Japan’s gaming chopsticks get an upgraded version with a new feature

Digital goods brand Shanghai Donya, which is operated by Japanese IT company THIRDWAVE, has released a new version of its LED gaming chopsticks. The new product is an improved version of the chopsticks that the company previously released in May and is available for 980 yen (around $7.40).

The main body of the chopsticks are made of a transparent ABS resin and are attached to grips that contain LEDs. Pressing the buttons found on each grip will cause the transparent portions to light up. The chopsticks are powered by LR41 button cell batteries (three are required for each stick), and there are nine different colored lighting options to choose from: red, yellow, blue, green, white, purple, orange, pink and mint. Additionally, the lights can be set to change color automatically in either a slowly changing pattern or a rapidly flashing pattern.

The differences between these new sticks and the previous model are the addition of the aforementioned automatic color changing function and an adjustment to the size of the sticks that makes them easier to use. While the previous sticks were 260mm (around 10in) in length, the new ones have been shortened to 235mm (around 9.25in), making them similar to regular chopsticks. Furthermore, the diameter of both the grips and the tips of the sticks have been reduced by around 2mm each. This change was also likely made in an attempt to improve ease of use.

When describing the product, Shanghai Donya have stated that everyday items like chopsticks sitting on a desk creates an image of ordinary daily life and that these gaming chopsticks allow people to avoid disrupting the atmosphere and stay immersed in their gaming worlds.

Giving some specific examples of the benefits provided by the chopsticks, they mention that you can eat snacks without dirtying your hands, and that by using the LEDs to light up the inside of a bag of snacks, it’s much less of a hassle to pick up what you need. They also recommend using the chopsticks in place of a cocktail stirrer to generate a different vibe.

The product complies with Japan’s Food Sanitation Act, so you can rest assured that the chopsticks are safe to eat with. However, they cannot be used for cooking. The chopsticks can withstand temperatures of up to 100°C, and the LED-equipped grips are removable, which makes things easier when it comes to washing the sticks.

The improved LED gaming chopsticks can be purchased in Japan via PC specialty store Dospara and are currently available both in-store and online.

Written by. Marco Farinaccia based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-12-23 16:58 JST)