Modder transforms Fallout Pip-Boy into a compact smartwatch
3DSageModder 3DSage has taken the iconic Pip-Boy and created the ultimate Fallout-inspired watch that can hold holotapes, and play The Ink Spots.
The Fallout TV show has come and gone. However, just like the beloved game series, it’s still inspiring fans worldwide. Whether it’s Fallout Steam Deck mods, or even in the release of official Fallout streaming gear collabs.
Fans like YouTuber 3DSage wear this inspiration on their sleeve, literally. The engineer has taken their love for the post-apocalyptic Wastelands and created their own Pip-Boy that’s not only fully functional but is compact like a smart-watch.
The Pip-Boy, like that of the Mark IV, found in Fallout 4, is pretty bulky. While they’re designed to slip on the wrist, they aren’t entirely conventional outside of their fictional existence.
3DSage, however, took inspiration from the iconic wearable and opted to make a small wristwatch version to comfortably wear to Open Sauce 2024, an event held in San Francisco dedicated to weird and wonderful tech creations.
The compact Pip-Boy wristwatch is made up primarily of an ATtiny85 microcontroller and a 1.3-inch display, to keep everything small and compact.
As seen in 3DSage’s YouTube video documenting the ingenious project, the PCB of the display was even shaved down with a Dremel tool to cut down on “wasted space.”
The end result may not be an exact Pip-Boy replica, but 3DSage’s 3D printing prowess has Vault-Tec and RobCo Industries written all over it.
The final wristwatch features a 3D printed chassis designed by 3DSage themselves, that’s painted to look like it’s been through the Wastelands. The tiny display, originally a blue pixel screen, has a green film to give it the retro-futuristic glow the in-game tech is known for.
3DSageThe Fallout wristwatch can not only display the time, with a neat pixelated cameo by Vault Boy himself, but it can display QR codes and has a Nuka bottle cap-inspired dial knob and holotape attached via magnets.
The holotape can’t actually play anything. However, just like the Pip-Boy from the games, the Fallout-inspired wristwatch can play The Ink Spot’s classic ‘I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire’ for that extra cherry on top.