mouse.

The final version of the Neural Impulse Actuator will hit the stores as soon as this week and will apparently cost some $200. The NIA uses a sleek metal housing, a USB 2.0 interface, and streamlined headband with carbon “dry” interface sensors and it will be showcased at CeBIT.