I’m not sure what to make of this, but it leaves me feeling dizzy:
It’s certainly an interesting artifact, and if you’re a geek you realize just how right it is on so many levels. In many ways it represents a genuine manifestation of the role that R2D2 fulfilled in the series, providing mobile technical expertise, and displaying just the right video to the right people at the right time.
It also has all the right inputs, allowing the player to interact with a variety of modern objects. I have to admit that I almost gasped with glee when the iPod dock popped out of the chassis. This is clearly something that has been thought about, and designed with a clear audience in mind, although it’s doubtful the slacker hipster stereotype who’s playing their awesome game on the ceiling of their deluxe bachelor pad is the person who would buy this (or even actually exists). But the nerd is clearly the target market, and it’s a well aimed piece of tech.
It’s also a masterpiece of instant obsolescence.
From the moment you buy it, those slots and connectors are already out of date, and note that if you want to watch an HD-DVD you’ll need to hook up that PS3 they’re talking about. This is a piece of tech that is all about the moment, and as impressive as it is to have a mobile high def screen, it’s something that’s going to last about as long as your average computer.
That said, there’s something truly futuristic about the idea of this thing. It’s the beginning of the transformation of the appliance from a passive to an active device, wrapped up into a context that defines both the expectations and the use of the device.
