Particula’s ‘GoChess’ and ‘GoDice’ Have Fundamentally Changed How I Play Board Games Forever (Review)

Okay, now I know what you’re thinking: “Shaun, physical dice and a chess board aren’t video games, why are you even talking about this?” I completely understand. I was a bit hesitant when I first heard about GoChess and GoDice, too. The GoDice, in particular, was the most interesting object to me. As someone who has put an unhealthy number of hours in Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics, particularly in Yacht Dice, I wanted to see if these dice would change my enjoyment of playing actual board games. And, thanks to the slick design of both of these products, I can easily say: I’m never going back to writing down my Yahtzee scores again.

I Needed To See How Bluetooth Dice Would work, And they’re Incredibly Cool

My wife is the type of person who adores board games. While I was huge into them when I was younger, the idea of playing with technology overtook my love of holding these figures and dice in my hands. And that’s why I was hoping that GoDice would help rekindle that love for me. Seeing as I’ve had the GoDice in my possession for roughly two weeks now, and we’ve played Yahtzee almost every night since we’ve gotten them? I think that’s a sign that things are going in the right direction on that end.

GoDice, as the name suggests, are typical 6-sided Dice. If I don’t want to charge them up and use them with a tablet or smartphone, I can use them like normal. They’re extremely lightweight, even though they feature lights and a battery inside of them. And 10 seconds of charging would get us roughly 2 hours of consistent playtime. Genuinely impressive for something this small. And out of all of the times that we played, we did, admittedly, run into connection problems a couple of times. But a quick shake of the dice in the hands would typically get everything moving forward again with no issue.

You Can Even Host ‘D&D’ on DIscord with the ‘GoDice’, and That’s Pretty Neat

One thing that surprised me was the fact that you could also get an “RPG Bundle”. This bundle, which includes a full set of 6 GoDice and shells to place on top of them, turns your standard dice into a set of Dungeons & Dragons–ready rollers. Seeing as Dwayne and I got hooked on Demeo, we may need to give this a try in the future. Even though I’m not a Dungeon Master myself, I had to experiment with these to see how well they worked. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised to see how quick and accurate they were.

I could see these becoming game-changers for folks who play D&D online with their friends. Or, even if you don’t want to be in complete control of keeping records, let the app do it for you. Since these do use additional magnets inside of the shells to keep them secured, you’ll need to keep the rolls close to your tablet or phone. Otherwise, the connection could be interrupted.

Overall, GoDice has already become a household favorite around here. While they are a little expensive, coming in at an MSRP of $119.95 for a full set of 6, they’ve got countless uses. The GoDice app has plenty of games to play, and the fact that they can connect with Discord and other RPG apps for D&D sessions makes them a great investment for any fledgling Dungeon Masters. I do hope, through firmware or app updates, the connection continues to get even better.

Verdict: Recommended

‘GoChess’, On the Other Hand, Lets Me Play Against Other Players on Chess.Com. Yes, Really

Now, the one that blew my mind more than anything? That has to be the GoChess board. While my wife is fond of classic board games and dice games, she’s never once played Chess in her life. And while I’ve begged and pleaded for her to learn with me, she still hasn’t taken the plunge. That’s why I’m incredibly thankful for the GoChess board. Beyond the absolutely stellar build quality, there are a few fantastic surprises that await any upcoming players with these boards.

There are three different boards available: the GoChess Mini, the GoChess Lite Modern, and the GoChess Lite Classic. I had the pleasure of playing on the GoChess Lite Modern, which takes the classic game that I’ve loved for so long and puts a slightly newer coat of paint on it. The first thing I noticed with this box was how pleasant and luxurious the unboxing experience was. Housed in a fine faux-velvet liner, every chess piece was nestled tightly within the box. A strip down the middle had instructions, a cord, a stand, and even a storage pouch for the pieces.

Each piece, from Pawn to King, was weighty and felt incredibly premium. The bottom of each piece is magnetized, and I was slightly confused as to why they may have been. Well, that was, until I finally “turned on” my chess board. Yes, this is a powered chess board, running on an internal battery, that connects to your phone. The future is here, and it’s awesome.

Play Against Your Friends, the CPU, or Someone Online, the ‘GoChess’ Board Is Extremely Rad

This is where GoChess starts to shine. Since my wife doesn’t want to play against me, I can boot up a game against a CPU opponent, or I can play against someone online. Yes, that’s right: this thing connects to Chess.com and Lichess. I can play against anyone in the world in the thinking man’s game. This is truly 4D chess, and I won’t take anything else as an excuse.

But, since my skills are slightly rusty since I haven’t played in so long, I played a game against the AI. Setting up the board with the magnetic pieces, the lights would show me exactly where pieces should go. It would teach me how to play the game better and help me along the way. It’s the perfect tool for someone with a healthy Chess obsession, someone who wants to learn, or someone who wants the physical pieces in hand as they decimate their foes online.

The GoChess boards are an investment, but for someone that loves the idea of playing Chess with friends or online? I can’t think of anything better. Yes, the GoChess board is that good. The build quality is sublime, the pieces feel fantastic, and the app connectivity is smooth and simple. If you’ve been considering getting into the world of chess yourself? Do yourself a solid and get one of these boards — and thank me later.

Verdict: Best In Its Class

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The Particula GoDice and GoChess are available now. Samples were provided for the sake of review.