White Orb
The silent vessels holding the stolen souls of a dying humanity.
The Fujifilm X10 is a 2/3 sensor digital compact camera announced by Fujifilm on September 1, 2011. At the time of its release, it competed most closely with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, Olympus XZ-1, Canon PowerShot G1 X and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100, and was subsequently named a 2013 iF product design award recipient. The X10 was noted for its 2/3 inch type sensor, "twice as large as those used in almost all traditional compacts" at the time, and its EXR colour filter layout, allowing either greater dynamic range or lower noise to be recorded in an image of reduced resolution, as well as a conventional full resolution image. The X10's optical tunnel viewfinder zooms in synchrony with the 28-112mm equivalent, f/2.0 to f/2.8 maximum aperture zoom lens that was described as "impressively bright". The X10 was the first of a new line of compact cameras from Fujifilm, with the letter X and two digits in the product name. Its immediate successor was the Fujifilm X20 in January 2013.
- Type
- Lore Artifact / Soul Container
- Location
- Gestalt Facility (Underground)
- Affiliation
- Project Gestalt
- Contents
- Human Consciousness
- Status
- Corrupted/Decaying
- Relation
- Counterpart to Replicant Bodies
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
At least some early-release X10 specimens had a flaw that could make "white orbs" appear in images. As a first response, in early February 2012, Fujifilm released a firmware update to mitigate the issue, but this was not successful. Fujifilm then also modified the sensor and in early March announced a sensor replacement program for any cameras affected by the issue. Tech publication DPReview judged the replacement to successfully address the problem, and Fujifilm reported that complaints quickly diminished after the free replacement program was launched.
In Their Own Story
Nier stood before the great wall of containment, his breath fogging in the cold air of the underground. Thousands of them floated in silence—pale spheres suspended in magnetic fields, each one a person who never knew they were already dead. He reached out, not to touch, but to feel the hum of their existence. One orb pulsed brighter than the rest, a flicker of recognition that made his chest tighten. It was a memory, trapped and waiting for a vessel that would never come.
Reader's Guide
These artifacts do not function as player equipment or currency in standard gameplay. They are environmental and narrative objects found primarily during exploration of the Gestalt Facility. Players cannot collect or trade White Orbs; their significance is purely story-driven, representing the fate of the Gestalts. Interacting with them often triggers cutscenes regarding the truth of the world. To witness them fully, players must progress through the main storyline to unlock access to restricted areas within the facility. Their visual design contrasts sharply with the Black Orbs used for purchasing weapons and items from the village market.
Did You Know?
- The X10 was named a 2013 iF product design award recipient.
- The X10's zoom ring is also used to power on the camera.
- Imaging-Resource noted that the zoom lens obscures the lower right quadrant of the optical viewfinder from about 45mm equivalent focal length to 28mm wide angle.
- Fujifilm released a firmware update in early February 2012 to mitigate the white orb issue, but it was not successful.
- Fujifilm reported that complaints quickly diminished after the free sensor replacement program was launched.
More in Abilities & Artifacts
Elsewhere in the Nier Replicant universe
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