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Mattel's Mindflex Duel in the works, allows true test of wills
Disguised as a mere toy, the original Mindflex is actually a kind of limited telekinesis simulator in that it allows you to control the up and down movements of a ball suspended in air by, well, flexing your brain. With the release of the Mindflex Duel, you can now test your telekinetic prowess against that of your closest friends. That's right, Mattel's latest offering allows you to play what amounts to tug-of-war (with a tiny foam ball) using only the power of your mind. The Duel also lets people play cooperatively, but that doesn't sound like nearly as much fun as hooking this to a stim unit for a little friendly competition and some elevated stakes for the loser. We're not sure why, but the mind games won't start until August, though the device is currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $99.99.
Apples In Stereo man controls his Moog... with his mind! (and you can too)
We thought that our homemade Theremin was difficult to control, but this one is in a different league altogether! The, ahem, brainchild of Apples In Stereo's Robert Schneider, the Teletron takes a Mattel Mindflex game and uses it as a control voltage source for... well, any piece of musical equipment that has a CV input. In the video below, the musician / producer plugs it into a Moog analog synth and increases / decreases the pitch solely with his mind. At least the thing doesn't give you an electric shock when you hit the wrong note! But enough jabberjaw out of us -- see / hear it in action (and get some instructions, if you'd like to build your own) after the break.
Mattel Mindflex hack shocks you into serenity
Okay, we're in love with this delightfully evil Mattel Mindflex hack, which delivers an electric shock if you don't remain calm, but we have to wonder: wouldn't this thing be amazing if you hooked it up in reverse and punished not thinking enough? Video after the break.
Mattel's Mindflex: now stressing brain muscles for $80
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?
Mattel's Mindflex coming October 1st for $99.99
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]
Video: Mattel Mindflex hands (and heads) on
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-41245%
Mattel's Mindflex teaches kids fake telekinesis
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]
