As the media takeover from Fallout 4 hits its peak, gamers discover they can still acquire their own physical copies of Pip-Boys - as long as they're willing to pay the price.
While the official Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition orders are cancelled or long gone at this point, fans will be pleased to know that they can still acquire their own electronic post-apocalyptic wrist companion through the process of 3D printing. Although the technology is still pretty new and not a lot of gamers have direct access to it, 3D Hubs, a website that provides information on where to find local 3D Printing, makes this Pip-Boy option a lot more feasible.
In fact, 3D Hubs has an entire page on their website dedicated to the 3D printed Pip Boy project. While the real Fallout 4 Pip-Boys have experienced shipping issues, gamers choosing to go this alternate route will have the luxury of choosing between picking their Pip Boy up from the closest print location or having it shipped to them. The actual Pip Boy is described in detail on 3D Hubs' page for it:
"The impressive design assembly features 38 parts that are optimized for FDM 3D printing and is customizable for different wrist sizes and smartphones ranging from the latest iPhone 6S models to various Android and Windows phones."
3D Hubs has assembled those 38 different parts into a single order, so fans can just choose the parts that best fit their phone and then select where they want that order printed. The 3D printed version of the Pip-Boy is an interesting, bulkier take on something like the Apple Watch, which also lets consumers combine hands-free access with all the functionalities of a cellphone. Unfortunately, however, the 3D printed Pip-Boy can be almost twice as expensive as Apple's offering.
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The price for the Pip-Boy's components can vary wildly depending on which phone fans own, and the total cost ranges between just over $100 USD to over a thousand. Gamers will also have to assemble and paint their Pip-Boys themselves, although given the positive reception to Fallout 4's crafting system, they might not mind that much at all. Still, at such a potentially steep price, it might be worth it for some fans to scour eBay listings for official Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Editions instead.
Although its an expensive one, at least fans of Fallout 4 have one more option in their search for their own personal Pip-Boys. Is 3D printing one of these an option for you? Are you over the amount of merchandising being done for Bethesda's latest blockbuster? Let us know in the comments.
Fallout 4 is available now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.