A digital dice roller that looks like something from a 1990s vision of the future
In the long tradition of makers who refuse to accept inconvenience as permanent, a hobbyist known as vostoklabs has built a digital dice roller from a ten-dollar microcontroller and a 3D-printed shell — dressing it in the wireframe aesthetics of 1990s science fiction. The device solves a humble but real problem at the tabletop gaming table, while quietly asking a larger question about how we carry the futures we once imagined into the practical present. That the whole thing requires no soldering and costs almost nothing is itself a kind of philosophical statement about what accessibility in making can look like.
- Dice perpetually vanishing under furniture is a small but genuine frustration that has nagged tabletop gamers for decades — and vostoklabs decided to engineer a way out.
- The solution arrives in an unexpectedly stylish form: a pocket-sized device wrapped in 1990s wireframe graphics, evoking the vector ships of early space games rather than the sterile utility of a calculator.
- By choosing a premade ESP32 board with a built-in touchscreen, the maker stripped away the most intimidating steps — no soldering, no wiring, just printing, assembly, and a software flash.
- The open-source design means the project doesn't end at replication — builders can reshape the code, restyle the graphics, and tailor the interface to their own gaming table.
- The device is landing as an unusually low-friction entry point into maker culture, offering tabletop enthusiasts something functional, customizable, and genuinely striking for around ten dollars.
There is a particular frustration familiar to anyone who plays tabletop games: the die rolls, travels, and disappears beneath the nearest piece of furniture. A maker on the ESP32 subreddit named vostoklabs chose to solve this problem with both practicality and flair, building a digital dice roller that looks as though it was designed inside a 1990s vision of the future.
At the core of the device is a CYD board — a premade ESP32 microcontroller with an integrated touchscreen — available for roughly ten dollars from online retailers. Because the touchscreen is already built in, there is no soldering involved. The assembly process comes down to printing a 3D case, inserting the board, and flashing the software. The barrier to entry is genuinely low.
What sets the project apart visually is its wireframe aesthetic, drawn from the vector graphics of early computer games and science fiction films. The inspiration is traceable to the original Elite Dangerous, with its austere minimalist ships and planets — a retro-futuristic visual language that feels oddly appropriate for a device meant to replace physical dice. Vostoklabs built on earlier work by a maker called Abe's Projects, but simplified the approach considerably by using the premade board rather than assembling components from scratch.
For tabletop players, the appeal is practical as well as aesthetic. The device addresses accessibility needs, eliminates the universal annoyance of runaway dice, and because the design is open and customizable, builders can modify the code or adjust the interface to suit their own preferences. You are not purchasing a finished product — you are constructing something you can make entirely your own.
What lingers about the project is how it places a specific cultural moment into everyday use. The wireframe graphics are not merely decoration; they are a visual record of how people once imagined the future would look. In 2025, that imagined future has become a small, practical tool sitting on a gaming table — useful, nostalgic, and quietly remarkable.
There's a particular frustration that comes with tabletop gaming: you roll your die, it tumbles across the table, and lands somewhere under the couch. Again. A maker on the ESP32 subreddit named vostoklabs decided to solve this problem in style, building a digital dice roller that looks like something pulled straight out of a 1990s vision of the future.
The device is deceptively simple to make. At its heart sits a CYD board—a premade ESP32 microcontroller with an integrated touchscreen—that costs around ten dollars from online retailers like AliExpress. Because the touchscreen comes built in, there's no need to solder components together or wire anything by hand. The entire assembly process amounts to printing a 3D-printed case, sliding the board inside, and flashing the software onto the device. No specialized skills required.
What makes the project visually distinctive is its aesthetic. The dice roller displays wireframe graphics when you roll—think of the vector-based graphics that dominated early computer games and sci-fi films of the 1980s and 1990s. The style draws inspiration from the original Elite Dangerous, that austere space-trading game with its minimalist wireframe ships and planets. It's the kind of retro-futuristic look that feels both nostalgic and oddly fitting for a device designed to replace physical dice.
Vostoklabs didn't invent the concept from scratch. The project was inspired by similar work from another maker known as Abe's Projects, but vostoklabs simplified the approach considerably by leveraging the premade board rather than assembling components individually. This decision made the project far more accessible to anyone interested in building one.
For tabletop gamers, the appeal is obvious. Digital dice rollers solve real problems: they're convenient for players with accessibility needs, and they eliminate the universal annoyance of dice rolling under furniture or off the edge of the table. Because the design is open and customizable, builders can modify the code, adjust the graphics, or tweak the interface to suit their preferences. You're not buying a finished product; you're building something you can make your own.
The instructions are straightforward enough that someone with basic maker experience can follow them. Print the case on a 3D printer, insert the ESP32 board, load the software, and you're ready for your next campaign. The touchscreen interface means no physical buttons need to be incorporated into the design—everything happens through taps on the screen. For anyone who's ever wanted to add a bit of digital flair to their gaming table without the complexity of a full electronics project, this represents an unusually low barrier to entry.
What's particularly striking is how the project captures a specific moment in technological imagination. The wireframe aesthetic isn't just decoration; it's a visual language that says something about how people in the 1990s imagined the future would look. Now, in 2025, that imagined future has become a practical tool for rolling dice. The device sits at the intersection of nostalgia and utility, form and function—a small object that manages to be both genuinely useful and genuinely cool.
Citas Notables
This is a retro styled D&D roller, based on CYD board with integrated touchscreen and 3D printed enclosure. The project was inspired by similar work but greatly simplified by using a premade board instead of building from scratch.— vostoklabs, creator of the project
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a digital dice roller matter? Couldn't you just use your phone?
You could, but there's something different about a dedicated device. It's there on the table, part of the game space. And this one doesn't feel like a phone—it feels like something from a sci-fi film.
The wireframe graphics—is that just aesthetic, or does it serve a purpose?
Mostly aesthetic, but aesthetics matter in gaming. The retro look signals that this is intentional, crafted, not just a generic app. It makes the dice roll feel like an event.
Ten dollars for the board seems almost too cheap. What's the catch?
There isn't really one. The board is mass-produced, so the cost is low. The real work is in the case design and the software. That's where the maker's creativity lives.
How much does the whole project cost to build?
Beyond the ten-dollar board, you're mainly paying for filament if you're 3D printing the case. Maybe another five to ten dollars. The software is free.
Could someone with no electronics experience build this?
Absolutely. There's no soldering, no wiring. If you can use a 3D printer and follow instructions to flash software, you can build it. That's the whole point.
What happens next? Is this just a one-off project, or could it evolve?
The design is open, so people will modify it. Different cases, different graphics, different dice configurations. It becomes whatever the community makes of it.