I honestly do not know where to start with these few coaches that computer maker NZXT and fashion outfit Artifact Studios announced last night. At first I thought it was just a flashy sneaker with an RTX 3080 ground in the heel – an achievement that would make my soul cry during a worldwide shortage of big salty tears of bitter dissatisfaction. Upon closer inspection, however, it appears that they have built an entire computer in this enormous piece of shoe, with an NZXT cooler, motherboard and fans all visible through the transparent purple side panel. It’s definitely an impressive achievement, but I also have so many questions. How’s it going? How many feet per second can you travel in these things? And will the fans help keep my toes cool, or will they tear my soles?
Of course I joke, but that still begs the question of whether this is now the logical end point of the strange love affair with the shoes of the game industry. Once you’ve stuck an entire computer in your game shoe, where else is there to go? Laces that double as control cables?
So far, the NZXT x RTFKT shoes do not seem to have another proper name, but this is how it looks in the flesh.
SNEAKERS MASTER RACE, @NZXT DRIP 💧 pic.twitter.com/OuNrEA6j4R
– Artifact Studios (@RTFKTstudios) 20 January 2021
It’s also not clear if it’s available for purchase, as Artifact’s website is currently only pointing to a sign up button for their mailing list. The only thing Artifact Studios has actually said so far about the shoes is contained in a single tweet: “We are very excited to announce a partnership with NZXT, which empowers RTFKT and our creative community to create the future of fashion and collectibles, enhancing our vision, community and crazy ideas with their amazing build and love of play. “
Does this mean that people can create their own customizable versions of these computer shoes at some point? Or will it be some kind of agreement? Who can say.
These NZXT sneakers are not the first game-related shoes that Artifact made. Take a quick look at their Instagram page and their crazy collection of gaming shoes goes back to April 2019. There are Minecraft-inspired Air Jordans, striking pink Fall Guys coaches and PlayStation 5 coaches with cute little buttons on their tongues to name a few to name.
Would you buy a pair of computer shoes if you had the chance?