Is Black Mirror's Nubbin Device Real? Season 7's New Technology Explained

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Black Mirror season 7.

The Nubbin, created by TCKR Systems, is seen throughout several episodes of Black Mirror season 7 and becomes a fascinating narrative device in the celebrated Netflix series. Featured primarily in Black Mirror season 7 episodes "Hotel Reverie", "Eulogy", and "USS Callister: Into Infinity", the sequel to season 4's "USS Callister", the Nubbin device is an advanced piece of technology with various immersive virtual reality capabilities. As part of its season 7 marketing campaign, Black Mirror created a realistic website that appears to advertise the Nubbin as if it were an actual piece of tech.

The fact that there is genuine uncertainty about the Nubbin being an actual VR device shows how far the dystopian sci-fi series has come since its first season in 2011. Social media influencers have also marketed the Nubbin, fueling the confusion while generating hype for the newly released Black Mirror season. The website entices potential customers to "revisit nearly forgotten memories", "star in classic movies", and "explore endless galaxies", which allude to the episodes "Eulogy", "Hotel Reverie", and "USS Callister: Into Infinity", respectively. Although such a technology would be revolutionary, it only exists in the Black Mirror universe.

The Nubbin Device In Black Mirror Season 7 Explained

Nubbins Were First Introduced As "Experiencer Disks" In Season 3

Brandy (Issa Rae) getting prepared for her role in Hotel Reverie

While Nubbin devices are used extensively in Black Mirror season 7, they were actually first introduced in Black Mirror season 3. The beloved "San Junipero", which is often regarded as one of the top Black Mirror episodes of all time, first introduced Nubbin devices in the fourth episode of season 3, which was released in 2016. Originally called "experiencer disks", "San Junipero" protagonists Yorkie and Kelly use Nubbins to access the titular virtual reality world. Although they go by a different name in Black Mirror season 3, these early versions of Nubbins are made and manufactured by TCKR Systems.

Nubbins, or experiencer disks, were then included again in the original "USS Callister" episode that led off Black Mirror season 4. In both the original and sequel of "USS Callister", Nubbins are used to gain access to the VR world of Infinity, an immersive starship game in outer space created by Robert Daly. Nubbins are also a key part of the story in Black Mirror season 5, episode 1, "Striking Vipers."

While they are not based on real tech, they have become a signature aspect of the Black Mirror universe.

Black Mirror season 7 is the first to include Nubbin technology in multiple episodes within the same season. While they are not based on real tech, they have become a signature aspect of the Black Mirror universe.

Black Mirror's Nubbin Device Is Not Based On Real Technology

Nothing Like The Nubbin Currently Exists In Reality

Phillip (Paul Giamatti) using a small device on his temple in Black Mirror Season 7 Ep 5

Nubbins are futuristic fictional devices designed by Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, who wrote the script for "San Junipero" and co-wrote "USS Callister" with William Bridges. They're completely fictional and are not based on any existing technology in the real world. The most immersive VR technology available at the time of writing still comes in the form of headsets, such as Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro. Nubbins are incredibly immersive and can be seen as invasive to the human brain, whereas real-world VR headsets are immersive but non-invasive.

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The closest real-world tech to Black Mirror's Nubbin device is Elon Musk's Neuralink, which is actually much more unsettling. The Neuralink is implanted into the human brain by a surgical robot, allowing people to connect to computers with their minds. Nerualink actually mirrors more closely the brain implant technology company Rivermind seen in Black Mirror season 7, episode 1, "Common People." Neuralink claims to be able to speed up the rate at which the human mind can learn and memorize information, whereas the Rivermind implant can alter emotions and sensations.

Black Mirror Season 7's Marketing Is Pretending Like The Nubbin Device Is Real

Their TCKR Systems Website Looks Pretty Convincing

Real-world versions of Black Mirror's Nubbin devices wouldn't be the first time that the sci-fi series has mirrored, or even predicted, modern life. The social credit system seen in Black Mirror season 4's "Nosedive" closely resembles the real-world SCS in China, for example. Nubbins are designed to access the full range of human brains – and override vision completely without the use of a headset – simply by being placed on the skin outside one's temple and linking to the brain's temporal lobe.

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A Nubbin-like device that attaches to one's temple seems plausible and functional but the ability to override people's vision, causing their eyes to become a hazy gray, seems more fantastical and implausible. There would be all sorts of health concerns with a device like the Nubbin, especially considering that Robert Daly dies in "USS Callister" after he's unable to exit his own Infinity game while locked in the VR reality. Fortunately, the Nubbin only exists in the universe of Black Mirror.