If encryption is your thing, the Polium One NFT console might seem like an attractive proposition. For everyone else, it’s comedy gold.
The developers of Polium One proposed the console as a portal for ‘Web3’ games. These games usually fall under the ‘play to win’ flag. That is, earning cryptocurrencies through the game.
Given the controversy surrounding Web3 projects and NFTs in general – largely due to the expensive environmental impact and propensity for ‘rugpull’ scams, it’s something modern flagships like PS5 and Xbox Series X have cleverly avoided.
Polium has been quite active on Twitter, where it’s garnering exactly the wrong kind of attention. Almost every post the developer made was met with extremely negative feedback. But, why?
We are introducing Polium One, a multi-chain console for Web 3 Gaming. #Web3OnConsole pic.twitter.com/tkRaP2O13AJuly 2, 2022
cubegame
The NFT Polium One console initially caught attention with a very familiar logo. Aiming to resemble a cubic ‘P’, Twitter users were extremely quick to point out that the Polyum images bore a striking resemblance to the iconic Nintendo Gamecube logo.
Polium has since changed its logo in response to the backlash. But to be honest, ‘changed’ is being used very generously there, as it’s yet another small change that still fails to shake its Gamecube roots.
But a plagiarized logo is probably the least offensive thing about the Polium One NFT console. After all, what good is a console if there are no games to play on it? Here are the first signs that Polyum One should be approached with extreme caution.
On the topic of gaming, Polium has been adamant on Twitter that the console “will have exclusive games and games.” Whenever a user asks what games we can expect to release on Polium One, the brand gives a vague answer that it’s “currently in talks” with several Web3 game developers.
So far, we have a console announced with no games attached to it. But it gets worse. Polium also stated that the console will be able to run games at 8K resolution and up to 120fps with ray tracing enabled. Sorry but no. Even the most monstrous PC platforms will have a hard time doing this.
Not only are the best 8K TVs on the market right now extremely expensive, but it would also mean that the Polyum One is much more powerful than the PS5 and Xbox Series X. In the hands of an adult human, I doubt that’s the case.
Insidious
Finally, I must address the reason why Polyum One exists (or theoretically exists) in the first place. NFTs and cryptocurrencies. As you’d expect from this type of project, you can’t just order a Polyum One with good old hard-earned money. Not.
Instead, you’ll need to buy a Polium Pass to be able to pre-order the console. The Polium Pass is, you guessed it, an NFT. One that must be purchased through the Ethereum network. Sigh.
Furthermore, only 10,000 of these NFTs were minted. This seems to go against Polium’s mission statement to bring Web3 games to mainstream audiences. On the contrary, it’s clear that Polyum One doesn’t have any mass market appeal. This should immediately raise a red flag for anyone remotely interested in the project.
It’s also worth noting that, so far, Polium hasn’t revealed any technical specs for the console. He also claims he won’t have a working prototype until November of this year.
The cynic in me is thinking it’s plenty of time for Polium to rack up those NFT and scarper pre-orders. Unfortunately, this would not be atypical for NFT-based projects like this one.