Should the device launch successfully, it could have a major impact on the way games are played in the future, with co-inventor Tan Lee insisting that his headset is just the beginning.

"This is the tip of the iceberg," he said. "There will be a convergence of gesture-based technology and the brain as a new interface - the holy grail is the mind."

The newspaper revealed: "The EPOC headset has 16 sensors which measure electrical activity in the brain, allowing players to push and pull objects on a screen just by thinking.

"Despite scepticism among some experts, Emotiv - the Sydney-based company behind the headset - claims it has carried out pre-release tests which show that the electroencephalography process works."