Focus Pocus is a PC game that can be played for fun, on your own or against a friend. You customize a wizard avatar and train to develop “powers” by mastering the 12 engaging mini-games. These powers help you battle the evil necromancer!
There is a “training” mode with performance tracking - rewards and incentives are provided so that achievements and outcomes can be monitored. All performance and EEG data is recorded for the daily and end-of-training report. In training mode, the difficulty level of the games is adaptive, adjusting game-by-game to the performance of the child with the goal being improvement.
Focus Pocus uses live brain electrical activity (i.e. EEG) from the NeuroSky MindWave portable EEG device, with some games controlled directly by brain power and control.
What was Focus Pocus designed to do?
While the games within Focus Pocus are engaging and fun they also exercise important psychological processes that underlie our ability to control our own behaviour, when we learn, play and interact. Take learning for example. As shown below, the outcome of any learning experience is the result of the content presented, the environment in which it is presented, and the person’s readiness to learn.
This readiness depends on attention (a “state” factor) as well as being able to hold information in memory, control impulses and ignore distractions (cognitive factors). Being calm and relaxed is also a part of this readiness. Focus Pocus addresses this readiness, providing an environment to exercise the state and cognitive factors.
Focus Pocus:
• Is fun for all children
• Is a game with benefits
• Contains exercises that may help improve behaviour and the ability to learn
• Helps children to retain information, stay on task and concentrate
• Uses addictive, rewarding game-play that kids are familiar with
• Uses the MindWave – an amazing, portable brainwave-reading headset
• Provides parents with an online tool to track, guide and reward achievement
• Is affordable and user-friendly
System Requirements:
Minimum PC / Mac Specification:
- 2.4GHz CPU (Pentium 4 or Equivalent)
- PC: Microsoft Windows XP SP2/Vista/Windows 7
- Mac: OS X v10.6 or v10.7
- 1Gb RAM- At least 1024 pixel wide desktop resolution at 32-bit color depth
- 256Mb graphics card, Shader Model 2+
- Stereo audio out
- 65Mb free hard disk space
- NeuroSky headset (MindSet or MindWave or MindWave Mobile)
Recommended Specification:
- Dual Core CPU (Core 2 Duo or Equivalent)
- Microsoft Windows XP SP2/Vista/Windows 7
- 2Gb RAM
- At least 1440 pixel wide desktop resolution at 32-bit colour depth
- 512Mb graphics card Shader Model 3+ (nVIDIA GeForce 7 or Equivalent)
- 5.1 audio support
- 100Mb free hard disk space
- NeuroSky MindSet / MindWave / MindWave Mobile Headset
Software Prerequisites:
- DirectX 9.0c (already installed on XP SP2 PC’s and higher)
- Bluetooth to NeuroSky headset connection (Bluetooth dongle not included)
MindWave™ Headsets 
Brainwaves. Not thoughts.
Measuring Electroencephalogram (EEG) activity has historically required complex, intimidating and immovable equipment costing thousands of dollars. NeuroSky is unlocking a new world of solutions for education and entertainment with our research-grade, mobile, embeddable EEG biosensor solutions. Precisely accurate, portable and noise-filtering, our EEG biosensors translate brain activity into action.
Our EEG solution digitizes analog electrical brainwaves to power the user-interface of games, education and research applications. We amplify and process raw brain signals to deliver concise input to the device. Our brainwave algorithms, developed by NeuroSky researcher and our partner universities and research institutions are uncovering new ways to interact with our world.
The MindWave headset turns your computer into a brain activity monitor. The headset safely measures brainwave signals and monitors the attention levels of individuals as they interact with math, memory and pattern recognition applications. Ten apps are included with experiences ranging from fun entertainment to serious education. This headset is useful for OEMs building games, educational applications or activities for entertainment.
The MindWave family consists of MindWave and MindWave Mobile today. The MindWave is designed for PCs and Mac. MindWave Mobile, is also compatible with mobile devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Android. If you want a mobile compatible device, please check out the MindWave Mobile. Both headset in the MindWave family share the following characteristics.
The NeuroSky ThinkGear ASIC chip is priced to power mass adoption in toys, mobile devices, educational gear and other, popular EEG technology.