Show and Tell: Rollin' With Sphero 2.0
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
- Update: After this was shot, Sphero released an update to their app that adds the option to skip the leveling up business and remove shields from the app. It's possible that this would make this a much better product than this review indicates, but we haven't tested it with the updated apps yet.
Remember the Sphero? It was a smartphone-controlled ball that you could send zipping around your house and drive your pets crazy. The second generation Sphero was just released, and Will tests it this week to see what's improved.
Hey guys- Thanks for the review! Based on feedback like this we have now added an option to "Just Drive" your Sphero like before (update available now). Thanks for being an awesome and valuable part of our quest to make the most balltastic product ever.
Congratulations, you're our first block of the day!
We have a budget to buy hardware that we think is worth covering, but some of the stuff we show here are personal purchases or stuff sent by manufacturers for review consideration.
They're some of my favorites.
You're awesome. You took criticism in stride and addressed concerns from consumers. Please go teach EVERY OTHER COMPANY EVER how to interact with their customers. You're a class act, Sphero. You have my respect.
For anyone upset about the RPG version, they have that app which is called "Sphero". If you want the original app, it is called "Sphero Drive". It says right in the description of Sphero Drive that it is the "classic driving expierience"... Cheers!
That's what reviews are. I can definitely appreciate the massive amount of work that went into building a robot that's this neat, but they messed up the software something fierce.
It's unfortunate that they spent a ton of time and money making something that's lame, but I'd much rather say that than have people buy something lame because I said it was cool.
Yes, there's an induction charger.
There aren't any in-app purchases. In app-purchases on a toy that costs $130 are unacceptable.
We don't take money in exchange for product coverage. That's really sleazy. If we were asked to do that at any publication, I wouldn't work there anymore.
My dog really loves it, although it makes her a little crazy.
That's what we do every single day :)
I asked. They said there was no way to bypass it. Because of the way App Stores work, you can't even install an older version of the app and avoid it that way.
My cousin had a remote control ball back in the late 90's or early 00's. It was the size of a basketball. It was fun for a bit.
I love what you do every single day.
It worked on my iPad
The "game" with any remote controled thing is to learn how to drive it, and to see what tricks can be done. You don't need to add a tacked on rpg thing for people to have fun.
It has MORE than ONE game app and this guy is just basing performance on ONE piece of software for Sphero 2.0 rather than all of the apps.
That's what we try to do every single day.
This was a really great post, right up until the point that you compared bad consumer electronics products to Hitler.
That grinding thingie would be totally fine if it was optional. But having it mandatory is just insane!
I noticed that target was one of the sellers when Linus covered these at CES. I went to work and couldn't find it until looking it up on the PDA. Two were in the electronics storage room. Like two days later they were on the clearance rack for like 75% off.
Props for Go Sphero for fixing the Just Drive function.
Wow, this seems like the most pointless use of gamification I've seen in a long time. It really speaks volumes about how you feel about your own product's value if you have to pad out the user's "gameplay" time with it in a way that totally locks the user out of the fun to participate in a totally unnecessary pseudo-RPG.
Sure, give the user apps to play with and accomplish missions or other little game-y quirks to enjoy, but don't make that the main experience packaged with the device. Also if you make a game to play with this thing, it should be fun, not tedious and frustrating. To have that be the main app for the device seems to suggest the makers don't even know what's enjoyable about their own product.
It doesn't inspire much confidence, that's for sure.
It's really nice to know that these Show and Tell videos aren't just to sell products but to actually give them a fair review. I was scared when you were first doing these that you were being payed by the creators to give them a positive review, it's good to know that isn't the case.
The joy in his face
Looks like you weren't the only one that hated those features:
What's New in Version 3.0.13
-Added color, drive the rainbow.
-Added "Just Drive" mode based on your feedback.
-Removed Shields.
What you're advocating has been quite extensively debated already. If i'm not mistaken the general consensus is that it's more unsafe for people to not have the option to drive faster in case they need it.
It should also be noted, that there are several apps available for this item... and that is just one app.
Thank you for your honesty!!!!
I cannot think of a single "normal" circumstance when breaking the speed limit is safer than the posted limit or under. The reason why it has not been introduced is because no one would buy a sports/ super car, and no one would get a speeding ticket.
OH MY GOO. THIS IS THE KILLER TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL REVOLUTIONIZE EVERYTHING.
They need to make a smaller one the size of a golf ball. Then you can impress your friends with your amazing putting skills.
Wow! An unexpected invocation of Godwin’s law there! Nice.
cant u just use the old app and be able to go full speed straight away?
I was completely with you, up until you mentioned the car. Because that is the best idea ever and should be installed immediately on all high performance cars. Stopping people from driving over the speed limit full stop would be best, but at least limiting them for a while would allow them to "learn" the handling characteristics without killing themselves/others/pets etc.
Do you get this stuff sent to you for reviewing or are these personal purchases?
That app he's using looks a lot different than the current one, though. I wonder if he's reviewing while using the previous app without the update. If so, that's an unfair review
vidfreak727 Dude, this review was done in 2013
ok
Thanks for the honest review. I've played with the original model and was equally as unimpressed.
Maybe if they put in some kind of 'classic' of 'free play' mode so you can just fool around and have fun, it would've been a better product...?
