First Neuralink patient could crush you on Call of Duty using his mind
Noland Arbaugh tells Joe Rogan, "I basically have an aimbot in my head"
🎮 Neuralink could be a cheat code for games in the future
🔫 The first Neuralink patient believes it could be like an aimbot in your head
🤔 The vast majority of games aren’t playable yet but could be in the future
🍄 Arbaugh has been able to enjoy Civilization IV and Mario Kart
The first Neuralink patient, Noland Arbaugh, believes his new brain chip would make him a formidable opponent in games like Call of Duty as he has “an aimbot in my head.”
The 29-year-old quadriplegic was previously filmed playing online chess using Elon Musk’s brain chip implant, but it seems Arbaugh has become even more adept with the transformative technology.
Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience, Arbaugh said: “I basically have an aimbot in my head. They’ll probably have different leagues for people like me because it’s just not fair.”
Arbaugh said the Neuralink chip can respond so quickly it’s almost done without thinking. It’s similar to how your brain tells your hand to move before you even acknowledge it.
When pressed if it would actually give Arbaugh aimbot-like abilities, which is a program that automatically locks onto an opponent in a video game and is essentially cheating, Arbaugh said: “It’s that accurate and it’s faster. Sometimes, it's so good that it’s moving before I even, like, think it to move.”
Arbaugh admitted that games like Call of Duty are still “too far out of reach for the Neuralink at this point,” but he’s managed to enjoy Civilization VI and Mario Kart. It’s why Arbaugh is confident that he’ll be able to play “anything anyone else play” in the next few years, and hopes that he can play Halo one day.
While the Neuralink has allowed Arbaugh to perform tasks that were previously inaccessible, some concerns remain. Arbaugh has admitted that the chip could be hacked, but that it wouldn’t really be worth it.
“At this point, at least hacking this wouldn't really do much... You might be able to control my cursor on my screen and make me look at weird stuff,” Arbaugh explained.
Next: Likes on X are now private – here’s why
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.