We already know that NeuroSky is bringing us the mind-reading Mindset for your gaming pleasures, but we got a first-hand look at the device here at TGS. At first glance, the headset may appear to be just another white set of over-the-ear headphones, but a little boom that gets all cuddly with your forehead measures how well you are concentrating on in-game objects. While this may sound like a bunch of hoopla, keep in mind that mega-developer Square Enix is already on board with "Judecca," a zombie thriller that forces you to concentrate your way into seeing your enemies. After holding up your hand, you then concentrate on a glyph that glows in direct relation to your ability to concentrate, opening up what's called your Devil's Eye. Once you're in a zen-like state, you can see Judecca's zombies and unleash some kill. You can also show your concentration skills enough to walk through walls, naturally. In our limited time trying the tech with Judecca, we were indeed able to induce some sort of concentrative state, even with the distractions of a giant Japanese gaming convention. As for how long we'd want to play something like this before switching to something involving, say, just pushing buttons and killing enemies, we're not so sure. NeuroSky promises the device in Spring 2009 for a price somewhere between $50 and $80. Hit the break for a couple shots of the device and a very tense gamer.

Well, it didn't take long for Microsoft's Surface to trickle down into the fast-paced world of card gaming (ala Magic). Feast your eyes on the next device your children will be shoveling money into like it's going out of style, a new Square Enix (makers of Final Fantasy) and Taito collaboration called The Wheel of Eternity. The card-based RPG appears to function much in the same way that Bill Gates described Surface's object recognition properties as working, "sensing" cards which are placed on the game area, and reacting to their status, movement and arrangement. There's no word on when or if this game is coming to the states, but with kids' unnatural obsession with card games (particularly those of a Japanese ilk), it seems likely this will be popping up on these shores before long.

Now that the plane has landed, we've got our show reg covered and the first of the big three keynotes is out of the way, we decided to hit the mic with some of our fellow Joystiq bretheren and recap day one of E3 '06. No big surprise that Sony dominated today's news, what with their launch date hopes announcement for the PlayStation 3, its pricing strategy, and a new trick for the old dog that is their PS3 controller redesign. Not to be left in the dust, Nintendo did get some Wii launch titles confirmed; yet unconfirmed, however, is that fresh new rumor about the Wii clocking in at $250 when it hits the U.S. streets. Microsoft didn't want to go without their share of attention as well, and confirmed that the Xbox 360's HD DVD drive will connect via USB. (You can imagine our surprise on that one.) Day one is over, day two has just started, but podcast 78 is a go.

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Host
Ryan Block

Featuring
Joystiq's Chris Grant, Ross Miller and James Ransom-Wiley

Producer
Randall Bennett

Music
J J J - 'Suits' in Japan

Format
54:28, 24.9 MB, MP3

Program
00:00 - Playstation 3 - Sony's Keynote
35:30 - Nintendo Wii selling for $250?
40:52 - Square / Enix deets
44:19 - Microsoft says HD DVD connects via USB (duh)

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Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET, Engadget (Gizmo Project) or podcast at engadget dawt com