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4.5
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TITLE :Orbotix Sphero 2.0 App Controlled Robotic Ball Retail Packaging White/Blue |
Most helpful customer reviews
63 of 71 people found the following review helpful.
The coolest thing I never use!
By Gabriel's Buddy
As an engineer, I can't help but be enamored by the technology and design of this wonderful little orb. Sphero is amazing to watch as it maneuvers on your command and the designers have put some features in (a tail, little tricks) that make the toy a bit more endearing, almost like a pet. There are some clever apps to let you drive Sphero around the house or over zombies. Or you can use Sphero as a controller to shoot down aliens and ingest energy pods. The color and movement are put to good effect.
But I don't use it. My 16 year old son has lost interest. An my 8 year old boys lost interest after just a few tries. So I can't recommend it.
First off, the control is very cool, but not good enough for the space we have. I think our home is about average in size with mostly hardwood floors. Perhaps we have a few patches of open space that are 5'x8' or 6'x6'. These spaces, however, are not large enough to control Sphero easily. Typically he (our is named Sphred) goes out of bounds and ends up under the couch or hitting the furniture. When he bounces, the calibration on direction gets off, so you have to readjust his tail to continue. Perhaps it is meant to be part of the challenge to account for the momentum, but it is a very frustrating learning process.
When the virtual reality features kick in, it is doubly frustrating because Sphred is always leaving the screen. I go to shoot a zombie on the side and off it goes, I then have to align the tablet (I'm using an iPad), find him again, and then line up the next shot. I tried being closer and further and lowering the speed, but I've found it more frustrating than fun or challenging.
The best use so far has been as a game controller. In one incarnation it controls yaw, forward, and lateral movements of a space ship. The spaceship is always firing, so gameplay is mostly moving and aiming. The other case is color grab, where your reflexes are tested to see if you can pick up the Sphero when it is a particular randomly chosen color. It is fun for a short while, but not captivating.
I tried adjusting the power, and that helps control a bit, but it still remains very difficult. I tried him in a carpeted room and the carpet was too deep for him to start (although he could keep on going if he was already rolling.)
I still plan to use it and play with it to see if there is more to it with the ramps and such; I just haven't gotten around to doing it and think part of that is the excitement has dwindled substantially.
I feel bad about this review because it is a remarkable device and I have the highest respect for those who developed it. However I can't recommend it because just being cool isn't enough in this case.
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful.
The funest new toy you've never heard of
By ut158
...or at least I had never heard or it. Here's how it goes:
You get this product (Sphero) which looks and feels a bit like an oversize pool ball. Then you download 1 or more of Orbotix's apps onto your iOS or Android phone. Your phone then uses Bluetooth to send commands to the ball. It has gyro positioning so even as it is spinning, it keeps track of which direction would correlate to each of up/down/left/right on your phone's virtual joystick and so you use that to control where the ball goes. This does take some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you can fairly accurately drive it around the house. It has mild impact resistance, so it will tolerate the inevitable crash into walls, the occasional fall off of a short (< 18") surface, and a small amount of abuse from the toddler or cat you may have in your house that will certainly want to grab it.
Besides just rolling it around, you can also change the color with a high level of precision (although my 5 year old was a little distressed that the red was not quite as saturated as she would have liked--it looked a little on the pink side). But what is even cooler, is you can download other apps from Orbotix that let you play games ranging from augmented reality zombie wars to drawing something and having the Sphero then "draw" that picture (by rolling around and turning the colors you specify) on the floor. Note that the augmented reality game is fun, but VERY hard until you really get the hang of operating this thing.
My 5 year old thought it was fun, but got a bit frustrated with it after a while because it IS hard to control. My mother-in-law thought it was a hoot and even my wife (who isn't normally in to this sort of thing) enjoyed a brief test drive. Oh, and my 1 year old chased it around for the entire time anyone was playing with it and had a blast.
This is a very fun toy. A little on the pricey side, and it DOES require you to have a phone and download to it in order to work, but I think there are many groups of people who could get a real kick out it. I'd say this would be best for ages 8-18, but our test included ages 1 to "grandma" and was well received by all.
Recommended.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
Fun toy for kids, faster and better than prior version
By T. Tom
This new version of the Sphero is about 2.5 times faster than the prior version and has other enhancements as well including 2 small jump ramps included right in the box. Compared to the prior version, this Sphero seems very quick and nimble.
It seems very well built and sturdy, and the charging and Bluetooth pairing works flawlessly. The battery life seems quite good as you can use it for over an hour per charge.
This can even be put into a swimming pool and there is an optional tire-like cover for it which makes it possible to move it in water and also protects the Sphero as well.
The pairing to an iOS device like an iPhone or iPad works very well (also works with Android but I have no experience with that) and it is fairly easy to control on the touchscreen.
But this is not just a remote controlled ball. There are a bunch of apps available that you can use to play augmented reality games with the Sphero. As an example, there is a game where you point your iOS device to the floor where the Sphero is and zombies appear on the screen as if they are on the floor, and you have to roll over them with the Sphero. This is a fun toy for kids who will likely get many hours or enjoyment out of it, especially when combined with some of the apps, of which there are more than 25 as of this review. Adults on the other hand may grow bored with it after a few weeks, however it can still be fun at parties since it lights up and you can change the internal LED color to any color you want.
The price seems a bit expensive at first, but considering all of the technology and R&D involved such as an internal gyrospcope controlling the position of the ball, and Bluetooth controls, etc, it seems about right for what you get.