The Sentry tells you if someone is sneaking up on you while you’re, um, gaming

Say you’re, like, um, gaming on your computer with headphones on. And you’re like… um. Really into the game? And someone sneaks up on you from behind and you don’t have time to… pause… the game? The Sentry can help prevent the embarrassment of being seen while… playing games.

This fun little device is basically an IR motion sensor that can see people within five meters of your workstation. A warning overlay will appear on your screen as the person approaches and you can quickly tab out of that game (or whatever) and pay close attention to the person behind you.

The device costs $57 on Kickstarter and works with Windows. They expect to ship in May 2017.

The team originally designed this as a cubicle warning system but they’ve clearly rethought their target market. They’ve almost raised their $1,900 minimum – the previous failed Kickstarter clearly made them gun-shy – but I see no reason a gamer wouldn’t want a sensor that could tell them when someone is sneaking up on them while playing games (and other stuff) or existing inside VR. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of not getting distracted during an important… boss fight.