Bandai's Luminodot: 1,600 glass pegs for your child to swallow

Bandai's Luminodot is a godsend for the light peg artiste looking to take his work to the next level. What we have here is essentially an updated Lite-Brite with over twice the resolution (read: pegs) of the original. Just like Hasbro's classic toy, several design templates are included with the kit -- and if you're feeling creative, there is an online template generator that will render your own designs to PDF. Also included with the kit are 1,600 pegs in twelve colors (or about half of what you will need to fill up the Luminodot's 70 x 50, 3,500 peg display -- you can order additional pegs on their website). But the most impressive feature is probably the LED backlighting: in addition to lighting the pegs, the Luminodot has twenty-five preprogrammed animated sequences. As with most toys this cool, Luminodot is only available in Japan -- though we have seen at least one for sale on eBay. Video after the break.

[Via technabob]

[John McKenna @ Sep 15th 2008 8:12PM]

didn't see that coming

[fred @ Sep 15th 2008 8:13PM]

Hell it used to take us hour to make a sailboat with a lite-brite.

Now they go a up the resolution? Kids do not have that long of an attention span these days.

[bartoron @ Sep 15th 2008 8:34PM]

I completely agree. Also, you'd need a microscope to see the pegs.

[Engadgetier @ Sep 15th 2008 9:18PM]

exactly, i have the attention span of a ........





(walks away)

[BananaBoat @ Sep 16th 2008 12:22PM]

Boo, I'm too old for this thing, but still, DO WANT

[RD. @ Sep 15th 2008 8:17PM]

LiteBrite

[Mam00th @ Sep 15th 2008 8:51PM]

peggle deluxe

[Temple @ Sep 15th 2008 9:13PM]

LiteBrite x (8-bit wet dreams) = Luminodot

[Josh @ Sep 15th 2008 8:18PM]

dancing skeletons and skeletons riding horses...
what kind of hi-def world have children come to?

[Homeboy @ Sep 15th 2008 8:18PM]

But can it run 1080p??

[Wolfticket @ Sep 15th 2008 8:24PM]

If by 1080p you mean 50p, then yes, yes it can.

[Jack Chance @ Sep 15th 2008 9:30PM]

let's say the pixel distance on this thing is 0.5 cm. Then the 1080p version would be almost 10 meters wide and 5 meters high. or for those of you stuck in inches it would be 378" wide and 212" high.
that's a lot of lite-brite.

[JRM @ Sep 18th 2008 8:48AM]

That's a big twinkie...

[smi1ey @ Sep 15th 2008 8:22PM]

I like the idea of using it for stop-go animation... pretty sweet.

[scott @ Sep 15th 2008 9:00PM]

is it stop-go if it's animated? lolz

[Reader @ Sep 15th 2008 9:06PM]

Yes... He didn't say stop animation.

[jake @ Sep 15th 2008 8:23PM]

You can use it to plot out the value of your Lehman Bros. stock.

[Engadgetier @ Sep 15th 2008 10:08PM]

but, i dont have the money to buy it. =(

[Jack @ Sep 15th 2008 8:29PM]

I could soooo rig that thing to play Doom!

[Jeremy K. @ Sep 15th 2008 8:32PM]

I think it's interesting, but who would buy this? I really can't think of any reason to buy one unless someone needs to keep their hands busy at all times. It seems very time consuming.

[kidcanuck @ Sep 15th 2008 8:38PM]

The very same reason everybody had a lite-brite. So you can use it once, put it in your closet, an experience the magic wonder of finding the pegs all around your house- in places you didn't even know existed!

[Dex @ Sep 15th 2008 8:52PM]

Who would use it? Artists, Businesses that want a personalized illuminated sign, Animators, people learning about animation, kids learning about electronics, advertising, the list goes on. Yes, it's time consuming, but once you have created your masterpiece it's there forever or until you tweak it.

[Artie Lange @ Sep 15th 2008 9:31PM]

You obviously have never done 'shrooms.

[eric @ Sep 15th 2008 9:55PM]

Why buy LEGOs
Why buy fishing poles
Why buy XBOX
Why buy bowling balls

Entertainment!

[Gofthick @ Sep 15th 2008 8:36PM]

8 bit heaven!

