I likedStarfield. It’s not an all-timer, nor does it hold up toOblivionor evenSkyrim. Mechanically, it’s a step above both – have you tried combining high level jet pack perks with a sniper rifle? – and the main quests and characters are some ofBethesda’sbest. The problem is, it gets real boring when you stray from the intended path, something which Bethesda has conditioned you to do over decades of RPG evolution.
Many people were excited for this game, and pre-ordered it to ensure they could play at the stroke of midnight – or days before depending on how many pennies they threw down. Some were even more certain it would be a banger, and pre-ordered the special edition. Iwarned against shelling out for the Starfield Constellation Editionmyself at the time, partially due to us not knowing how the game would be, and partially because of Bethesda’s track record with special editions.
However, Bethesda’s forced scarcity and limited number of products made meant that people had to make a purchase decision quickly for fear of missing out. $300 later, and they’re left with a poor quality watch for a mediocre game.
Note: The Starfield Constellation Edition is now being sold for eye-watering prices on eBay, due to it being out of stock at retailers.
I didn’t get the Constellation Edition at the time, despite the fact that the watch, like so much of the Starfield merch, looked great. However, Bethesda recently sent me one to check out, and the results are sadly exactly what I expected.
The Constellation case feels great at first, heavy and solid. This is something that could survive in space. However, the red pull clip to open it is noticeably loose, and practically falls off. If I wanted to secure some important goods in zero-gravity, I’d want it securely locked up. However, it turns out that most of the case’s satisfying weight comes from the heavy-duty foam that holds the contents in place, and without it the whole thing feels light and cheap.
Style over substance becomes a theme once you charge up the smartwatch and set it up. It looks the part in terms of hardware and UI – seriously, this thing looks great – but there are a litany of issues. It doesn’t have a touchscreen, which is pretty standard for similarly priced devices without the Starfield branding, Bluetooth struggles to connect, and there’s generally not a lot it can do.
Less smart watch and more digital watch, it’s good for telling the time and little else. You can see what phase the moon is in and turn the whole screen into white pixels to act as a ‘torch’ (read: vaguely see something a couple of centimetres away), but these are not useful features.
The positives, aside from looking great, are the battery life. It lasts around three days on a full charge, but when it’s not able to connect to bluetooth, play music, or do anything strenuous, any less would be a major flaw.
Once again, Bethesda has delivered a special edition that emphasises style over substance. Don’t get me wrong, I’d prefer a rubbish wristwatch to a statue or ornament, but I’d be annoyed with the quality had I paid $300 for the Constellation Edition. Because, despite my general dislike for gaming tat, the metal replica credstick is the best quality item in the box.
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