Web3 gaming console manufacturer Polium revealed their first product, the Polium One. This community-driven project aims to build the “world’s first multi-chain gaming console”.

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However, the project attempts to get a foothold in an industry that has been primarily hostile towards cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a key component in Web3 initiatives. Gamers believe these assets and their underlying technology are a tool for implementing microtransactions.

Some gamers also claimed cryptocurrencies contribute to global warming and generally have a negative stance against the industry. Therefore, it is not surprising that Polium’s announcement saw a lot of negative interactions.

The critics pointed out the resemblances between the Web3 gaming console’s logo and the Nintendo GameCube logo. Polium denied that they copied the Nintendo product’s logo saying that there “are multiple companies that are using” a similar one.

Polium said the following via their official Twitter handle, giving into the community pressure:

A lot of criticism and mixed reviews. Web 3 Gaming will be the future. We will have a functional prototype ready before we take any pre-orders or funding (…). We did not copy the Nintendo’s GameCube logo. There are multiple companies that are using a similar logo. But we will illustrate a new logo that is original.

Polium One will have 4K Ultra HD support for its games with Ray tracing and a refreshing rate of up to 120 frames per second. The games, according to the announcement, will be developed for multiple chains, including Ethereum, Solana, Binance Smart Chain (BSC), and others.

New logo is underway #Web3 #Web3Gaming #decentralized

— Polium (@Polium__) July 4, 2022

The console will include its own dashboard, to facilitate the user experience. As seen below, the project aims at including a crypto wallet, a voice chat, and messaging app, an NFT and in-game items marketplace, and other Web3 features. Polium added:

The console will be powerful enough to run high-performance games and will be easy to use for a traditional gamer who doesn’t understand Web 3. Not only will this solve a problem but it will also bring mass adoption into the Web 3 space.

Web3 Gaming Versus Players?

Polium One will allow gamers to play “exclusive” titles. The company claims they are currently working with Web3 game developers and will make new announcements “soon”.

The console will apparently have the components and technical capabilities to run AAA games, but there are few titles with studio-quality that implement NFTs or Web3 elements. Players have pushed back whenever a major gaming company attempts to release one.

This will not pose an obstacle for the team behind Polium, the founders claimed they are working on the project for “themselves” and because they believe in the future of the gaming industry being powered by blockchain technology. Via Twitter, the founders said:

We have experience in hardware and software. The console will be built and we will execute on the roadmap. This space bashes builders who are building for Web 3 to help it expand. We are also building the console for ourselves and will not stop.

Polium One is currently under hardware development, according to the product’s roadmap. Later, it will undergo software development and should have a working prototype by 2023 with manufacturing expected by the end of that year and a potential launch in 2024.

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