Recently, I posted a piece on Collector’s Editions of games and my love/hate relationship with them. While I like to own memorabilia for my favourite games, I dislike spending so much money on what is a glorified plastic statue. Todd Howard may have been reading because at Bethesda’s debut E3 Press Conference, he announced the Fallout 4 Collector’s Edition featuring a real Pip-Boy.
Unlike my Fallout 3 Collector’s Edition Bobblehead that sits on a shelf however, this collector’s item is actually part of an optional gameplay experience. In all Fallout games, everything from player stats to inventory management have been viewed on your characters in-game wrist mounted Pip-Boy. In Fallout 4, using a free app, your smartphone can be your Pip-Boy and therefore your management screens and menus. This second screen experience can be made all the more immersive by placing your smartphone into the collectible Pip-Boy and wearing it whilst your play the game.
The collector’s edition (known as the Pip-Boy Edition) comes with other items as well such as a poster and a Pip-Boy guide but the idea of having a collectible item with an actual in-game use is very exciting and may breath new life into the concept of collector’s editions.
