The SuiPlay 0X1 handheld has all the weird crypto-bro hallmarks.
Those of you old enough to remember the Gizmondo from the mid-2000s will know that it was a particularly doomed gaming handheld with a rather shady background. Well, if you want to back yet another dead horse, boy does Mysten Labs have a device for you.
Announced earlier this month at a blockchain conference in Korea, the 'SuiPlay 0X1' is an upcoming $600 handheld slated for early 2025 that's being touted, depressingly, as "the world's first Web3-native handheld gaming device" — what that really means in practice is anyone's guess.
The weirdly named device (which kinda sounds like an .exe virus you'd probably want to avoid), sports a 7-inch IPS screen, packs an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U, and has 512GB of storage. The handheld will run on the device-agnostic operating system PlaytronOS.
The SuiPlay0X1 site details that it will support a wide range of PC titles, along with "new AAA titles developed using Sui technology". Sui is a blockchain tech, so how that figures in to game dev is something beyond me — but such 'web3' games do exist, such as metaverse shooter Xociety.
The specs all sound broadly fine, and in line with what current handheld gaming PCs offer — although there is a disclaimer on the SuiPlay site, noting that these specs may yet change.
The truly weird part about this device? Well, ultimately it's the crypto, NFT and vague Web3 stuff.
Firstly, you cannot preorder this thing using cash — you have to buy it using crypto (either the aforementioned SUI, Solana, or Ethereum). Once you order you'll then get a freshly minted NFT as a way to claim the device once ready — a receipt also would have been fine I guess?
Beyond that, the website features a series of dubious 'testimonials' talking about the apparent benefits of the "gen4 blockchain", the ability to earn "NFT skins across games" and being hyped about the SuiPlay0X1 "becoming the vessle for bringing Web3 mass adoption" — don't hold your breath.
Talking to VentureBeat about the future handheld, Adeniyi Abiodun of Mysten Labs said:
“The SuiPlay0X1 will showcase that games seamlessly incorporating blockchain technology look and feel no different than traditional ‘web2’ games – it’ll show gamers all over the world that player ownership, thanks to blockchain tech, can provide a deeper and more engaging gaming experience without disrupting their fun.”
I'm unsure what that really means.
Oh, and despite being up for preorder now, you can't really get a good look at the device — product imagery of the device found on the site is limited, and mysteriously lit.
Maybe I'm being unfair, and to judge a device this early is unmerited, but it sure does have all the weird crypto-bro hallmarks of smelling a bit off. When they are taking preorders, and I can't even truly get a proper look at the device it all feels a bit unforthcoming.
Yes, they're trying something different, but ultimately when you have countless other gaming handheld options to pick from this doesn't really find itself anywhere near the top of my list. Why risk it?
Ryan Houlihan