Why the Future of Video Games is Moving Back to the Dinner Table

June 24, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Why the Future of Video Games is Moving Back to the Dinner Table

Bryn Putnam, founder and CEO of Board, spent her career moving from professional ballet at the New York City Ballet to building hardware startups. Her first company, Mirror, sold to Lululemon for $500 million. Her second, Board, is a 24-inch touchscreen gaming console designed to sit on a table and recognize physical game pieces. The device launched in late 2025 and sold out its first 10,000 units within weeks.

The Core Technology and Manufacturing Strategy

Board solves a specific technical problem: standard touchscreens recognize only ten touch points. Putnam's team trained the screen to recognize unlimited touch points and physical objects simultaneously. The game pieces contain no electronics or sensors. Instead, they have a unique conductive pattern built into the surface using a proprietary blend of capacitive and non-capacitive plastic. A custom software stack processes raw touch sensor data using embedded AI to detect and track each piece in real time—its identity, position, orientation, and movement.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:36) **Board product overview** - 24-inch tabletop touchscreen console that recognizes physical game pieces via custom conductive patterns and embedded AI
2 (02:42) **Core technology explained** - Unlimited touch points plus object detection and orientation tracking using proprietary capacitive patterns and in-house trained models
3 (04:50) **Hardware build timeline** - Two years from concept to launch, accelerated by founder and CTO's prior experience with Mirror smart mirror and computer vision
4 (06:31) **Manufacturing evolution** - Shift from full in-house supply chain management on Mirror (Mexico production) to tier-1 CM partnership in Thailand for Board
5 (11:08) **Early validation approach** - Built minimum viable experience demos to show family play before full tech was complete
6 (12:33) **Pricing and monetization model** - $399 hardware bundle with seven games; $35 individual games with custom pieces; upcoming creator subscription
7 (14:34) **Lifetime value strategy** - Hardware sold near cost; monetization via games, premium pieces, storage accessories, and creator membership

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Show Notes

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Today’s show:

Jason sits down with Brynn Putnam, CEO and founder of Board, to learn more about her company’s tabletop gaming console. The pair talks about how to raise capital for yet-to-launch hardware projects, the screen-time debate, and how Board is approaching building or buying IP for its family-friendly games. Next, Alex got Heremus’s AJ Piplica on the horn to chat hypersonic, autonomous jets. The startup’s technology bridges the gap between rockets and airplanes, and may represent the future of warfare, yes, but also fast freight!

Guest Links:

Brynn Putnam https://x.com/BrynnPutnam

Board https://board.fun/

Board Series A announcement https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/02/board-the-new-game-startup-from-mirror-founder-brynn-putnam-raises-20m-has-already-sold-thousands/

Mirror https://www.lululemonstudio.com/

AJ Piplica https://x.com/AJ_Piplica

Heremus https://www.hermeus.com/

Heremus Series C announcement https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hermeus-reaches-1-billion-valuation-with-350-million-raise-to-build-todays-fastest-aircraft-for-the-american-warfighter-302735273.html

Timestamps:

0:00 Board's Brynn Putnam joins the show

2:54 Board's proprietary AI software stack

6:43 Why Board manufactures in Mexico (not China)

9:21 LinkedIn: Thanks to our partners at LinkedIn! Post your job for free at https://linkedIn.com/twist then promote it to get access to LinkedIn Jobs' new AI assistant.

9:42 How to raise a Seed round for hardware without a finished product

15:26 Brynn's daughter and the mermaid example

17:09 Can Board limit screen time fears?

18:47 Northwest Registered Agent: Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

22:54 Selling the first 10,000 units