Bethesda Softworks
But in "Fallout 4," which will release on November 10, Bethesda Softworks went above and beyond to bring its in-game invention into the real world.
"The Pip-Boy is important part of Fallout, and we love it so much that we made a real one," Todd Howard, Bethesda Game Studios' game director, said at Bethesda's press conference Sunday night. "Yes, you can put your phone in it, and yes, we made an app for it so it works with the game, and yes it's a second screen experience. Usually I find second-screen experiences to be stupid gimmicks, but as far as stupid gimmicks goes, this is the best f-----g one I've ever seen."
Here's what the real-life Pip-Boy looks like.
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
In the game, you can bring your Pip-Boy up to your face to control all its various functions - like what you're wearing or what weapons you're holding. But this real-life Pip-Boy works in the same way: Since the phone app uses the same code used on the in-game Pip-Boy, it will work on any platform over local WiFi, including Xbox One, PS4 and PC, and it will work with any iOS or Android phone. So if you make an adjustment on the phone app, it'll immediately take effect in your game.
The real-life Pip-Boy will ship with the "Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition," which costs $119. Unfortunately, that "Fallout 4" edition is sold out at every major retailer that's supporting pre-orders for the game.
We've reached out to Bethesda to see if the company plans on replenishing its stock of Pip-Boys for pre-order, or if the company is intentionally limiting the supply to make it more exclusive. We'll update the story when we learn more.
"Fallout 4" drops November 10 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Pre-order it here.