One of the stranger announcements of last week's E3, was Nintendo's confirmation that a Vitality Sensor is on the way to the console - allowing a player's pulse to become a component in gameplay.

While we've little idea what games will be made possible via the attachment, it seems this new method of input isn't quite as new as we'd once imagined.

Back in 1998, release a 'Bio Sensor' in Japan. The sensor in question was for the N64 and it took a player's pulse via an ear-lobe clip-on. The sensor could then be used to speed up or slow-down the pace of blocks in Tetris 64.

The device was something of a flop, and no other games supported it - while the gizmo never saw the light of day outside of Japan. I wonder if the Vitality Sensor has longer legs?

By Luke Guttridge