[Sudo @ Sep 15th 2008 8:43PM]

Maybe if it wasn't so expensive.

[eiki @ Sep 15th 2008 8:50PM]

this could be very cool

also, engadget, i feel like i'm looking through fog when viewing comments!!!

[frank @ Sep 15th 2008 8:51PM]

I don't get it -- how does the animation part work? They've got shit moving around like a jumbotron but it's just colored pegs.

[scooterbaga @ Sep 21st 2008 6:11AM]

Ya... Something tells me the commercial, and the actual experience of using the Luminodot are extremely disparate. I would imagine that the commercial wasn't even made on the Lumindot.

I could also imagine some poor bastard getting really baked, and sitting in front of it... Then with a kaleidoscopic flurry of imagination comes to a few hours later with a couple pegs shoved in. ...and one up their nose.

[StinkyPete @ Sep 15th 2008 8:57PM]

Darn American children... swallowing toys... Makes it hard for us adults to get decent toys.

[Macha88 @ Sep 16th 2008 12:01AM]

depending on the nature of the toy, i beg to differ.
anyone remember the firebolts? anyone?
:P

[Decoy @ Sep 15th 2008 9:00PM]

Make the map of the world with it. Then report news in front of it.

[Cal @ Sep 15th 2008 9:02PM]

best title.... ever

[wolfius @ Sep 15th 2008 9:16PM]

Whats up with the gay and bear flags?

[Little Timmy From Down The Street @ Sep 15th 2008 9:21PM]

For god's sake, when will they learn? I fucking hated isometric when I was a kid, I fucking hate it now. Just make it a goddamn square grid! I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE RACCOON MARIO WITH AN ISO-GODDAMN--METRIC GRID, YOU PRETENTIOUS FUCKS!

Seriously.

[Kieran @ Sep 15th 2008 11:22PM]

For a second I though you had a valid point, then I realised that the grid isn't even isometric and you're just a fucking moron.

[Little Timmy From Down The Street @ Sep 15th 2008 11:29PM]

For a second I thought I had a point, then I realized I'm...hey. Dude.

Harsh.

On the plus side, these aren't isometric. I'll take one! I'll take twelve!

[thekish @ Sep 15th 2008 9:52PM]

Does this mean Ignignokt and Err can be twice as big and at a higher resolution?

[T-Bone @ Sep 15th 2008 9:58PM]

The original lite-brite tried my patience as a kid. I can't even imagine playing with this thing.

[lorddshadow @ Sep 15th 2008 10:24PM]

wait, this thing lights up and animates your creations?! so i can recreate the famous pokemon episode that got banned for giving kids seizures? *many lawsuits followed and japanese businessmen and investors committed seppuku from the shame*

[Stompn_Tom @ Sep 16th 2008 12:57AM]

...and put it in the rear window of your car as you drive around

[apeguero @ Sep 15th 2008 11:00PM]

They should send one of those to Mumbles Menino.

[Kate @ Sep 15th 2008 11:21PM]

J-pegs.

[ark_v2 @ Sep 15th 2008 11:53PM]

Wait a sec...only in japan?
Japan? come on...you have those damn thin TVs; 1 iPhone width to be precise, and you people come up with a rip-off of a toy from the 90s?

[Nick @ Sep 16th 2008 1:41AM]

this aint no cheap rip off! i picked one up the other day and those suckers are heavy! expensive too. around 120 us dollars. looks amazing tho, ifi had the money i woulda bought it in a n instant

[Captain Jack Teague @ Sep 15th 2008 11:56PM]

Will be used as a fake blinking bomb on a Boston freeway overpass near you!

[Trevor @ Sep 16th 2008 1:01PM]

Hey guys, http://www.yesasia.com/us/luminodot/1011081093-0-0-0-en/info.html offers free international shipping to US, look legit?

[m @ Sep 16th 2008 1:19PM]

i'm surprised at the number of haters. no art students in the audience this morning? lite brite was one of my favorite toys, especially at night obviously, or on rainy days (you don't have those in CA, i know). i definitely got sick of it sometimes-- often because we'd run out of black construction paper-- but i always came back to it. the worst part was not wanting to wreck a picture you'd spent a lot of time on.

[siostra-rana @ Sep 16th 2008 11:50PM]

wow!! This thing is like -- right out of the FUTURE!!