The Polish startup Game Technologies has developed dice packed with an incredible amount of technology for use with game applications.
The six-sided Dice+ is shaped like most conventional dice, but that's where the similarities end. The electronic die is outfitted with LED numbers (capable of displaying 250 million colors), an ARM controller with temperature sensor, a proximity sensor, an accelerometer, and a magnetic field sensor for orientation in a 3D space. All that technology is housed on a "3D-shaped cubed circuit board," all of which is packed inside a sound-dampening, abrasion-resistant enclosure that can obviously take repeated impacts while maintaining structural cohesion without damaging the electronics inside.
An exploded view of Game Technologies's Dice+ controller.
(Source: Game Technologies)
The Dice+ interacts with mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones (no word on if it can work with PCs yet) through an onboard Bluetooth 2.1/4.0 connection with a 15-foot range. The die battery gives users approximately 20 hours of uninterrupted game play and is recharged through a micro-USB port hidden on the lip of one of the six sides.
Only a handful of family and party games come with the Dice+ right now, but there is a developer kit on the market that allows developers to introduce more titles in the near future. The Dice+ sells for $39.99 US, including one die, a micro-USB cable, a manual, and a carrying pouch.
Let the games begin.