[ad_1]
Honestly, I’m not sure where to start with this pair of sneakers PC maker NZXT and fashion group Artifact Studios announced last night. At first I thought it was just a fancy sneaker with an RTX 3080 on its heel – a feat that, during a global graphics card shortage, would have made my soul cry big salty tears of bitter discontent. On closer inspection, it looks like they’ve built an entire PC inside that massive shoe, with an NZXT cooler, motherboard, and fans all visible through the transparent purple side panel. It is certainly an impressive achievement, but I also have so many questions. How it works? How many feet per second can you travel in these things? And will the fans help keep my toes nice and cool, or will they rip my soles to absolute shreds?
Just kidding, sure, but it begs the question of whether this is the logical endpoint in the games industry’s bizarre love affair with footwear right now. After all, once you’ve put an entire PC in your gaming shoe, where is it possible to go? Laces that serve as controller cables?
So far, it doesn’t look like the NZXT x RTFKT shoes have a name of their own yet, but here’s what they look like in the flesh.
MASTER RACE SNEAKERS, @NZXT DROP pic.twitter.com/OuNrEA6j4R
– Artifact studios (@RTFKTstudios) January 20, 2021
It’s also not clear if or when they’ll be available for purchase, as Artifact’s website simply shows a sign up button for their mailing list at the moment. Indeed, the only thing Artifact Studios has actually said to date about the shoes is contained in a single tweet: “We are delighted to announce a partnership with NZXT, allowing RTFKT and our designer community to create the future of fashion and collectibles, fueling our vision, community and crazy ideas with their stunning builds and their love of the game. “
Does that mean people will be able to create their own customizable versions of these PC shoes at some point? Or will it be some sort of one-size-fits-all deal? Who can say.
These NZXT sneakers aren’t the first game-related shoes that Artifact made. Take a look at their Instagram page, for example, and their crazy collection of gaming shoes dates back to April 2019. There are Minecraft-inspired Air Jordans, pink Fall Guys sneakers, and PlayStation 5 sneakers with cute little ones. buttons on the tongue to name a few.
Would you buy a pair of PC sneakers if you had the chance?