Bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase 'mind games,' OCZ's quirky new game controller, the Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA), has now 'begun mass production' and the company claims that shipping is 'imminent.'

OCZ's CEO and self-confessed willy-waver, Ryan Petersen, said that the NIA 'radically changes the ways that gamers can interact and control elements within games, and can be configured in a matter of minutes for any game that is already published or will be released.'

OCZ claims that the NIA's 'user-friendly software is calibrated based on the individual's physiology and personal preferences. Each of the Actuator's signals can be assigned to a specific keystroke on the keyboard or a mouse button; consequentially, gamers can run, jump, and fire faster - all without lifting a finger.'

As well as this, OCZ reckons that the death of the faithful keyboard and mouse for gaming could soon be on the horizon. ' The NIA will allow users to control PC games without the use of a keyboard,' said the company, 'and minimal use of a mouse.'

Our own Clive Webster had the chance to try out a prototype of the bizarre contraption at Computex 2007, where he found that it took a lot of getting used to, but easier to use after ten minutes of gaming. However, he also reckoned that it would be no subsitiute for a set of WASD keys when it came to accuracy.

No concrete details on pricing have been confirmed yet, but Overclock3D claims to have spoken to sources at the company who say that the package, which includes a black USB2 metal box and a headband, will cost around £150.