If you are interested in crypto, the Polium One NFT console may sound like a tempting proposition. For everyone else, it’s comedy gold.
Polium One’s developers have proposed the console as a portal for ‘Web3’ gaming. Such games usually fall under the banner “games to earn”. That is, to earn cryptocurrency through play.
Given the controversy surrounding Web3 projects and NFTs in general – mainly due to the costly environmental impact and the penchant for “rye pull” scams, there are some modern flagships that the PS5 and Xbox Series X have cleverly avoided.
Polium has been quite active on Twitter, where it has received the exact wrong type of attention. Almost every post the developer has made has been met with overwhelming negative feedback. But why is that?
We introduce Polium One, a multi-chain console for Web 3 Gaming. # Web3OnConsole pic.twitter.com/tkRaP2O13AJuly 2, 2022
Cube games
The Polium One NFT console first drew attention to itself with a fairly familiar logo. Twitter users were meant to look like a cubic “P”, and were extremely quick to point out that Polium’s images bore a striking resemblance to the iconic Nintendo Gamecube logo.
Polium has since changed its logo in response to the setback. But to be honest, “changed” is used very generously there, since it is more of a small change that still can not shake the Gamecube roots.
But a plagiarized logo is probably the least offensive with the Polium One NFT console. After all, what good is a web site if it simply “blends in” with everything else out there? Here are the first signs that Polium One should be approached with extreme caution.
On the topic of games, Polium has been adamant on Twitter that the console “wants games and exclusive games”. Every time a user has asked which games we can expect to launch on Polium One, the brand gives a vague answer that it is “currently in talks” with various Web3 game developers.
So far we have announced a console without games related to it. But it’s getting worse. Polium has also claimed that the console will be able to run games with 8K resolution, and up to 120 fps with ray-tracing enabled. Sorry, but no. Even the most monstrous PC rigs will have a tough time with it.
Not only are the best 8K TVs on the market right now terribly expensive, but it will also mean that the Polium One is much more powerful than the PS5 and Xbox Series X. And given that the console renderings appear to be about the same size as a adult human hand, I doubt this is the case.
Luske
Finally, I have to get into the reason why Polium One exists (or theoretically exists) in the first place. NFTs and crypto. As you would expect from this type of project, one can not just pre-order a Polium One with good old hard earned money. No.
Instead, you must purchase a Polium Pass to be allowed to pre-order the console. Polium Pass is, you guessed it, an NFT. One that must be purchased through the Ethereum network. Sigh.
On top of that, only 10,000 of these NFTs have been affected. This seems to run counter to Polium’s goal of bringing Web3 games to the mainstream audience. On the contrary, it is clear that Polium One has no appeal whatsoever to the mass market. It should immediately raise a red flag for anyone who is externally interested in the project.
It is also worth noting that Polium has so far not revealed technical specifications for the console. It also claims that it will not have a working prototype until around November this year.
The cynic in me thinks that there is plenty of time for Polium to collect NFT pre-orders and scrapes. Unfortunately, it would not be atypical for NFT-based projects like this.
