Pip-Boy

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Pip-Boy
New York Comic Con 2016 - Wanderer (30228494775).jpg
A Sole Survivor cosplayer wearing a replica Pip-Boy (left wrist)
PublisherInterplay Entertainment, Bethesda Softworks
First appearance Fallout (1997)
Created by Leonard Boyarsky
GenreScience fiction
In-universe information
TypeWearable computer

The Pip-Boy is a fictional wearable computer in the post-apocalyptic Fallout video game franchise. Manufactured 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.

Contents

The Pip-Boy has been called one of the most iconic tools of Fallout and video games and is praised for its design, as well as compared with real wearable computers. In 2015, Bethesda released a replica Pip-Boy as part of a limited run of collector's editions of Fallout 4. This replica could house a smartphone, allowing the player to control their in-game device through a phone application. A D.I.Y. Pip-Boy replica as a package has been sold separately from Fallout 76.

Characteristics

The main screen of the Pip-Boy 3000, demonstrating its monochrome monitor and use of the Vault Boy character Mr. Pip-Boy.png
The main screen of the Pip-Boy 3000, demonstrating its monochrome monitor and use of the Vault Boy character

In the Interplay Fallout titles, the Pip-Boy serves as a menu screen. For 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]

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]

Related Research Articles

Bethesda Softworks LLC is an American video game publisher based in Rockville, Maryland. The company was founded by Christopher Weaver in 1986 as a division of Media Technology Limited. In 1999, it became a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media. In its first 15 years, it was a video game developer and self-published its titles. In 2001, Bethesda spun off its in-house development team into Bethesda Game Studios, leaving Bethesda Softworks to focus on publishing operations.

<i>Fallout</i> (franchise) Video game series

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interplay Entertainment</span> American video game developer and publisher

Interplay Entertainment Corp. is an American video game developer and publisher based in Los Angeles. The company was founded in 1983 as Interplay Productions by developers Brian Fargo, Jay Patel, Troy Worrell, and Rebecca Heineman, as well as investor Chris Wells. As a developer, Interplay is best known as the creator of the Fallout series and as a publisher for the Baldur's Gate and Descent series.

<i>Fallout 2</i> 1998 video game

Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game is a 1998 role-playing video game developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Productions. It is a sequel to Fallout (1997), featuring similar graphics and game mechanics. The game's story takes place in 2241, 80 years after the events of Fallout and 164 years after the atomic war which reduced the vast majority of the world to a nuclear wasteland. The player assumes the role of The Chosen One, the grandchild of the first game's protagonist, and undertakes a quest to save their small village on the West Coast of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Avellone</span> American video game designer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Boyarsky</span> American computer games designer and visual artist

Leonard Boyarsky is an American computer game designer and visual artist. He is one of the key designers of the video games Fallout and Diablo III.

<i>Van Buren</i> (video game) Video game

Van Buren was the codename of a canceled role-playing video game developed by Black Isle Studios. It was intended to be the third game in the mainline Fallout series. Set in the year 2253, the plot of Van Buren revolved around a prisoner who would explore the American Southwest while being chased by robotic prison guards. The main antagonist was a mad scientist named Victor Presper, who planned on using the prisoner as an inadvertent vector to spread a deadly virus. Gameplay would have included a mixture of real-time and turn-based combat. The player would explore the map with a team of non-playable character (NPC) companions. Each NPC would make their own independent decisions which would affect the story.

<i>Fallout</i> (video game) 1997 video game

Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game is a 1997 role-playing video game developed and published by Interplay Productions, set in a mid-22nd century post-apocalyptic and retro-futuristic world, decades after a nuclear war between the United States and China. Fallout's protagonist, the Vault Dweller, inhabits an underground nuclear shelter. The player must scour the surrounding wasteland for a computer chip that can fix the Vault's failed water supply system. They interact with other survivors, some of whom give them missions, and engage in turn-based combat.

