Games on the blockchain exist. They use tokens to store information about the game and offer players unique virtual items that they can collect and trade with each other. The so-called play to earn, from which some successes have come out within their niche such as Axie Infinity. they can also use items from NFT collections like the famous Bored Ape Yacht Club. Those games, although unconfirmed for the console, are the ones that would have support on the Polium console, which was announced by the manufacturer a few days ago.

The idea is that it is a console compatible with multiple blockchains, with integrated wallets, and designed for games designed for web3. But the reality is that it will most likely remain a mere concept .

The web3 Polium console is most likely a crazy idea.

A company known as Polium has announced the Polium One, a “ multi-core console for web 3 games ”. If it goes on sale and becomes a reality, it would be the first web3-centric game console , focused exclusively on blockchain technology and the emerging “ play to earn ” gaming market. According to Polium, its console will run multiple blockchains and support gaming in 4K, 8K, up to 120FPS, and ray-tracing. They look like impressive specs. But they are elements that are included in the HDMI 2.1 protocol , and it depends on whether the games can do it, as in the case of the game Gran Turismo 4 for PlayStation 2 that allows 1080i.

The controller resembles one that Sony would design for a PlayStation, with the addition of a fingerprint scanner . The official render has a wallet button for quick access to the built-in multi-chain wallet.

Many people have begun to doubt that it is a real project. When asked what games it will have, the developers answered that Polium will be compatible with many blockchains, but not with which games in particular. It has been seen that it is being developed by only four individuals , which indicates that it has little chance of coming to light. Although it could be a micro console using low-end parts from Chinese factories. There is the curious case of the SoulJa Boy , which were simply refurbished Chinese pirate consoles by the rapper of the same name.

The Polium logo has received criticism that it closely resembles that of the Nintendo Gamecube. The manufacturer has responded to criticism that they are working on a new logo. They also claim to be working on a working prototype of the system before seeking funding. The use of NFTs will be intrinsic to the console from the beginning, as they plan to sell “Polium Pass” in the form of NFTs. The property will serve to reserve for the console before its launch.

The reality of a web3 console and with NFT

Let’s start from the possibility that the Polium are refurbished Chinese microconsoles, possibly based on Android, as happened with the Ouya , which had outdated specifications to be able to get ahead. Possibly, they have games based on blockchain and pay to earn, as they say, accessible through apps or browser links.

Taking one of the most popular, Axie Infinity, as a reference, this game has been losing players and its official reddit has less and less participation despite having more than 100,000 subscribers to the community. This is an example that the play to earn games this console is targeting tend to have a fleeting duration. They depend on more people entering and valuing the content to be competitive, which is what attracts many users to play to earn, and we must add the security problems and the call for reinvestment that it has had.

There is also the case of the fully hosted game Wolf Game, which had an exploit, and since it is on the blockchain and cannot be modified, it had to be redone and redistribute tokens. With all this, it is possible that Polium exists and until it goes on the market, but it will be very difficult for it to stand out outside the niche of crypto assets.

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