A Kickstarter campaign from Tokyo-based Team Nevis offers gamer dice made from resin mixed with photochromic materials.
Who needs more dice? You? The crowdfunder has already smashed the target of ¥300,000. You can track progress from the pitch page.
Photochromic describes materials that can reversibly change their colour or how see-through they are when exposed to light, especially ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Think of photochromic lenses in glasses: they darken in bright sunlight and turn clear again in dimmer conditions or indoors. This happens because light causes a temporary change in the material’s tiny building blocks (its molecular structure).
Team Nevis says their dice roll evenly and that the colour-shifting happens in about five seconds of light.
The crowdfunding campaign has various base-colours on offe,r and they do look good, although it’s perhaps not always clear in the video whether the colour change is due to the dice reacting or a shadow moving.
To make each die even more mystical, we added mica powders and iridescent foil flakes, forming a shimmering, dreamlike core within the resin. When light hits it just right, you’ll glimpse a beautiful glow inside—like catching a glimpse of magic.
Backers who pledge ¥6.900 (which is about £36) get more dice as they’re rewarded with a set of seven gamer dice and a velvet-lined gift box. There are four styles to pick from, but this is a limited tier, and about two-thirds are gone.
The next step up, an early bird offer, the same reward and a pledge level of ¥7,100. There are half as many dice available, though.
If you miss out on the two offers, then a pledge of ¥7,800 (about £41) will let backers pick a core colour for their colour-changing dice.
The collector’s set of 28 die in total unlocks at ¥31,000.
Team Nevis is running the campaign until June 20th, with an estimated delivery this year and in August. Backers in the USA might need to watch for tariffs.
