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Pixels — The Electronic Dice Review
- Taylor Rioux
- Aug 9
- 5 min read
Something to die for.
I first learned about Pixels — The Electronic Dice during Gen Con 2025, and I’ve been enamored with them from the moment I first laid eyes on the glowing icosahedron. They say first impressions matter the most, and the bright, customizable colors and built-in screen reader are immediate attention-grabbers. That’s far from all these dice have to offer, however.
Product: Pixels - The Electronic Dice Developer: Systemic Games Price: $60 for single die |
Functionality and Customizability
Pixels — The Electronic Dice are programmable, electronic, light-up dice that can connect to your phone or other device via bluetooth. The dice are fully customizable and controllable via a downloadable app, although they are perfectly usable without it.
One immediate observation I had when testing this out was just how good the die feels to roll and play with. It comes in the standard D20 size, but is a bit heavier than your average plastic die. It’s not heavy enough to be a major concern for damage to countertops, tables, or other gaming surfaces, but does have a nice weighty feel that is satisfying to toss around.
Outside of your bog-standard “roll dice, get number” functionality, you can customize light patterns that appear when rolling and when any given number is rolled. It also features the ability to modify the sound that plays during a roll and upon completion.
The total depth of the customizability is actually staggering. For color profiles alone, there are something like 90 different default patterns, many of which have display color configuration, and all of which can be adjusted for duration, repeat count, fading, and intensity. These color profiles can be implemented separately for each individual dice number (1-20) as well as for specific actions (when die is rolling, when die is rolled, and when die turns on). Finally, color profiles can be implemented via web-request, which allow you to send a request to a URL and control the patterns and colors of external devices or platforms. One example is the ability to control the light patterns of a set of light panels that also have IFTTT connectivity.
Hard to overstate how impressive this suite is right out of the box, let alone when you really get someone to tinker with it.
There’s a similar implementation for sound. Default voice is set to simply announce the roll result via text-to-speech implementation, but can be changed to voice any inputted text. This voice can be further modified by adjusting pitch and rate of speech. Additionally, the app features the ability to add .wav files, so any custom sound could be applied to these same parameters. You similarly can implement sounds to play while the die is turning on or rolling.
Pixels — The Electronic Dice further features the ability to connect to Virtual Table Top platforms, such as Roll20, in order to read the die results and apply them automatically. This is due to the product’s open source nature, which allows for developers of any platform to integrate Pixels — The Electronic Dice into said platform. The functionality doesn’t stop at reading the rolls, either. Custom patterns and profiles could also be implemented, and alternative functionality within a platform can be customized per dice, as well.
And finally, another great, unsung hero of the feature set — roll tracking. The app gives you a running list of all your past roll results, which is absurdly beneficial for those of use who are a bit on the forgetful side.
Hard to overstate how impressive this suite is right out of the box, let alone when you really get someone to tinker with it.
Durability
After hundreds of rolls for testing, I saw no damage on the die itself, and none of the internal electronics seem to have been adversely affected. All that vigorous stress testing shown on their social media has bore itself out in my actual play, and I have no real concern of damage to the internals of the die through regular use. There is a limited warranty of up to two years from date of purchase, should anything go wrong.
Accessibility
This die is a huge boon for accessibility. Even something as simple as having a voice play out the rolled result is a great assistance, reducing reliance on any visual cues for players. The light intensity and pattern adjustments are also beneficial for any photosensitive users or any other eyesight impairment, allowing a person to set something up that works best for them and their own specific visual needs.
Conceptually, the web request integration could also provide some beneficial use cases if they can be connected to some other external device or platform that a person uses, but this isn't something I myself have been able to test.
Technical Aspects
The die are powered by an internal battery that is charged via a case that can connect to any power source using a USB-C cable type. By default, a pulsing red light will appear on the topmost visible face when the dice are charging. Once complete, the color will instead turn to a steady green, giving a nice visual indicator of the charging progress. The colors and timings are all customizable, just as the rolling patterns are. You can also check the battery status via the app. The app is compatible with screen readers, making it the preferred option for the visually impaired.
With the LED function turned off, estimated battery life can last for around 10,000 dice rolls, so fully charging your dice after each use isn’t necessarily required.
The dice tray itself has an insert specific to each die type. This helps ensure proper positioning for charging, but doubles as a stand for the dice. It can also serve as a protective case, with the casing providing a shell to enclose the die. They do sell a large charging case for larger sets of dice, but we only have the default single case, so no notes on that here.
Verdict Pixels — The Electronic Dice is a phenomenal piece of engineering, both on the physical die and the app that controls the profiles. Every aspect of the implementation seems well-considered, making it a phenomenal product for both vanity and accessibility purposes. I like rolling dice well enough on their own, but this thing absolutely mesmerized my son, who spent hours over Gen Con weekend just tossing it around — a true testament to both its “fun-factor” and durability. The LED lighting is an obvious attention grabber, but I think the sound playback and web integration are the true standout features. Every aspect of the customizability allows users to add unique flavor to their dice, for sure, but more importantly (and more impressively) allows visually and audio impaired gamers to tailor their experience to fit their needs. All of this paired with the sturdy design, gorgeous look, and Bluetooth connectivity makes the Pixels — The Electronic Dice a standout product, and one that I hope to make extensive use of going forward. |
Image Credits: Taylor Rioux
Disclosure: We received this product for free from the manufacturer.
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