RGB keyboards and case fans and RAM sticks are lovely, but they're bound to your computer desk, which I assume also has RGB lighting. Take things to the tabletop for a D&D session, and not only will your accouterments remain one color rather than pulsing through the rainbow, they won't light up at all.
There is finally hope for our non-luminescent tabletops. Pixels dice (opens in new tab) caught my eye on Twitter today with the video below, which demonstrates their ability not just to light up, but to detect what you've rolled and adjust the light show to the occasion.
Pixels know which way they roll and are completely customizable, letting you control how they light up based on your rolls. More info / sign-up at https://t.co/RdiUcYUdz6 #dice #DnD pic.twitter.com/lTYBeiH7SpJanuary 26, 2020
The dice charge wirelessly in special cases, and can be customized in a phone app via Bluetooth (just iOS right now, but with more apps to come). Despite everything going on inside of them, maker Systemic Games says in an FAQ (opens in new tab) that the dice are "very close" to being perfectly balanced. An older FAQ (opens in new tab) stated that early prototypes were not balanced, but were coming along.
Pixels aren't on sale yet, but a Kickstarter campaign is planned for this summer, with the dice expected to ship around six months after it ends. They'll come in all the formats used for D&D and other typical tabletop games, from d20s down to d4s. The estimated price tag is $25 to $30 per die, so a full set won't be cheap.
Pixels aren't the only light-up dice out there, but they're the most advanced ones I've seen, and they don't look like tacky Vegas souvenirs. It helps that they aren't oversized: all that light emitting and Bluetooth connecting tech is stuffed into standard-sized dice.
Their creator, Systemic Games, is a small company based in Rockville, Maryland. If you're familiar with the geography of Maryland as it relates to game development, you won't be surprised to know that the company was founded by a former Bethesda Softworks developer: Jean Simonet, who worked on The Elder Scrolls series (Oblivion and Skyrim), Fallout 3, and Fallout 4. Systemic Games also created Bomb Squad Academy (opens in new tab).
Here's another video of a Pixels die in action, which I'm including mainly for the kitten:
Pixels also make pretty good cat toys! 😊 More info / Sign up at https://t.co/z9bWkob7CL #dice #kittens pic.twitter.com/uCRaIB8RIZJanuary 9, 2020
