Pip-Boy

The Pip-Boy is a fictional wearable computer in the post-apocalyptic Fallout video game franchise. Manufactured in-universe by RobCo Industries prior to the devastating nuclear Great War, it is capable of numerous functions depending on the model. In the Fallout games, it functions as a diegetic way for the player to access the menu and manage their inventory.

Pip-Boy
A vault dweller cosplayer wearing a replica Pip-Boy (left wrist)
PublisherInterplay Entertainment, Bethesda Softworks
First appearance
Created byLeonard Boyarsky
GenreScience fiction
In-story information
TypeWearable computer

The Pip-Boy has been called one of the most iconic tools of Fallout and video games as a whole, and praised for its design, as well as compared with real-world wearable computers. Many working replicas of the Pip-Boy have been built by fans of the series, and Bethesda, developers of Fallout 3, 4 and 76, has released a Pip-Boy replica alongside editions of Fallout 4 that can be used alongside a phone app, in limited quantities.

Characteristics

The main screen of the Pip-Boy 3000, demonstrating its monochrome monitor.

In the Interplay Fallout titles, the Pip-Boy is essentially a menu screen skin, however, in the Bethesda games, it appears attached to the player character's arm and is looked at from a first-person perspective.[1] The newer Pip-Boy contains a map, quest tracker, a radio, and a light,[2]

Development

Leonard Boyarsky, one of the lead designers of Fallout at Interplay, stated that he designed the Pip-Boy more towards his personal preference for "old, clunky technology" than any trend towards retrofuturism. The design was meant to seem like it "wasn’t all that dependable" and "kind of hacked together" to show that "the world wasn’t quite working".[1] The user interface was meant to feel like an in-universe object, which was rare at the time. Anthony Postma, another Interplay designer, created the device’s layout.[1]

When Bethesda Softworks acquired the franchise, they increased its retrofuturistic themes. The redesigned Pip-Boy 3000 reflected the Streamline Moderne aesthetic, and looked sleeker and more polished, while still being relatively bulky. The new Pip-Boy also lacked the drawn mascot and exposed vacuum tubes of the original, in order to make it fit on the player's arm. These elements, however, make a return with Fallout 76's Pip-Boy 2000 Mark VI.[1]

Reception

The Pip-Boy is a defining symbol of the Fallout series. Khee Hoon Chan of USgamer called the Pip-Boy "one of the most iconic tools in video game history", also stating that "the gadget’s transformation is [...] emblematic of the series’ divergence."[1]

Much of the notoriety of the Pip-Boy has stemmed from its design, which has reflected the rise of later real-world wearable technology, and has also directly inspired the creation of functioning devices, both by fans and engineers. In 2010, Sean Hollister of Engadget compared the General Dynamics Itronix GD300 wrist-mounted GPS unit with the design of the Pip-Boy, saying, "no word on whether it will pick up post-apocalyptic radio stations as your mission unfolds".[3] Similarly, the prototype wrist-mounted OLED screens developed by L-3 Display Systems for use in the United States Army were compared to Pip-Boys by Mike Fahey of Kotaku, who called them "just another fine example of PIPBoy technology in real life".[4]

Fans have created numerous working replicas, utilizing technology such as Raspberry Pi.[5] In 2014, a team of coders created a working replica for NASA's SpaceWearables: Fashion Designer to Astronauts' challenge.[6][7] Replicas were also built for commercial sale, with ThinkGeek designing a "Deluxe Bluetooth Edition".[8]

Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition controversy

At Bethesda's first E3 media briefing in 2015, Todd Howard stated that Bethesda would be releasing a deluxe version of Fallout 4 containing a Pip-Boy, stating, "The Pip-Boy is an important part of Fallout and we love it so much we made a real one." However, this led to criticism when it was revealed that the Pip-Boy was a non-functional plastic enclosure for a smartphone, which would operate as the Pip-Boy's display.[9] Timothy J. Seppala of Engadget called it a "glorified smartphone case", and said that while it was comfortable to wear, the Pip-Boy app functioned better on a larger screen, stating that while "cosplayers (and eBay resellers) will likely eat this up [...] once the novelty of the Pip-Boy wears off, the rest of us won't use it much."[9] The limited availability of the Pip-Boy Edition was also criticized, as the replicas sold out almost as soon as they were put on sale, angering fans and quickly being listed on eBay by scalpers.[10] However, as a replacement, some fans created 3D-printable Pip-Boys with space for a custom computer inside and a working tape deck.[11][12] The fact that it did not work with larger phones was cited as an additional hurdle in getting the replica to function properly.[13]

References
  1. Chan, Khee Hoon (2018-10-01). "Behind the Creation and Evolution of Fallout's Iconic Pip-Boy". USgamer. Archived from the original on 2020-10-03. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  2. "Check out the old-style Pip-Boy in the new Fallout 76 trailer". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  3. "General Dynamics' GD300 is the Pip-Boy that runs Android". Engadget. Archived from the original on 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  4. Fahey, Mike (2010-10-08). "The United States Army Is Testing Fallout PIPBoys". Kotaku. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  5. Tach, Dave (2012-12-06). "Modder combines Raspberry Pi and Fallout to create the Raspberry Pip-Boy". Polygon. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  6. Starr, Michelle. "Working Pip-Boy 3000 designed for astronauts". CNET. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  7. "This working Pip-Boy 3000 was created for astronauts, but you could use it too". Destructoid. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  8. Kooser, Amanda (2016-06-13). "Fall in love with this functioning Fallout Pip-Boy smartwatch". CNET. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  9. Seppala, Timothy J. (2015-11-09). "Fallout 4's Pip-Boy is a glorified smartphone case". Engadget. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  10. Phillips, Tom (2015-11-09). "Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition already on eBay for up to £400". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  11. Grant, Christopher (2015-07-29). "Forget about the Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition and 3D-print your own". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  12. "Sorry, Bethesda can't make any more 'Fallout 4' Pip-Boys". Engadget. Archived from the original on 2020-07-07. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  13. O'Brien, Lucy (2015-06-29). "Fallout 4 Collector's Edition Pip-Boy Won't Work With Larger Phones". IGN. Archived from the original on 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
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