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Published Sep. 6, 2022
Updated Sep. 6, 2022, 1:45 p.m. ET
The “Wheel of Fortune” puzzle board is getting a makeover.
As the iconic game show celebrates 40 years, its technology is only getting better, upgrading the way Vanna White reveals letters in the puzzles.
White, 65, used to have to manually turn each letter piece, but this new high-tech board will allow her to uncover the letters without even touching them.
Using Lidar technology, which was used on the Mars rover, White just has to run her hand over the screen, and a laser will detect her presence and show the letter, which can be seen in a “Good Morning America” video.
The new board is now one giant flat-screen TV with a single monitor that uses laser beams and an LED display, according to BuzzerBlog.
BuzzerBlog’s Corey Anotado went on a tour of Sony Pictures Studios where he clocked that the old puzzle board was missing from the set.
He also confirmed that the new board has a “grid of invisible lasers in front of it.”
Fans started to notice a difference when Maggie Sajak, Pat Sajak’s daughter who works on the show, posted a video teaser of the show’s upcoming season — with a quick shot of White standing in front of the new board.
The reactions to the change were mixed — with some fans thinking it looks tacky and others appreciating the change.
“Am I alone in thinking it looks … cheap? Having a flat screen with no depth and or activity feels odd. It could be just this photo. But it just feels a bit odd and cold,” BuzzerBlog tweeted.
“First thought is that they don’t have the font quite right and it looks JUST a little too much like a fan game,” one fan wrote.
“Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and Wheel stubbornly refusing to budge when it comes to general look,” a person joked.
“It might look better on TV but this looks like a photo op backdrop,” another said.
“Saw it in studio and it looks better from a distance and straight on when looking at it on a monitor. They do some cool stuff with it, but basically using the same graphics as before. So part meh, but also part I appreciate doing something different,” a fan tweeted.
Season 40 of “Wheel of Fortune” premieres Sept. 12 on ABC.
