Second Neuralink surgery “went well” & patient can use it to play Counter-Strike 2

Elon Musk-owned Neuaralink has successfully implanted the chip in a second patient, who can already use it to play Counter-Strike 2.

Neuralink has announced that it performed the surgery on its second patient, Alex, in July. The surgery “went very well,” and Alex was discharged the following day. According to a blog post on the company’s website, his recovery has been smooth.

Alex has been independently testing the capabilities of the implant and is reportedly using it to play the first-person shooter game Counter-Strike 2. “I’m already super impressed with how this works,” he said.

In a YouTube video shared by Musk’s Neuralink, Alex showed off some solid in-game moves and was able to take down NPCs coming at him.

“With the Link, he has been improving his ability to play video games and began learning how to use computer-aided design (CAD) software to design 3D objects,” said Neuralink.

“From the first moment Alex connected his Link to his computer, it took less than 5 minutes for him to start controlling a cursor with his mind. Within a few hours, he was able to surpass the maximum speed and accuracy he’d achieved with any other assistive technology on our Webgrid task.”

Alex also broke the previous world record for brain-computer interface (BCI) cursor control using a non-Neuralink device on his first day, claimed the brain-computer company.

The blog post identified Alex as a former automotive technician who suffered a spinal cord injury. He follows the first patient, Noland Arbaugh, who is paralyzed from the shoulders down and received the implant from Elon Musk’s startup in January 2024.

Arbaugh made headlines earlier this year for playing chess and even posting on social media using only his mind. He revealed during a Joe Rogan podcast that the implant is like an “aimbot” for gaming.

The procedure on Alex is said to have successfully avoided an issue that affected Arbaugh’s experience, where he had the unexpected complication of electrode threads retracting from his brain.