NetflixIt’s not a season of Black Mirror unless some techy gizmo is implanted in or on somebody. Season 7 introduces the Nubbin, and fans are wondering whether the revolutionary device is real.
The reason why Black Mirror Season 7 – or any of its past seasons – is so disturbing is that it’s too true to life. Even things that feel like they’re light years away are now unfolding in front of our eyes in real time.
This time around, the blur between fiction and reality comes in the form of the Nubbin. It’s directly featured in two of the binge-worthy TV show’s episodes, with its parent company TCKR Systems linked to multiple parts of the Black Mirror universe.
With influencers now receiving Nubbins and people spotted with them in the wild, Black Mirror Season 7 fans might be left wondering if the devices are actually real, and we have answers.
Is Black Mirror Season 7’s Nubbin tech real?
In a word, no. Both Nubbins and TCKR Systems are completely fictional, with influencers being sent dummy devices to recreate the effects in online content.
NetflixEssentially, we see Nubbins used to take a character to a completely digital dimension, used in two separate cases in Season 7. Brandy Friday (Issa Rae) uses one to enter the AI-generated set of Hotel Reverie, while Phillip (Paul Giamatti) retraces his memories by entering old photographs in ‘Eulogy.’
If you put one on in real life, absolutely nothing would happen, aside from having a prop heavily glued to your temple. However, this doesn’t mean Nubbins will always be a work of fiction.
On TikTok, creator Becca Caddy explains how multiple companies are actually developing concepts similar to the Nubbin, more commonly known as a brain computer interface.
Even though brands such as Neuralink are working on devices similar to this, it’s important to point out that what the Nubbin is able to do is genuinely a work of fiction. Any brain computer interfaces in development are likely in the testing phase, and definitely not available in mainstream markets.
A watch called the Misfit Shine was released back in 2014, looking scarily similar to our fictional Nubbin.
Season 7’s marketing has fans completely hoodwinked
This is where our scarily accurate marketing comes in. Black Mirror Season 7 has left no stone unturned in its promotion of the Nubbin and TCKR systems, and it’s not surprising fans are falling for it hook, line, and sinker.
YouTubeOn the TCKR website, you can register your interest for product testing, send actual emails for job openings and general enquiries, and find out exactly how to install and use the Nubbin thanks to the FAQ section.
You can also find TCKR Systems on TikTok and LinkedIn to see more adverts filmed primarily across London. Don’t bother trying to look up the listed 11-50 employees in the company, though – there are no search results.
Journalists have reported receiving press releases for the Nubbin ahead of Season 7, taking them to a password-encrypted file of assets.
TCKR Systems is a bonafide Black Mirror Easter egg at this point. Episodes like ‘San Junipero’, ‘Black Museum’, and ‘Striking Vipers’ each show the company’s branding the most (e.g. the final building shown in ‘San Junipero’ storing the digital copies of the departed). What TCKR actually stands for has never been clarified.
Alongside getting influencers to “unbox” the Nubbin ahead of Black Mirror Season 7, TCKR social accounts have dropped different kinds of adverts – glossy filmed commercials like something you’d expect Apple or Samsung to be behind, and more user-generated content like the clip you see above.
By employing actors as fake members of the public, our glimpse at the Nubbin makes us fully believe that using it is possible. We’re working with a Netflix budget after all… anything is possible.
Black Mirror Season 7 is on Netflix now. Check out the best Easter eggs, the soundtrack, and our favourite episode explained. You can also keep tabs on the year’s releases with our 2025 movie calendar and our 2025 TV calendar.
