Batman's facetime wrist projector is pretty *blipping* stupid

[Captain Australia]

At first you don't really notice.

The dark knight is perched grimly on a ballustrade, looking down with cold fury as Gotham burns below. He raises his forearm and brings up a kind of holograph projection of Jim Gordon and they talk about the escalating violence.

"Atmospheric. Cool as ♥♥♥♥", I think to myself.

Then I realise .. isn't it completely and totally superfluous that Batman feels the need to have these little face-time conversations with Alfred, Jim, Barbara/Oracle .. contacts and friends that he's worked with for -years- ?

(shouldn't he just be *talking* to them ? why the need to stare into their baby blues?)

Isn't it a little wierd that, while surrounded by tanks and dangerous criminals, he feels a need to have a facetime convo with his besties ?

Isn't it especially weird that he's a man wearing a mask to conceal his identity as he strikes from the shadows .. and yet he seeks out this "hey, hey look at my face" form of communication ?

Doesn't it distract him, operationally ? I understand the use if there are schematics, a blueprint, a map .. that makes sense .. but just gazing into the eyes of his super-contacts friends list ?

Couldn't there be a sub-audible earplug feeding him info that nobody else can hear, allowing him to stay silent and invisible like the underpants wearing ninja he is ? Doesn't the light and visibility from the facetime create unnecessary hazards ?

Grr.

What's next ? Facebook super-buddies ? Bestie selfies with Robin ?

Anyway, once you see it (as completely superfluous and stupid) you can't unsee it, so henceforth every time the caped crusader has facetime with a bestie, you feel a bit weird.

[Roast Goose]

Part of it could have been a design choice based on the lack of loading screens. It can serve as a way of Batman having an interaction that isn't just talking into his earpiece for two minutes while a section loads.

Beyond that, face-to-face interaction is different to merely communicating by voice or text. There can be psychological advantages to it, which Batman may be using for himself or for the others.

[Xamp]

Yeah, it doesn't make sense...

...but it looks cool.

[CurvedSkilless]

I thought it was a cool concept, still do, in fact. But there's just the little issue of how other people can and might see who's on screen.

I think Batman uses it once or twice in the GCPD building, can't quite recall at the moment. In any case I was wondering why I didn't hear murmurs from the cops around me asking why's Batman talking to an old british dude or did that british guy just call him Master Bruce?

[ark.sky.dragon]

I think that its design so that only batman can see the image, if you look at the refection on his eyes its just a garbled mess.

[Land]

It bothered me that people could see it but when you zoom into his face during these skype sessions, you can see his eyes go white so I think it only shows up to him and no-one else. much like a laser showing in nightvision

[Linus Hyper]

OP, you won the internets.

[Dakuwan]

Its like Google glass...

[Buck]

In case you haven't noticed, real time video chat is an actual thing. In the previous games Batman used voice communication only, which, from the Players/Audience's POV can "disconnect" you from the Character that Batman is speaking to. When playing games/watching media we most strongly connect with things that we can see more than we can hear (esp for people like me who have a hearing disability). Using real time chat is a way of making that visual connection with the Characters. From a story perspective, using a holographic display makes more sense practically because a real led screen would need to be very small to fit on the gauntlet well, and would be vulnerable to damage from impacts.

[Xamp]

Originally posted by Buck:

From a story perspective, using a holographic display makes more sense practically because a real led screen would need to be very small to fit on the gauntlet well, and would be vulnerable to damage from impacts.

But the whole point is that, realisticly, he doesn't need a display at all. Voice comms only worked just fine for him in the previous games. Besides, it's not like they used it all that often to display anything other than whoever was talking on the other line anyway.

[Kickin' Chicken]

Originally posted by Buck:

In case you haven't noticed, real time video chat is an actual thing. In the previous games Batman used voice communication only, which, from the Players/Audience's POV can "disconnect" you from the Character that Batman is speaking to. When playing games/watching media we most strongly connect with things that we can see more than we can hear (esp for people like me who have a hearing disability). Using real time chat is a way of making that visual connection with the Characters. From a story perspective, using a holographic display makes more sense practically because a real led screen would need to be very small to fit on the gauntlet well, and would be vulnerable to damage from impacts.

Well put!

[Buck]

Originally posted by Xamp:

But the whole point is that, realisticly, he doesn't need a display at all.

This is not reality. It's a Superhero Action Game.

[bgray9054]

I think it's pretty cool.