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Device Reduces Stress While Gaming

Bayscribe writes "Vyro Games, a Dublin Ireland company, unveils a device today that forces you to relax while playing games. It is called a PiP, or "Personal Input Pod," and it measures things like the moisture in your hand to assess whether you're stressed. If you're showing signs of stress, your performance in a game deteriorates. If you relax, you do much better. The PiP communicates wirelessly with software on devices such as mobile phones, PCs or games consoles... If you relax, the dragon spreads its wings and flies. If not, it stumbles all over the place."

23 of 133 comments (clear)

  1. Imagine that on a gaming competition show! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yep! It's on now folks! Our competators are sitting in their bean-bag chairs and are completely relaxed. It's really exciting, two have even fallen asleep!

    Wait, this is the most boring competition ever. I'm breaking for lunch.

  2. moisture in your hand... by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 3, Interesting

    like the moisture in your hand to assess whether you're stressed.

    In other words, whenever your palm gets sweaty, you're stressed. And I'm supposed tu buy an expensive device to tell me that? O.o

    1. Re:moisture in your hand... by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 3, Funny

      Serious gamers all keep kleenex right by their computers to, uh, dry their sweaty palms.

  3. I sweat profusely and uncontrollably by InvisblePinkUnicorn · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'll never be relaxed because my dragon ain't going nowhere no matter how relaxed I get.

  4. I have a better idea by patio11 · · Score: 3, Funny

    1) Wire up the Microsoft headset with firmware which detects excessive swearing, racial slurs, and other anti-social behavior...
    2) ... and causes you to de-buff your damage and resistance if you're the one doing it, to the point where a butterfly flapping its wings in China has already killed you in Halo 3.
    3) ????
    4) Profit. And you just saved the sanity of the rest of the world, too.

    1. Re:I have a better idea by PhoenixOne · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'd be happy if it just cut their microphone when they got stressed.

      --
      Spell cheek you've failed me four the last thyme!
  5. So calm, until... by IndustrialComplex · · Score: 4, Funny

    The dragon's cruising along.... crap he is getting lower. Oh NO DAMN IT! It's falling. I've got to get him back up. Come on, FLY. FLY YOU GOD DAMNED DRAGON. Ahhh crap! ...

    Now, I've got to go load up an FPS to releave the stress I generated keeping that damned thing flying.

    --
    Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
  6. Really ticked off by anton544 · · Score: 5, Funny

    What does the dragon do when I throw my controller up the side of my monitor? Die a horrible death?

  7. Rex needs this by EmperorKagato · · Score: 3, Funny

    He said other applications can be developed for the product. Professional sports players, for example, can use it to find ways to relax before competition.
    Should have given one of these to Rex Grossman last night.
    --
    ----- You know you have ego issues when you register a domain in your name.
  8. Depends on the game by PlatyPaul · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ... and on how you play it. Think, first and foremost, about how you play a FPS. Those who favor snipers need a steady aim and patience - the stress-free style. However, those who favor blitzkrieg moves (or leapfrog-style run-and-gun in a small team) need to be quick and erratic - the hyped-up style. Besides which, consider the time of play: for those who end up playing long into the night, a rush is needed to keep on top of things.

    It's no surprise, then, that stimulants are so common. I'm actually pretty surprised that they aren't selling energy drinks with added Diazepam to counteract the jitters....

    --
    Misery loves company. Online misery loves unsuspecting random strangers.
  9. Biometrics by Dan+East · · Score: 2, Insightful

    These people should be making lie detectors! Really, I don't see how this could work well universally. Personally, my palms don't sweat much, but I know people whose do very easily. Pretty much if they hold onto something, regardless if they are stressed or not, their hand will become very sweaty. These biometrics vary so much from person to person I don't see how this could work very well. The system would also have to take environmental factors into consideration, like temperature and humidity.

    Dan East

    --
    Better known as 318230.
  10. Problem? by Jarjarthejedi · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So basically if you're stressed, you do horrible in the game...which makes you more stressed, which makes you do worse in the game...

    One would think that stressed people would need to have an easier time in order to unwind, not be forced to unwind to have an easier time. I know that when I play I want the game to be easy when I'm stressed (I love just blowing through a couple of levels really easily, makes me feel 'in control' which helps de-stress me) and hard when I'm not, not the other way around.

    --
    There are two kinds of fool One says 'This is old therefore good' Another says 'This is new therefore better'- Dean Ing
    1. Re:Problem? by grimJester · · Score: 2, Interesting

      A stress-reinforcing feedback loop might be common at first, but I suspect you actually learn to relax when you get clear feedback from working yourself up. Imagine a situation at work when you're stressed - when you realize you are stressed and just making things worse, you can really force yourself to relax.

