Charge magic power with brainwaves and shoot dragons with your gaze. Prayers even summon capsules. A new form of play experienced at Tokyo Game Show 2025 [TGS2025]
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/991/G999101/20250928023/
Editorial Department: Sagan | 2025/09/28 06:12 (UTC)
At Tokyo Game Show 2025, a new section called the “All-Accessibility Corner” was introduced, aiming for a future where everyone—regardless of disability, cognitive ability, or age—can enjoy games.
Within this corner, Araya, a company specializing in AI and brain research, made its first exhibition appearance. While typically working on assistive technologies for people with disabilities in welfare and rehabilitation settings, this time they showcased demos that transformed these technologies into fun, simple-to-play experiences.
“NeuroWizards” – Ultimate Skills via Gaze and Brainwaves
At Araya’s booth, the first experience was the action game titled “NeuroWizards.” Players wore a self-developed EEG headset and held a controller. Movement and regular attacks were controlled using the controller, while the activation of ultimate skills combined brainwave signals with gaze tracking.
Upon starting the game, brainwaves are measured to determine the player’s magic attribute based on the frequency of alpha waves—strongly present during relaxation. For example, one frequency might correspond to wind, another to earth or ice; I was assigned the ice element.
During actual gameplay, I was able to attack a dragon with the controller while simultaneously using my gaze to trigger powerful techniques.
A representative said, “Although there are still issues with accuracy and sensitivity to noise, combining gaze and brainwaves makes simple operations like ‘aiming and shooting’ fully achievable.”
Thumbnail image No. 003 / Charge magic power with brainwaves and shoot dragons with your gaze. Prayers also summon capsules. A new form of play experienced at Tokyo Game Show 2025 [TGS2025] Thumbnail image No. 004 / Charge magic power with brainwaves and shoot dragons with your gaze. Prayers also summon capsules. A new form of play experienced at Tokyo Game Show 2025 [TGS2025]
Looking ahead, games that rely solely on gaze and brainwaves—without requiring a controller—are becoming increasingly feasible.
“Mushin Capsule” – Capsules Appear Through Prayer and Relaxation
Next, I tried “Mushin Capsule,” an interactive demo combining brainwave technology with image recognition. It resembles a capsule vending machine in appearance.
Participants wore a wireless EEG headset and assumed a prayer pose in front of a camera. An AI image recognition system detects the posture, while the EEG measures alpha waves indicating relaxation. Only when both conditions exceed certain thresholds is a capsule dispensed.
According to the staff, this concept stems from playful curiosity—testing the popular “gacha” superstition that “you won’t get what you want if your desire is too strong”—by measuring it with actual brainwaves. The design philosophy emphasizes delivering results only when both external actions and internal mental states align perfectly.
Unfortunately, I was unable to successfully trigger a capsule release on my own…
Thumbnail image No. 008 / Charge magic power with brainwaves and shoot dragons with your gaze. Prayers also summon capsules. A new form of play experienced at Tokyo Game Show 2025 [TGS2025] Thumbnail image No. 009 / Charge magic power with brainwaves and shoot dragons with your gaze. Prayers also summon capsules. A new form of play experienced at Tokyo Game Show 2025 [TGS2025]
An Araya representative said that because EEG headsets can be manufactured affordably, they hope such technology will eventually become a seamless part of everyday life as an interesting gadget.
They also emphasized that using gaze and brainwaves allows people with limited hand mobility or those unable to speak to operate games intuitively—contributing to more inclusive game design and the creation of novel experiences.
On the other hand, they acknowledged that accuracy and vulnerability to noise remain challenges at this stage, meaning widespread practical use isn’t yet feasible. That’s why their focus is on first introducing these technologies through playful experiences like games, so as many people as possible can interact with them.
At this exhibition, visitors could actually experience ultimate skill activation via gaze + brainwaves in “NeuroWizards,” and capsule dispensing triggered by prayer and relaxation in “Mushin Capsule.” Despite their simplicity, both clearly demonstrated how new input methods are being integrated into gaming.
Although still in development, it remains to be seen exactly how such initiatives will expand—making future progress highly anticipated.