NEW VEGAS — A remote update has added a new, mandatory tipping interface to RobCo’s ubiquitous Pip-Boy device, sources confirm.
“I was just trying to get rid of a Radscorpion infestation on my farm,” said Dylan Wyatt, a local homesteader. “I encountered an individual who seemed up to the task. They went by some kind of try-hard pseudonym; I can’t quite remember it. ‘The Lone Dweller,’ or maybe ‘The Vault Courier.’ That should have a red flag. In any case, we came to what I thought was a reasonable agreement regarding payment for the job. Imagine my surprise when he came back after killing the scorpions, turned his Pip-Boy’s screen over to me, and said, ‘It’s just gonna ask you a few questions.’ He wouldn’t even make eye contact after that. He knew what he was doing.”
One Pip-Boy user, who wished to remain nameless, argued that he had no choice but to follow the device’s prompts.
“Look, I’m not happy with this system, either,” said the survivor, who was alone, “but that’s just the way it works. When I’m closing out a transaction at the end of a mission, the tip screen just comes up automatically. I’m not trying to make anyone feel obligated to tip. I guess I could click through the screen myself, but, like, what if they think I did an especially good job defending a settlement? They should have an option to tip, right? And it’s not like that’s the only question they have to answer. They need to select if they want their receipt printed, through text, or through email.”
Cultural observers noted potential misunderstandings.
“Well, it’s obviously not a ‘thing’ to tip in ghoul culture,” said Callum Sweet, self-proclaimed folk-sociologist from Megaton. “They just don’t understand the practice, so when you flash this fancy screen in their face, it drives them mad. In my opinion, it’s the number one cause of feral ghouls. RobCo was really irresponsible with this update.”
Several commentators wondered about the potential fallout that this type of Pip-Boy software might cause in Europe, but as of press time, there is simply no official way of knowing.
