iDroid

iDroid

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The iDroid.

The iDroid (stylized as iDROID) was a hand-sized device developed by the Militaires Sans Frontières resembling a walkie-talkie that displayed a holographic map of a given area, which came in a satellite-based map or gave a general layout of the area. It was also used to call in helicopters and direct them to a specific area, and by the 1980s, it was also capable of remotely managing aspects Diamond Dogs as well as scanning documents and transferring them to Mother Base.

Usage

Ground Zeroes Incident

Main article: Ground Zeroes Incident

An iDroid was utilized by Big Boss during his missions at the United States Naval Prison Facility in Cuba in 1974/75, including his mission to rescue Paz Ortega Andrade and Chico from the facility, in order to gather intelligence on Cipher. The iDroid's projection area referred to it as a beta version (v1.02), implying that the device had been created only very recently. It also contained basic details about the mission, and updated itself on mission objectives.

Phantom Pain Incident

See also: Hospital Escape and Phantom Pain Incident

Snake downloading mission objectives from a data terminal via the iDroid.

In 1984, Venom Snake used the iDroid version 3.02 while leading Diamond Dogs on their vendetta against Cipher and XOF. During this time, it was upgraded to include the ability to scan and transfer documents back to Mother Base, which range from physical files to even discarded radio transmitters, as well as hook up to data terminals on the ACC to download mission outlines. It also had the ability to light Venom Snake's phantom cigar through generating a holographic flame.

iDroid versons

There were 3 upgradable versons of the iDroid.

Name	Grade	Notes	GMP	R&D Level	Intel level	Time to develop
iDroid	1	Markers placable: 3	Owned	Owned	Owned	0
iDroid	2	Speaker function added	35,000	7	0	0
iDroid	3	Markers placable: 4	85,000	17	17	18 minutes
iDroid	4	Markers placable: 5	215,000	31	31	36 minutes

Behind the scenes

The iDroid is an important item in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The name is a portmanteau of the Apple-made iPhone and the Google-owned Android operating system.

The iDroid function in the game has several functions. In-game, it can be used to read up mission objectives, as well as look at the map from both a satellite-based map image and a style more indicative of the Soliton Radar of past games. It can also place objective markers and call in choppers, as well as listen to cassette tapes containing background information and/or music. It also gives heat-pattern blotches to indicate deaths of other soldiers in the area.

Besides its in-game usage, the iDroid can also be used on tablets, Android, and Apple products. Its functions include viewing the player's current rankings as well as developing Mother Base, similar to in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Stefanie Joosten utilized an iDroid in Kojima Station episodes that aired on YouTube as part of the Konami channel.

The iDroid's voice guide is provided by Donna Burke, who also provided the vocals for "Heavens Divide" and "Sins of the Father."

The waypoint setting option on the iDroid was referenced in the viral marketing promotional event 12 Days of Metal Gear with the lyric "10 iDroid Waypoints Set."

According to Hideo Kojima, the iDroid was inspired by the computer from the 1970 film Dark Star, which in turn also served as an inspiration for the Mother computer from Alien.

Around July 2014, Kyle Cooper revealed a concept video for the iDroid.

Although not identified as the iDroid, various enemy soldiers have a similar device on their hip.

Gallery

"10 iDroid Waypoints Set" on 12 Days of Metal Gear.