If you could become "augmented"...would you?

[JUMBO PALACE]

I'd definitely be down for upgrades if a part of me failed or became irreparably injured in some way. I'm not so sure I'd be comfortable in hacking off a perfectly good arm or leg to replace it with a robot limb. Despite the boosts in strength, vision, speed, or whatever, those pieces of metal still aren't me.

 

[ninjaRiv]

WHY IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION?!? AUGMENT ME.

Man,I would totes get augmented. Discreet implants, especially the social kind.

 

[C F]

Well, the core of the debate (which you guys don't seem to care about because screw it: we're all nerds and augmentations are sweet) is whether or not the tradeoff of replacing parts of your living body with machinery is worth the benefits. And honestly? I'm a bit on the line.

I think I'd just overhaul my nervous system, cerebellum, and get some intraocular implants. Faster reflexes, finer motor control, improved vision. Nothing muscular, and certainly nothing dermal. Flesh is amazing because it can heal itself, it's robust, it's low maintenance, and it has a much longer operational life than robotics.

I do want stuff like enhanced strength, durability, a jetpack/jetboot combo, but I'll save that for the power-armor phase. Maybe I can use my enhanced nervous system to control it like a second skin.

 

[Mersadeon]

Depends. If I would have to take something like Neuropozyne (or whatever it was called), no. If there was no drawback except greater calorie intake (which most cyberpunk seems to assume) - YES! We've been ironing out our own flaws since the dawn of time, this is just the next step.

EDIT: Like OP, I'd be most interested in augmenting the brain. Having a way to store raw data would be nice. Like, read something, store the exact text in your implant and pull it out whenever you need to.
Other than that, I hate the weird and screwed up bones in my legs and spine, I'd LOVE to replace those with something more reliable, even if the augs are visible.

 

[DaMan1500]

Has anyone said telescoping, vibrating robot dick yet? Because that. I'd get a telescoping, vibrating robot dick.

 

[Callate]

I would have to be absolutely certain that there was no way for neural hardware to be remotely hacked, and that it wouldn't result in some sort of spectacular breakdown five years up the line, as is so often the case with electronics that isn't even lodged in my damp and squishy grey matter.

So, mind implants? Probably not in my lifetime, even if they were offered.

Other sorts of implants are more tempting, particularly if I could have some sort of legal assurance of their replacement in the event of malfunction or breakdown. Having a leg lock up could be unpleasant, inconvenient, or dangerous, sure, but it's nothing compared to being unable to access your own memories or having some bastard turn up your dopamine levels every time you look at a certain product brand.

 

[TheRookie8]

See, the ability to directly control our thoughts is a decidedly POOR decision as the implications will lead to complete and utter destruction of humanity as we know it...and since we are already doing such a bang-up job already, I say why rock the boat?

Aside from the disturbing ethical and emotional mind-altering augmentation? Yes, robot arms would be very cool, but I am somewhat attached to both of mine. Look me up if I get into an accident.

 

[DugMachine]

Definitely want some augmented eyes and ears as mine are starting to deteriorate. Maybe some legs because I have garbage cardio endurance.

 

[Vegosiux]

Well, for practical reasons. Showing off my jumping-over-houses skills is not a practical reason. Better response time and alertness, that's a practical reason. Honestly I could do with something that enables me to do something I need 5 seconds for in 2 seconds.

That all, of course, is assuming there's no drawback to it, aside from a one-time monetary investment and a modest upkeep cost.

 

[Johnny Impact]

Cybereyes, because my real eyes suck

Metabolic adjustment, because I am the greasiest person you'll never meet, I have to wash my face three times a day at least or I feel like I'm wearing a suffocating mask or a layer of paint or something

Encephalon, because who wouldn't want more intelligence

Headware memory, because who wouldn't want perfect recall

Eye camera

Head phone

Things like wired reflexes or muscle replacement would be cool, but honestly the head stuff is where it's at

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I'd have some weird augmentation that would let me have a Stand.

