Engadget

Mattel's Mindflex: now stressing brain muscles for $80

Darren Murph — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:10:00 EST

It's taken nine whole months for this mental-stresser to go from CES show-stopper to household mainstay, but at long last, the only Mattel product we could ever recommend (with a straight face) to those with an age larger than 12 is finally shipping. In short, the Mindflex forces your brain -- as in, that hunk of meat between your ears -- to keep a ball suspended in the air, and if you're thinking Matrix, you're thinking correctly. Sort of. Hit the read link to get your own for $79.99, and make sure you do so before these things sell out and break the $1,000 mark on eBay. It's almost the holidays, don'tcha know?

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Mattel's Mindflex: now stressing brain muscles for $80 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mattel's Mindflex coming October 1st for $99.99

Darren Murph — Sun, 24 May 2009 00:57:00 EST

It's not often that a Mattel toy targets the 18 - 128 demographic, but we'll be frank -- the Mindflex has us all sorts of intrigued. Originally introduced at this year's CES, said game is a brain-powered fun-fest that relies on intense mental activity to control the height of a ball suspended in a column of air. Early on, we heard that it would land sometime during this year for $80, but it seems as if only one of those factoids will prove true. Indeed, Amazon has it listed to ship on October 1st, which gives proactive parents plenty of time to stock up for the holidays. Unfortunately, the price seems to have inched up by a Jackson, as it's currently up for pre-order at $99.99. Rest assured, however, that said price is far less than what you'll pay on eBay if you're empty-handed come December 20th.

[Via I4U News]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Gaming

Mattel's Mindflex coming October 1st for $99.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 May 2009 00:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Star Wars Force Trainer teaches children to kill... with their minds

Joseph L. Flatley — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:26:00 EST

Toy maker Uncle Milton has introduced Force Trainer, a game that utilizes NeuroSky's brainwave-controlled gaming technology. In a manner similar to the Mindflex we got our heads on at CES, the young Jedi dons a wireless headset that communicates with a simplified EEG. If you focus well enough, the "training sphere" rises in a 10-inch tube. Seems pretty harmless, no? At least until your humble child starts lifting rocks and choking people by simply furrowing their brow and gesturing menacingly. If you find this an acceptable risk (or you feel the need to work on your own mental prowess) the thing should be available this fall for just under $100.

Filed under: Gaming

Star Wars Force Trainer teaches children to kill... with their minds originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Mattel Mindflex hands (and heads) on

Tim Stevens — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:03:00 EST

Gamers have largely gotten a bad rep for being lazy, slothful people who spend their hours mindlessly pressing buttons. The Wii changed that a bit by getting kids (and their parents... and their parents) up off the couch, but what about giving their brains a workout too? For your family's little mind freak to-be Mattel is introducing the Mindflex, a brain-powered game that relies on your mental activity to control the height of a ball suspended in a column of air. Don the headset then start concentrating to make the purple orb rise; relax and it lowers. There are six total game types but all entail getting a ball over, under, and through a variety of hoops and the like, sometimes against a clock so that you can challenge your friends. Sadly you have to actually reach up and turn the dial to move the ball around the course, but in our heads on trial we found the thing to be impressively responsive, gently sinking down when we thought about getting some sleep -- then shooting back up again when we pondered the number of posts left to write tonight. It was challenging for sure, and definitely turned a lot of heads, but we're a little concerned that extended sessions could be headache inducing. Its $80 price tag might cause some temple pain too when the thing releases this fall, but we've certainly spent more money on things that were less fun -- and mentally stimulating. Video of floaty balls and squinting players below.

Gallery: Mattel Mind Flex

Continue reading Video: Mattel Mindflex hands (and heads) on

Filed under: CES, Gaming, Wearables

Video: Mattel Mindflex hands (and heads) on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mattel's Mindflex teaches kids fake telekinesis

Ross Miller — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:21:00 EST

Add one more contender to the list of mind control games vying for our attention this year alongside NeuroSky and Emotiv. Set to debut this week at CES, Mattel's Mindflex requires players to concentrate really hard in order to power a fan that'll float a ball through the hoops. Sure, it's not nearly as complex as what the other two are proposing, but we could totally see ourselves wearing this headset all day while we work -- just to find out how much brain power we're really using. It's expected to hit US retail channels later this year for $80, and if we may be so candid, our only wish is that the headset was small enough to hide under a hat. You know, so we could fool our family members into thinking we had superpowers.

[Thanks, Christen]

Filed under: CES, Gaming

Mattel's Mindflex teaches kids fake telekinesis originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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