The Atari Mindlink is an unreleased

video game controller A game controller, gaming controller, or simply controller, is an input device or input/output device used with video games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game. Input devices that have been classified as game controllers in ...

for the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridg ...

, originally intended for release in 1984. The Mindlink was unique in that its headband form factor controls the game by reading the myoneural signal voltage from the player's forehead. The player's forehead movements are read by

infrared sensor Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal video or thermal imaging, is a process where a thermal camera captures and creates an image of an object by using infrared radiation emitted from the object in a process, which are examples of infrared imag ...

s and transferred as movement in the game. Specially supported games are similar to those that use the paddle controller, but with the Mindlink controller instead. Three games were in development for the Mindlink by its cancellation: ''Bionic Breakthrough'', ''Telepathy'', and ''Mind Maze''. ''Bionic Breakthrough'' is basically a ''Breakout'' clone, controlled with the Mindlink. ''Mind Maze'' uses the Mindlink for a mimicry of ESP, to pretend to predict what is printed on cards. Testing showed that players frequently got headaches due to moving their eyebrows to play the game. None of these games were ever released in any other form.

References

Mindlink Vaporware Game controllers Brain–computer interface {{videogame-hardware-stub