The Real-Life 'Fallout 4' Pip-Boy: Is It Worth The Extra $60?

[IInuyasha74]

We tested out Bethesda's Fallout 4 Pip-Boy.

The Real-Life 'Fallout 4' Pip-Boy: Is It Worth The Extra $60? : Read more

 

[Gam3r01]

Let's be honest, did anyone ever actually plan on using this?
It should come with an internal light in the phone compartment and a printed piece of glass to put in there. Set it aside as a cool collectible. Not some "functional" gimmick.

 

[alextheblue]

"Make sure, by the way, that you set your phone to stay awake for a sufficiently long time. If you have it set to fall asleep after a minute or so, you'll have to take the Pip-Boy at least partially off again, open the compartment, wake your phone up, and then close it again."

Uh, tap to wake? I go tap tap on my WP device and it wakes. Most Androids should have this feature too.

Anyway what they SHOULD have done given the price tag is made a functional wifi device with a cheap display (supposed to look primitive anyway) and a super low power SoC. Doesn't need to run a full-fat OS. Windows IoT build + Pip Boy app would be fine. Then they could have made the whole thing, knobs and radio tuner and all, functional without even needing a smartphone.

The concept was great, the execution was average.

 

[falchard]

The reason why companies can make aa cheap $50 smartphone and profit is because of volume and capital. If Bethesda devoted $25 million to R&D making a functional Pip-Boy and produced 2 million, then we would be talking about a $60 product. There would also be considerably more happy people who got their PipBoy. But that's some serious investment and post release support.

 

[clonazepam]

If I'd gotten one of these, no, I would have never worn it. I'd hope any Fallout fan devoted enough to get this would be able to mod it to fit.

 

[Avus]

It is a good prop for cosplayer.

 

[dstarr3]

If you're a collector, sure. In twenty years, it'll be worth a few hundred, new in box. Otherwise, eff no.

 

[IInuyasha74]

The reason why companies can make aa cheap $50 smartphone and profit is because of volume and capital. If Bethesda devoted $25 million to R&D making a functional Pip-Boy and produced 2 million, then we would be talking about a $60 product. There would also be considerably more happy people who got their PipBoy. But that's some serious investment and post release support.

Well, they wouldn't really need to invest that much. Whoever built and assembled the Pip-Boy this time could have done that still, the only thing they really needed to do is purchase a cheap ready to use SoC from an OEM. I honestly think making it a full functioning devices of its own would have been a lot cooler than needing to insert a smartphone at all. Those extra button bits would be easy to get built for you too, it isn't anything too technical. After that is all put together, they would just need software, which they could have made a stand-alone Pip-Boy OS or a modified version of Android.

Even taking it a step further, the Pip-Boy in Fallout 4 takes tapes, they could have even made a little place to plug in some type of cartridge similar to a gameboy game and then had an entire line of extras to produce and sell, as well as making the Pip-Boy a unique item to use on its own. I don't doubt they could have built it all without too much cost and made it profitable, but it seems they went with the cheapest and easiest way out instead.

 

[cats_Paw]

Im amazed at how much money is being dumped into marketing to sell fallout 4.
Almost tells me that TOO MUCH is devoted to marketing.
Game quality does suffer in these situations.

 

[house70]

"Is It Worth The Extra $60?"

Nope

 

[jasonelmore]

Still waiting on a photo of the pipboy with "Black Faced" Phone installed with app loaded and screen on..

so far all i see is stupid white faced iphones.. need black please, and with the app open

 

[royalcrown]

All these dolls and crap that come with games are stupid as hell.

 

[Dunlop0078]

Something you can put on your mantel piece in a man cave. I wouldn't actually use it.

 

[seeingeyegod]

I think you expect a little too much from a special edition gimmick

 

[Kaiziel]

You could just skip buying that edition of fallout and download the app for your phone, I have a note 4, that stylus works awesome with the app, and it also keeps your phone on while using it, soooo no sleep time needs adjusting. Plus instead of using it for such important tasks, like healing when critical, I use it for map screen or inventory screen watching my weight and all that.

 

[KrondoJD]

I got it mostly just for display (I still have the F3 lunchbox & Bobblehead). I did install my Galaxy S5 for a while just to screw around but I wouldn't use it in-game on my wrist. I use the app on my phone to keep an eye on my weight mostly.

 

[nevilence]

I just use the app on my tablet while I play on my PC. I use the tablet 50% of the time and the in game pipboy the rest. The app is a far cheaper option ;-)

 

[IInuyasha74]

Im amazed at how much money is being dumped into marketing to sell fallout 4.
Almost tells me that TOO MUCH is devoted to marketing.
Game quality does suffer in these situations.

That often tends to be the case, too much hype, not enough content, or a horribly broken experience. Fallout 4 doesn't really fall apart on that though. It isn't perfect, there are several bugs. Destroyed flying cars might go flying through the air, randomly fall, and explode. Things sometimes fall through the floor. People may randomly walk through items, stand in the middle of beds, or show up on the roof of a building instead of inside of it. Not to mention the building aspect of the game has some rather broken aspects, like one of the corners is designed backwards, and some items which should lock together don't. It feels like a few pieces are just completely missing.

Despite these problems, the overall game works great though, and these issues only occasionally pop up. I definitely want to see them get fixed, but I can live with them. Honestly the system for talking to NPCs bothers me more, because it feels rather limited. It speeds up game play a bit, but shortens the story in side-quests, but it's passable. Hasn't stopped me from putting in over 20 hours of game play in the last week.

 

[Turkey_1]

Yes, it's a cheap toy, but it's also a phone case, a pretty good one at that. Phone cases easily go for over $60. Then you get the vaukt-tec crate with it, and their suggested uses in the booklet are themselves worth the price, i have mine outside to catch a rabbit as i type. Side note, the top black button next to the radio tuner is very flimsy, mine broke 3 seconds after opening the box, barely touched it, now its stuck inside

 

[Mark_5239]

I didn't buy the pip-boy edition but I did decide that the pip-boy app was actually the secretly released local co-op option. I play and buddy that hasn't gotten it yet but wants his "Fallout fix" can manage the map, meds, and inventory with my iPad. We both win.

 

[chicofehr]

This is NOT real.
The real one has:
MS-DOS OS
A green interlaced cold cathode ray aka tube tv
GPS
HAM radio
A noisy 20/40MB hard drive
Wish it was real as this is just stupid using a phone to make it work. Not impressed

 

[seeingeyegod]

This is NOT real.
The real one has:
MS-DOS OS
A green interlaced cold cathode ray aka tube tv
GPS
HAM radio
A noisy 20/40MB hard drive
Wish it was real as this is just stupid using a phone to make it work. Not impressed

So, you're making a homemade version and will have pics up in couple of days, right?

 

[burritosaur]

I can't wait to see your review on an AC Hidden Blade, Master Chief's helmet, and the Ghost from Destiny. I'm really looking forward to the Hidden Blade testing.

 

[Pokemonking81]

60 isnt to steep id pick one up