What Is Cyberware? Transhumanism In 2077

Cyberware is any cybernetic technology permanently grafted to the human body that interfaces with the human nervous system. Cyberware is artificial whereas Bioware are enhancements based on biology rather than electronics or mechanics.

Bioware comes in a few forms including biosculpting, which is the modern version of plastic surgery that allows you to look however you want. This includes longer and shorter muscle insertions, more chiseled faces, leaner or stockier frames. People who extensively biosculpt are put into the tier of Exotics and usually end up doing crazy things to their bodies like grafting animal skin, fur and feathers, as well as adding hooves, tails, and claws to their bodies.

These exotic add-ons are usually grown in vats and are incredibly expensive.

Bioware also has more practical applications such as grafted muscle which makes you stronger, skin weave which makes your skin more resistant to damage, and nano-surgeons and toxin binders which repair damage on the cellular level as well as bind to poisons to make you highly resistant to them.

Typical Cyberware include the following:

Implants

Implants are the useful additions you get plugged in to make life easier and are placed in the body for a specific function. These include subdermal armor which is armor hidden beneath your skin, independent air supply, nasal filters, motion detector, chemical analyzer, and more. You can also get sexual implants aka the Mr. Studd and Midnight lady.

Neuralware

A class of cyberware hidden from plain eye and are critical for linking cybernetics to the central nervous system. The “Switch-box” is a basical neural processor implanted in the lower spine that routes signals from external cyberware to the CNS. It can route reflex boosters, interface plugs, sensory augmentations as well as weapon and vehicle links.

Other types of neuralware are boosts that increase smell and awareness and decrease pain.

Links are specialized co-processors that allow you to translate signals from the device you want to run into your neural code. There are 5 major types of links including a vehicle link which allows users to operate vehicles through mental control, a smartgun link, machine and dataterm links as well as a cybermodem link.

Cybermodem links are a basic processor that translates Raw NET information or data into images and allows a Netrunner to perceive a wide variety of environments. To connect to a cybermodem you need either interface plugs, electrodes or 2D displays with a keyboard. Interface plugs allow you to view the net in 3 dimensions as well as at optimal speed, which is why it’s generally preferred by those who rely on this tech, namely Netrunners. These plugs are installed in the wrist, spine or skull and allow you to connect to most link based weapons and machines as well as being necessary for Netrunners who traverse the net in its entirety by being linked into a cybermodem. Now as with everything style is important in Cyberpunk, so plugs can be mounted in a variety of locations and can be covered with silver or gold caps.

Cyberlimbs & Cyberweapons

Cyberlimbs are pretty self-explanatory. Although you are not going to be lifting 1000LBs of pure steel with a newly installed cyber-arm due to it being fused to more mortal part of your body as in the flesh and bone of your shoulder girdle, you will however get superhuman-esque abilities.

Options like a Spike heel or jack-hammer hand are possible in the world of Night City and you can add additional quality of life or defensive options to your cyberlimbs like EMP shielding, quick change mounts and realskinn coverings. The main reasons why someone adds a cyberlimb is to avoid regular limb fatigue, to increase their damage output, and to leap or throw tremendous distances.

You can also mount weapons on your body from long carbon glass fingernails called scratchers to wolver blades, to pop up guns and grenade launchers.

Fashionware

Fashionware is a class of cyberware primarily focused on physical aesthetics. They are low-impact and designed merely for looks. They don’t cost too much humanity and their installation is fairly straight-forward.

Bio-monitors and advanced bio-monitors are an under-the skin displays mounted on the forearm which conveys body functions like heart-rate, blood pressure brainwave activity, and other bodily functions. Things like Light Tattoos, and light up skin and hair are the focus with synth-skins showing led light shows all over your body, and mood skins changing color to reflect your current mood.

Kill displays also display threat-related occurrences or your personal kill count on your skin and can be updated in real-time, something that could potentially increase your cool or street cred stat.

Cyberoptics

Next up we have Cyberoptics. A replacement for normal eyes, they improve eyesight, can add Instagram like filters to your sight, or even zoom in with targeting or thermal scopes. Cyberoptics can look very robotic or like real eyes and are highly customizable. You can change the colors, and some even have designer logos around them. Options in cyberoptics include thermograph sensors, targeting scopes, microcamera cyberoptics, as well as even a dartgun cyberoptic weapon which has a range of 1 metre and can penetrate armor.

Chipware

Chipware is another type of Cyberware in the world of Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk 2077. Plugging in chips allow you to download and learn skills you wouldn’t otherwise know. There are two types of chips, one is a reflex or APTR chip and involves physical skills and the other are memory ware chips aka MRAM chips and refer to information or raw data only. Having an instantaneous skill set is very expensive and you are limited by your intelligence level. Individuals with a higher intelligence stat can install more skill chips at a time versus those with low intelligence levels. Skill chips also have certain levels and don’t adapt over time. Meaning if you have a chip for level 2 hand to hand combat, you will always have level 2 hand to hand combat and you won’t progress to being more proficient at it unless you buy a level 3 or level 4 chip.

Bodyplating

Next we have body plating. Now body plating is where armored plastics and metals are layered over and anchored to the skin. It’s perfect for those who want protection at all times, and it’s generally light enough to be worn at all times.

There are several different types of body plating including face-plates, torso plates, cowls and front optic mounts.

Linear Frames

Next we have Linear frames which are exoskeletons in Night City. Now the exoskeletons aren’t like the ones Royce uses in the Boss battle we’ve seen so far, but is more of a countoured metal body armor that’s grafted onto your body and neuro-linked with your muscles and bones.

They come in 3 different strength varieties in sigma, beta and omega, and have an enormous humanity cost associated with them, so cyberpsychosis can develop quickly in anyone who uses one for too long.

Cyberaudio

Lastly we have cyberaudio. We have a couple of varities here with bug detectors, sound editors and enhanced hearing range mods as well as a phone splice, voice stress analyzers, which the Militech agent uses against V to know if she is lying or not. You can also do typical, everyday, normal things like make your hollow skull into an audio system with the “WearMan” cyberaudio device.