Stanford University engineers have developed a modified Xbox controller that could make sure you're enjoying your video games as much as possible.
Using a 3D-printed module containing various sensors, the controller measures heart rate, blood flow, breathing and other bodily functions to see how engaged a user is with a game. The hope is that in the future the game will receive this feedback and adjust itself to better hold the player's attention.
This means video games could become a lot more entertaining as they learn to become easier or harder, based on what the individual player wants.
The project leader is doctoral candidate Corey McCall (shown in the video below), who says the controller can be used to not only make the game more engaging for bored players, but also to tone down the intensity for parents worried their children are too invested in the on-screen action.
Endgaget points out that not all gaming consoles need this kind of add-on. The Xbox One, for example, already has a Kinect sensor to detect a player's heart rate.
The Stanford project isn't the first instance of developers using body metrics to enhance gaming.
A recent Kickstarter campaign sought funding for a game that teaches players how to master fear by increasing the difficulty as the player's heart rate increases. In order to lower the difficulty, players must teach themselves to calm down. (The project did not meet its Kickstarter funding goal.)
[h/t CNET]