Congratulations, you have finished the game’s main content and bought the store, but then Joe Wild came to you and introduced you to Hypertech. This new, highly sought-after tech only comes through special smugglers, and you can also gain access to it with a simple 2500 credit or favor with Joe. But what are they for anyway? Stick around and find out.
All about Hypertech:
How to Unlock Hypertech in Probably Stolen
After buying the deed of the store from the landlord, Joe Wild will pay you a visit, congratulating you on the successful business and offering you an option. The option reserved for the very few, sought after by many. Hypertech can now be unlocked in Wild’s network at the low price of 2500 credits/favor. This price isn’t stable and varies depending on the difficulty you are playing on.
| Difficulty | Baseline Hypertech Unlock |
|---|---|
| Price Gouge (Cozy) | 2,500 |
| Mark Up (Normal) | 2,500 |
| Thin Margins (Hard) | 3,750 |
| Red Ink (Challenge) | 5,000 |
You can get a 15% discount with Joe Wild if you have 100% reputation with the lower levels. If you want to learn more about Joe Wild and his services, check out our guide on Joe Wild in Probably Stolen.
Where to Find the Hypertech Smuggler
After paying the initial 2500, you can resummon the smuggler through the phone for a nightly drop-off, which has its own costs. 500 for each activation, as the smuggler is carrying critical-level contraband (the module). Suffice to say, you will be in hot water if you are ever caught red-handed with that tech.
While you can report the smuggler to security, doing so will result in the service being completely locked and you never being able to get your hands on these upgrades again, so tread carefully.
All Hypertech Items, Prices, and Effects
The Smuggler has six notable items in his inventory, each costing quite a lot, but also changing gameplay in a variety of ways.
| Hypertech Item | Base Value | Main Function |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic Parts (Hypertech) | 2,500 | Upgrade Hypertech Power Cells or recharge Mind Reprogrammers |
| Hypertech Power Cell | 2,500 | Supplies unlimited energy to machines within its output limit |
| Hypertech Turbo Booster | 15,000 | Stores charge to trigger additional machine cycles |
| Hypertech Storage Bay | 10,000 | Large two-tab storage for items and machines |
| Mind Reprogrammer | 5,000 | Adds or removes eligible starting perks |
| Neural Core Module (Uncapped) | 1,500 | +200% Performance, +100% Quality, −100% Efficiency |
Again, due to them being contraband, these base values are almost certainly not offered to you, and you have to buy them with a huge markup, as the smuggler doesn’t allow bargaining.
How to Use and Upgrade the Hypertech Power Cell
This seems like one of the main upgrades to go for first, as not recharging the battery of a machine would increase productivity on two fronts at the very least: the machine itself and PowerBloc, but hold your horses. The unmodified version of this cell can only provide up to 12 kJ of energy, and if there’s any machine that needs more than this, then the power cell is useless to that machine.
This isn’t the cap of the power cell, and you can push it further by buying electronic parts from the smuggler and upgrading the power cell. In order to max the power cell, you will need 15 electronic parts in total, which brings your power cell to level 5, making it capable of outputting 64 KJ of power.
How the Hypertech Turbo Booster Works
A machine that gathers charge in itself and can be used to activate a machine twice in a night. Initially gathers 5 energy per night and can use 15 energy to be activated. Its base price is 15000 credits, making it the most expensive of the hypertech and understandably one that requires a lot of careful thinking before buying for your store. Which machine are you going to boost, and how long does it take for you to earn back what you spent on this machine? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then maybe you shouldn’t buy this upgrade yet.
Keep in mind that you can upgrade this machine as well with an advanced turbo booster.
Hypertech Storage Bay Size and Uses
My favorite upgrade among all the available upgrades is the two-tab storage bay upgrade, which a resourceful shop owner would go for first. Getting the ability to store even more items means being able to sell or buy more items and instantly a bigger business, so that’s why I went for this upgrade first (plus I’m a hoarder, so I’m always low on space)
How to Use the Mind Reprogrammer
This one was quite interesting to me. The Mind Reprogrammer requires electronic parts to charge up (very expensive) and can be used to remove negative perks and add positive perks. There’s a cooldown between each reprogramming, which can range from 5 to 15 days depending on the trait.
But can the mind reprogrammer remove or add all perks? No. That’s why I gathered a list of perks interactable with the Mind Reprogrammer.
The good perks
| Perk | Charges | Cooldown | Main Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diplomatic | 2 | 10 days | Improves reputation gains from trading |
| Intimidating | 2 | 10 days | Reduces evidence generated by crimes |
| Vigilant | 2 | 10 days | Protects against nightly burglary |
| Proficient Scavenger | 1 | 5 days | Adds two Dumping Ground searches |
| Short Sleeper | 1 | 5 days | Avoids the customer penalty after nighttime outings |
The neutral and bad perks
| Perk | Charges | Cooldown |
|---|---|---|
| Awful Negotiator | 3 | 15 days |
| Ascetic | 4 | 20 days |
| Blabbermouth | 2 | 10 days |
| Minimalist | 2 | 10 days |
| Agoraphobia | 1 | 5 days |
| Illiterate | 1 | 5 days |
| Gambling Addiction | 1 | 5 days |
| Alcohol Addiction | 1 | 5 days |
| Narcotic Addiction | 1 | 5 days |
| Nicotine Addiction | 1 | 5 days |
| Careful Scavenger | 0 | 0 days |
Neural Core Module: High Energy High Reward
The Neural Core Module is another universal module that fits through all machine module sections and increases their performance by 200%, quality of the output by 100%, and in return reduces power efficiency by -100%, meaning the machine will use more power with this module active inside it.
Best Hypertech Items to Buy First
It’s really up to you and your current situation, but I personally always go for the storage bay upgrade first, cause the doors it opens for a hoarder like me are priceless. I went for the mind reprogrammer second, cause I wanted to make myself a super shopkeeper. I also bought the Turbo booster last cause I couldn’t really justify the price I was paying for this machine.
FAQ
Does the Smuggler Sell Every Item on Every Visit?
No, He brings a selection of 5 out of 6 items, with some items reappearing many times.
Why Can’t I Unlock or Use Hypertech?
Make sure you have bought the game before looking for the option. If you went the mortgage path, you have to pay the
Is Every Item That Smuggler Brings Contraband?
No, only the Neural Module is considered critical-level (4) contraband.
