It was roughly a few weeks ago that Emotiv was able to introduce their EPOC neuroheadset to the whole world.

Now we got wind that the company is looking for candidates to be the beta evaluators for upcoming brain-controlled gadget. Find out the details after the jump!

Gamers who are looking for a unique perspective into their video gaming habits will definitely get a kick out of Emotiv Systems' Emotiv EPOC neuroheadset. This unique gaming accessory allows you to control in-game characters using the neuron signals transmitted by your brain. Other details about this neat gadget can be found in the full article after the jump.

Emotiv Systems has sent word that they will be introducing the beta build of their mind-controlled headset's SDK at the upcoming Game Developer Conference in San Francisco.

While the SDK won't be released until a month later, Emotiv's lecture should give visitors an idea of what the company's new tech will offer. Details are available in the full article.

Think about it: games controlled by mere thought may be possible as early as 2008. NeuroSky has developed such technology, demonstrating it last April with a Darth Vader game where users control his light saber by just thinking it.

But as fate would have it (and dozens of movies have told us the same) that tech that deals directly with the mind has consequences. Recent studies have shown that the new tech may be dangerous for the brain and some (though not all) scientists expressed concerns about the prospect.

NeuroSky's brain-computer interface (BCI) uses sensors attached to the scalp to detect brain wave patterns. As long as the user concentrates on a certain object in the game, they can control it. In the Darth Vader game, users were able to light up the saber just by concentrating in their minds that it's lit up.

Scientists discovered that users are sometimes forced to slow down their brain waves to play, and they consequently have trouble focusing afterwards. Niels Birbaumer, an independent BCI researcher explains:

Imagine that somebody uses a game with slow brain-wave activity and then drives a car while still in that state. You could have an accident. I think it's a rare possibility, but it should be tested before people do this.

Nam Do, the CEO of Emotiv, another company whose technology runs on the same principles, explains that it's "normal to have these concerns" but that it does not apply. He says, "There is no two-way interaction, and the technology does not require the user to train their brain to get into a predetermined state in any way." Greg Hyver, VP Marketing of NeuroSky, supplements this by saying that the concerns arise only from the lack of familiarity with the tech.

The technology is still in its early stages and some scientists doubt we'll be able to play complex games with it this soon. More like old school ones like Tetris. Maybe Arkanoid? Still, it's pretty cool and the companies say they may be able to release the tech by 2008.

PC Magazine featured 10 controllers that it describes as "weird" even by current gaming standards. Still, we found the NES Mini very cute, we say that the Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw is ingenious, but we're still thinking of ways to have fun with the Xbox 360 keyboard. Click on the images to see the full image and name

We're not sure how a controller officially becomes "weird," but we guess if it's popular, it can't be weird. We thought the WiiMote, Dreamcast controller and the Dance Dance Revolution were weird at first, but hey, they eventually became cool. We're still frustrated over the fact that we've never seen people do Wolverine and Spiderman air combos with dance pads, though.

Wanna see more controllers that will twist the way you play your old games? There's plenty left after the jump!