A new Skyrim mod lets you use your mind to power your spells, through a combination of VR and technology that reads the electrical signals of your brain.
It's the first mod creation from Cangar, who is both a Skyrim VR enthusiast and a neuroscience Ph.D. student. Cangar put them both together to make Real Virtual Magic, which you can download from NexusMods right now (as spotted by Eurogamer).
"I created a mod that combines the two, my passion for Skyrim VR with my passion for brain computer interfacing," Cangar explains in a video introducing the project. "And here it is, you can now actually feel the magic power that is within your own brain, within your own mind, and make it a reality in Skyrim VR."
But how does it work? The mod is built to interface with electroencephalographic data registered in real time by a Muse 2 or Muse S meditation headband, which can sync up with your PC via a Bluetooth BLED112 dongle. Both are available to consumers, and will likely run you around $300 in total - which is far from cheap, but still surprisingly affordable given all the technology at work here.
The headband can detect your current level of focus, and RVM uses that to dictate your magical power level: if you're very focused, your destructive spells could do up to twice as much damage as normal. If you're totally disengaged, their damage could scale all the way down to 0. The mod also permanently fills your stores of Magicka, so you can stay focused on, well, staying focused, instead of worrying about quaffing potions.
"It's actually difficult," Cangar says. "It's kind of like meditation, you really need to be able to focus your own mind, to be able to relax, calm down, and bring the power into literally your palms."
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