I'm not sure how it'd work but I really want a Stand >_<

 

[Proto Taco]

All the yes. Waist down especially, preferably maintaining nerve feeling and soft squishy human-ness. I wanna be a cuddly cyborg ^.^

 

[Ajarat]

Everytime the subject comes up, I always have Brother Cavil running through my head, because he echoes my sentiments exactly:

"I saw a star explode and send out the building blocks of the Universe. Other stars, other planets and eventually other life. A supernova! Creation itself! I was there. I wanted to see it and be part of the moment. And you know how I perceived one of the most glorious events in the universe? With these ridiculous gelatinous orbs in my skull! With eyes designed to perceive only a tiny fraction of the EM spectrum. With ears designed only to hear vibrations in the air.

"I don't want to be human! I want to see gamma rays! I want to hear X-rays! And I want to - I want to smell dark matter! Do you see the absurdity of what I am? I can't even express these things properly because I have to - I have to conceptualize complex ideas in this stupid limiting spoken language! But I know I want to reach out with something other than these prehensile paws! And feel the wind of a supernova flowing over me! I'm a machine! And I can know much more! I can experience so much more. But I'm trapped in this absurd body!"

I understand those that would be against augmentation, for the human-experience can be grand! It's just an experience I find distasteful and uncomfortable on a personal level. I really couldn't care less for the concept of 'Humanity.' There truly is so much more to reality than our tiny insignificant existence as we currently understand (Religion aside, I'm only after the proven facts in this premise), and I would like to experience so much more than that of the trappings of 'Humanity' and our current concept of 'Civilization' would ever permit.

 

[Azure23]

I can already control my thoughts directly, it's not like there is some curiously attired flunky I have to consult whenever I want to think about boobs.

You've never met Phil? The bastard told he was in charge of boob-thought distribution for the entire Western hemisphere; I've been paying him an annual fee since I turned 13!

OT: No, I'm fine being unaugmented; my flesh works fine, and getting chromed is always something that is both awesome and terrifying in my cyberpunk games.

Spoiler: the best way to put the downside of augments

Awesome example, I want that person to dm my next game. Awareness check on kids playing stickball, brilliant.

 

[Rblade]

hmmm probably. Allthough I suspect that it's the kind of scenario I might change my opinion on, where push ever to come to shove. Not the eyes or ears but if I could get cheap super knees or something I guess I could get on board. With all my trust in science I wouldn't let a guy cut my eyes out to replace them with camera's. Vision is way to precious to me, as like I said are my other senses.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Defeinitely artifical memory (photographic, selective store and recall on anything) and probably eyes too. After that I'd consider health and fitness sort of augmentations, but memory and sight definitely come first. As wonderful as the Typhoon or invisibility are. Chances are we'd have exoskeletal limbs if I needed artificial strength so I'm fine with keeping that aspect human.

 

[TallanKhan]

I would sign up for physical augmentations in a heartbeat, but neurological augmentation is something I would have to understand better in terms of the effects it might have.

But for starters I'll take:
-A robot arm (left one) complete with deployable tools and micro-usb port (basically a Swiss army arm)
-An optical implant (hawkeye zoom, recording capacity, google glass type functions etc.)
-Leg implants so I can run faster, jump further.
-Reinforced skeleton to ensure my body can take the extra wear and tear.
-Some kind of cardiovascular enhancement to make sure I can keep up with myself.

 

[loc978]

I would be expensive to un-cripple... I need a new core. New back muscles, the squishy bits of my spinal column, lower abdominals. I also need new tendons in my left leg, which would unbalance me, so I might as well do the right too. Add in both knees for prevention's sake. I need new rotator cuffs in both shoulders, new connective tissue in both wrists, might as well give me new elbows, for the same reason as the knees (they aren't impaired yet, but they are painful and loud... lots of cracking noises). Aside from all of those replacement parts, I'd love to have some nanomachines, Son.

Oh, and yes. Yes please. Sign me up. I hate being broken.