<i>Fallout 3</i> 2008 video game

Fallout 3 is a 2008 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The third major installment in the Fallout series, it is the first game to be developed by Bethesda after acquiring the rights to the franchise from Interplay Entertainment. The game marks a major shift in the series by using 3D graphics and real-time combat, replacing the 2D isometric graphics and turn-based combat of previous installments. It was released worldwide in October 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason D. Anderson</span> American video game developer

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<i>Fallout Shelter</i> Simulation video game

Fallout Shelter is a free-to-play construction and management simulation video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios, with assistance by Behaviour Interactive, and published by Bethesda Softworks. Part of the Fallout series, it was released worldwide for iOS devices in June 2015, for Android devices in August 2015, for Windows in July 2016, for Xbox One in February 2017, and for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in June 2018. The game is also available on Tesla vehicles. The game tasks the player with building and effectively managing their own Vault, a fallout shelter.

<i>Fallout: New Vegas</i> 2010 video game

Fallout: New Vegas is an action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released in 2010 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Set in the Mojave Desert 204 years after a nuclear war left much of the United States decimated, the player controls a courier who survived an assassination attempt from an unknown assailant. The goal of the game is to find the assailant, which eventually culminates in a war between different governing factions vying for control of the Mojave Desert. Fallout: New Vegas features an open world map that the player can freely explore. Much of the gameplay revolves around combat, and there are a variety of weapons the player can use, such as standard guns and energy-based weapons. An optional difficulty level is Hardcore Mode, which adds survival mechanics the player must keep track off, such as the need to sleep in order to avoid dying from sleep deprivation.

<i>Fallout Online</i> Canceled video game

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vault Boy</span> Mascot of the Fallout series

Vault Boy is the mascot of the Fallout media franchise. Created by staff at Interplay Entertainment, the original owners of the Fallout intellectual property, Vault Boy was introduced in 1997's Fallout as an advertising character representing Vault-Tec, a fictional megacorporation that built a series of specialized fallout shelters throughout the United States prior to the nuclear holocaust that sets up the world state of the Fallout universe. Within the video game series, Vault Boy serves as a representation of the player character's statistical information within user interface (UI) menus, and is a recurring element in Vault-Tec products found throughout the fictional Fallout universe. In the 2024 Fallout television series, Vault Boy is depicted as having been portrayed in Vault-Tec advertisements by actor Cooper Howard.

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<i>Fallout 4</i> 2015 video game

Fallout 4 is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fourth main game in the Fallout series and was released worldwide on November 10, 2015, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game is set within an open world post-apocalyptic environment that encompasses the city of Boston and the surrounding Massachusetts region known as "The Commonwealth".

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<i>Fallout 76</i> 2018 online action multiplayer role-playing game

Fallout 76 is a 2018 action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is an installment in the Fallout series and a prequel to previous entries. Set in the year 2102, players control a resident of Vault 76 who must venture out into the dilapidated open world known as "Appalachia" in order to re-colonize the region, and uncover a mysterious plague that has killed off its inhabitants. Fallout 76 is Bethesda Game Studios' first multiplayer game; Bethesda developed the game using a modified version of its Creation Engine, which allowed the accommodation of multiplayer gameplay and a more detailed game world than in previous games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vault-Tec</span> Fictional corporation in the Fallout franchise

Vault-Tec Corporation, otherwise known as Vault-Tec and sometimes called Vault-Tec Industries, is a fictional defense megacorporation from the post-apocalyptic Fallout franchise. Throughout the United States, Vault-Tec created government-funded vaults, large fallout shelters that would serve to shelter civilians and allow for the continuation of human life in the threat of a nuclear attack. Within most of these Overseer-governed vaults, Vault-Tec carried out human experiments on its residents without their consent or knowledge, ranging from being mostly harmless to disturbing and inhumane.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 11 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  3. ↑ "General Dynamics' GD300 is the Pip-Boy that runs Android". Engadget. 9 August 2010. 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. 14 May 2014. 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. 1 2 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. 28 July 2015. 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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