      I'd be more afraid of getting used to that feedback and not being able to relax without it...

  11. First test.... by martyb · · Score: 2, Funny
    FTFS:

    If you relax, the dragon spreads its wings and flies. If not, it stumbles all over the place.

    Hmmm, this sounds interesting. Let's give it a try!

    • configures stuff
    • plugs it in
    • starts game

    Hey! This is great! I feel SO relaxed. Oops. Oh-oh. Oh Noes!!! My dragon she be stumbling!!! I gots to RELAX! RIGHT NOW !!!!!! ARGHHHH!!!!!!!

    Doesn't seem to help much. :/

  12. This is beyond stupid by Sciros · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If your hands are sweaty it means you're stressed? Wow how about it means you've been holding a controller for a while, or it's really warm where you're at, or you generally sweat easy (not a bad thing afaik) and your palms get sweaty when you're holding something? (this will probably be 'redundant' because I'm sure a bunch of folks have typed this same thing faster than me ^_^)

    This is almost like saying if you have an elevated heart rate it means you're frightened.

    The folks that made this device are playing their clients/customers for chumps.

    --
    I like basketball!!1!
  13. It should monitor chat instead by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 2, Funny

    The next model will monitor your chat for stress.

    "You cheater! Noobs! You homos! He's glitching! You"

    --
    It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
  14. Ireland fails at technology by UbuntuniX · · Score: 2, Funny

    Completely useless. How will this help anyone game?
    Unless you're into those kind of Barbie-Pony games... But even then I'm not so sure.

    This is the first interesting piece of technology I've seen come from my country, yet still it's not even worth developing.

  15. maybe a bad idea by Jafafa+Hots · · Score: 4, Funny

    They say violent video games cause violent behavior. I'm skeptical, I played Manhunt to the end and I haven't killed any real people yet...
    But maybe the key difference is that I DID get nervous in certain tense scenes. Are we really sure we want to train people to be able to kill a bunch of people, decapitate enemies, stalk people etc. without getting an elevated heart rate? Myabe this would be a great serial killer training device. :D

    --
    This space available.
  16. I sense a marketing opportunity by Hanners1979 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Does this mean we can expect to see Fatal1ty branded anti-perspirant on the market soon?

  17. Re:Old... very, very old by @madeus · · Score: 4, Informative

    I know this story has been posted a few times, coming up every 2-3 years since at least the 80's (that I know of), and it does the rounds in the TV and newspapers too.

    It's been a "fish that swims and grows as you relax" and "an animal that evolves (from a fish to a lizard to a monkey) as you relax" this time apparently it's an insect. It's usually funded by University research grant (a waste of money IMO, especially when it's public funds) and with pumped up headlines like "games of the future to be controlled by your mind".

    As you say, really simple stuff, I'm really sick of reading about this same "advancement"/"new technology" over and over. I'll probably *still* be reading "news" about it when I'm an old man.

  18. Finally... by OglinTatas · · Score: 3, Funny

    A dragon flight control scheme worse than Lair

  19. This is similar to an idea I once had by hey! · · Score: 4, Interesting

    for cars.

    You'd have a device which monitored physiological measures of stress and aggression in the driver, as well as behavioral measures such as weaving, blowing the horn, etc.. A heads up display would score the driver's net aggression score: green, yellow or red

    After half a minute or so in the red zone, the sustained speed available to the driver would begin to drop. He could still accelerate for emergency maneuvering, but only for a few seconds, after which power to the engine would be reduced. After such a maneuver, his speed limit would drop even more unless he moved his physiological stress markers towards baseline, which would always be rewarded by an upward increment of speed. At the worst case, a speed limit would be enforced which would not be unsafe in the right lane of a highway, say 40mph or so. After a minute at this bottom level, a visual signal would alert others to the presence of a dangerous driver, and the driver would be legally required to find a place to stop and cool off.

    Eventually, operant conditioning would result in drivers automatically modulating their stress levels when behind the wheel. People would learn to keep the needle on the green, zooming to their destinations with unlimited speed, arriving relaxed and refreshed. Even with traffic, they'd be able to monitor their stress levels and would be trained to limit it.

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  20. Great... by TyFighter · · Score: 2, Funny

    Another thing to worry about while playing games. I'm already worried to death that Shamblers are going to get me, now I have to worry that the Shamblers can tell I'm worried. You've just given video games the ability to smell fear.

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    -tyfighter