Wallet Playground for learning Bitcoin self custody with Piers Macrae | SLP767 — Key Takeaways
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Wallet Playground for learning Bitcoin self custody with Piers Macrae | SLP767
Stephan Livera30mAug 25, 2026
Watch the originalWallet Playground (walletplayground.com) lets anyone test 77 real-firmware Bitcoin wallet simulators — signers, coordinators, transport mechanisms — free in a browser before buying any hardware.
Key takeaways
Wallet Playground runs 77 real firmware emulators — not mockups — in a browser
Wallet Playground runs 77 real firmware emulators — not mockups — in a browser
- All simulators run actual open-source firmware code, including multiple firmware versions per device (e.g., buggy ColdCard builds).
- Users can execute full signet transactions end-to-end, including SD card and QR air-gap flows, via menu clicks instead of physical hardware.
Use Wallet Playground's guided coaching runs as a repeatable self-custody drill
Use Wallet Playground's guided coaching runs as a repeatable self-custody drill
- Each run generates fresh, never-used seedwords and traces a live signet transaction — not a canned video replay.
- McCrae designed it specifically for people who trained once but forgot steps 6 months later when they rarely touch their setup.
Hardware wallets conflate three separate jobs and do all three poorly
Hardware wallets conflate three separate jobs and do all three poorly
- McCrae: a hardware wallet is simultaneously an RNG, a transaction signer, and a PIN-protected key locker — none done best-in-class.
- He compares it to 1990s multifunction fax/copier/printer combos — convenient but mediocre at every function.
This Dig holds 2 more insights, 4 flashcards, and 3 quotes — free with your trial.
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In this video
- 1mPiers McCrae and Wallet Playground Intro
- 1mTeach Me vs Do It For Me
- 3mTest Any Wallet Free in Browser
- 9mColdcard Drama Forced Early Release
- 14mGenerate Seeds Using Your Webcam
- 18mHardware Wallets Aren't Real Wallets
- 22mOnly 1% Use Multisig for Life Savings
- 26mSelf-Custody Like Firearms Drilling?
- 28mOnly Tiny Percentage Will Self-Custody
“Their what they call their hardware wallet isn't in fact a wallet at all. It's really a signing device.”
— Piers McCrae
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