Taito
Corporation,
which
gave
the
world
Space
Invaders
over
45
years
ago,
has
collaborated
with
the
designers
of
Floor
84
Studio
to
create
a
watch
that
pairs
retro
gaming
with
basic
health
tracking
capabilities.
The
Space
Invaders:
My
Play
Watch
is
now
available
for
$60
for
the
earliest
backers
of
a
Kickstarter
crowdfunding
campaign.
The
My
Play
Watch
was
teased
earlier
this
month,
but
we
now
know
more
about
what
its
creators
say
it
can
do.
Its
design
looks
inspired
by,
or
directly
lifted
from,
the
Apple
Watch,
but
with
a
1.86-inch
touchscreen
display
and
a
body
that’s
not
as
thin
as
the
Series
10
or
as
thick
as
the
Ultra
2.
It
comes
with
two
watch
straps
that
match
its
retro
gaming
aesthetic,
and
it’s
compatible
with
standard
22mm
straps.
The
watch
has
different
faces
with
pixelated
fonts
and
graphics
all
themed
around
Space
Invaders,
authentic
sounds
sourced
from
the
original
arcade
machine,
and
even
health
tracking
features
like
a
heart
rate
monitor,
a
step
counter,
and
an
estimation
of
calories
burned
throughout
the
day.
The
real
reason
to
strap
the
My
Play
Watch
to
your
wrist
is
a
custom
version
of
Space
Invaders
that
can
be
played
using
the
watch’s
touchscreen
or
its
crown
dial.
But
the
My
Play
Watch
is
unlikely
to
give
the
Apple
Watch
or
Pixel
Watch
much
competition.
Its
creators
boast
that
it
doesn’t
connect
to
a
smartphone
at
all.
It
won’t
notify
you
of
messages,
emails,
or
phone
calls,
you
can’t
use
it
to
ping
a
misplaced
smartphone,
and
all
of
the
health
data
it
collects
is
only
available
on
the
wearable.
The
Space
Invaders:
My
Play
Watch
includes
several
smartwatch
features
but
no
smartphone
pairing.Image:
Kickstarter
There’s
no
shortage
of
Space
Invaders
games
available
for
various
mobile
devices,
including
watchOS.
The
My
Play
Watch
is
leaning
hard
on
nostalgia
as
its
main
selling
point
as
a
way
to
convince
retro
gaming
fans
to
take
a
risk
on
its
Kickstarter,
as
the
watch
is
still
in
the
development
phase
and
hasn’t
yet
moved
to
production.
Crowdfunding
is
a
chaotic
field
by
nature.
Companies
looking
for
funding
tend
to
make
big
promises.
According
to
a
study
run
by
Kickstarter,
roughly
1
in
10
“successful”
products
that
reach
their
funding
goals
fail
to
actually
deliver
rewards.
Of
the
ones
that
deliver,
delays,
missed
deadlines,
or
overpromised
ideas
mean
that
there’s
often
disappointment
in
store
for
those
products
that
do
get
done.
The
best
defense
is
to
use
your
best
judgment.
Ask
yourself:
does
the
product
look
legitimate?
Is
the
company
making
outlandish
claims?
Is
there
a
working
prototype?
Does
the
company
mention
existing
plans
to
manufacture
and
ship
finished
products?
Has
it
completed
a
Kickstarter
before?
And
remember,
you’re
not
necessarily
buying
a
product
when
you
back
it
on
a
crowdfunding
site.
For
the
first
48
hours
of
the
crowdfunding
campaign,
a
yellow
or
red
version
of
the
Space
Invaders:
My
Play
Watch
is
available
for
preorder
with
a
$60
contribution.
After
that,
they’ll
jump
to
the
same
price
as
the
blue
version
at
$75.
The
creators
say
that
they
expect
to
ship
it
as
early
as
December,
but
that
feels
optimistic
since
they
admit
that
development
of
the
watch’s
custom
OS
is
still
underway.
Many
Kickstarters
have
been
plagued
by
unexpected
delays
as
products
move
from
the
development
phase
to
production,
particularly
those
involving
electronics.
Some
have
been
delayed
for
months,
while
others
fail
to
materialize
at
all,
leaving
backers
without
anything
to
show
for
their
pledges.
This
might
be
one
to
keep
an
eye
on
until
it
actually
ships.
(Originally posted by Andrew Liszewski)
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