New Monopoly Comes With A Control Tower

Classic board games can change with technology, too.  And Monopoly Live does just that, adding a control tower that watches players’ every move and keeps tabs on who’s pawning who.

Set up in the middle of the board, the electronic tower controls many aspects of the game that used to be left to human hands.  It rolls the dice, calculates rent, keeps track of every player’s earnings, tells you whose turn it is and even shows where your piece is on the board (in case you forget it).  That way, you can continue your multi-tasking ways, texting Twitter updates and watching your Facebook messages, all while playing a game with the family.

Monopoly Live ditches the dice and play money, using digital means to facilitate both.  The only things that remain are the actual board, game tokens and cards, all of which the all-knowing control tower can keep track of.  Gameplay itself gets a few new random events that should be more in tune with the times, including a horse race, auctions, gas tax and green-friendly utility upgrades.

The control tower is powered by four AA batteries and comes with a built-in program to manage the various things going on in-game.  A built-in camera and infrared lights allow it to keep track of everything that goes on in the game.  That means, no more tricks like hiding 500 bills under the board — you’ve got an impartial referee calling the action right in the middle.

Expect Monopoly Live to be the first of many classic board games getting a tech reboot.  It’s slated for release in the fall, priced at around $50.

[via RedFerret]