This could be pretty sweet as a pet toy if it can do tracking. Perhaps if you could set an origin sticker somewhere in the house, and then program it to path around, or maybe use some kind of infrared paint.
But I think the progression software is absurd. Let people use the hardware to its potential out of the box.
And not great as an RC toy at $130. Maybe eBay one for $40(they are quite "cheap" on there).
Just got a lot better at snooker, cheers Will
So, do they limit the things you can do with it by including some kind of obligatory level system? That seems an odd thing to do
So you spend the money and it does not fully work out of the box, you have to spend 8 hours to level it up?
I think they should put some sort of arcade mode on the software, making it so you can just play without having to level.
I also think the shield thing is pretty dumb. However, I also think this is centered around being for children, so that could add a sense of a game to the device
Completely failed to note that there's a whole heap of games and other software you can download for it and you can develop your own as well.
I feel like the leveling is going more towards the market of people that want to race their friends... not necessarily a bad thing.
theres an option where you dont have to upgrade it where it is fully upgraded to play with
How much does it cost to level up all the way with in app purchases?
"I'm Gonna go of the ramp in to the bin." *Boink*
Thanks for the tip but can you youse the old sphero softwhere
I think the creators are trying to incorporate both game and r/c world together to make a unique toy that you need to really put your time into it if you want to use/play at its maximum ability. But look at this from a gaming perspective, if you buy a game right out of the box and everything is unlocked already then it wouldn't be a very fun game to play now would it.
Nope, Android and iOS.
You could do a Marble Madness course and race your friends.
I agree with what you are saying but I see what the creators of the Sphero are trying to do and there for understanding why the creators put lvl progression into the the Sphero. I simply just explaining what the creators are trying to do. Its important to understand why they created this product in the first place rather than just listing stuff you didn't like about it cause you don't understand how to play it. (I personally don't find lvl progression to be fun)
holy crapballs my cat will freak out with joy
Yeah what i got from the review is that it's a neat little toy that has the fun sucked out of it by rpg limited controls.
Would be a cool pets toy though.
*watches video*
"This thing is kinda lame"
*Says it costs $130*
"BAHAHAHAHAH, YA... NO!"
Are they saying you can't get the old app? Because if it's that simple then an old version might be floating around for those who have rooted phones/ipads.
I have one of these at work. It's fun when your getting paid to play with it.
True some of the R/C cars do have cameras in them, but I'm talking the little tiny ones that fit in your hand that don't, and if not for the fact they used iOS for there controller, u could win them from a crane game(which I have several times in the past) or buy them from someplace like Dollar General for around $5/$10US, but yeah a quadcopter would be very nice too have for something more high end for sure
He just described every jrpg.
for being an omnidirectional orb thats controlled with a smart phone,and a 130$ price tag. I would think it would be a science oriented toy. to add on that rpg element makes it seem like they are trying to market it towards parents that buy things to make their little kids go away. im sure it wouldnt be too hard to write a simple app to control this thing and use it to the full potential.
is there an automatic mode to make it randomly go around for pets?
As you saw, he was using an HTC for one device.
I would gladly buy this if it were not totally out of my price range. Why have all the fun toys always been just slightly too expensive for me to justify buying.
Can you use Android phone
$130 for a remote control toy to mess with your dog/ small child is pretty steep to begin with, a $20 or $30 remote control car would do the trick just as well. Or at least close enough to make up the $100 difference in price.
This is why people have children. That grind is nothing in the hands of 2 five year olds.
This is more like Sphero Closed Beta - Limited Edition
how do you level up when no more mission pop up ???? (im level 18 sphero 2.0)
I think ill just wait for the Sphero 2B
hpoefully it can be hacked to allow for seamless driving without having to re-up your "shields" etc
How do you recharge them? Induction?
why didnt they use the phones gyro to controll it like the ar drone does, would be much more neat
If they were smart they'd lower the price of the toy, release the code necessary to get hackers involved and see this thing take off in directions they would've never expected.
And then it was AWESOME.
$130 for an RC Ball doesn't seem right. But it sort of looks worth it.
This should be called "will tests expencive stuff" :p
lol imagine all the man-hours and meetings and work people did to create the sphero, just to have some nerd on the internet give it a review of "it's kinda lame"
i love the honesty though and at least you explained why it was lame
Van you use andoird
how do you charge these things!?!?
wasn't there a 'just drive' mode that comes with everything already unlocked?
oh, well... atleast you can write your own .apk's for it
And no it's not lame they have Sprk and there a lot of fun apps!
The sphero drive app lets you drive without limits or setbacks
is there any way to bypass the obligatory level system?
has the new software came out or ?????
my cat is going to be nuts :D
Finally they do sphero
You put it in a kind of a cradle. There are no contacts. It charges like a tooth brush.
Haha that is so cute! I don't like the sound of that software, would just like to play with the thing! American money is real money and so it will be just as expensive here in the UK :(
wait did they fix it because now the app is new
You didn't update the app. They removed shields.
The software was already fixed.
+Henry English Not by the time the video was made. You may note that this video was made in 2013 and you didn't come along until the end of 2015
Yes I know.
Just letting today's viewers know.
I can't help wondering how many vets will report having to surgically remove these things in the next few years......Lol !!
For the first the sphero is water proff so driving it in water wont do anything and for the second there are apps for pure driving.
is there cheats/hacks to skip the grind? At very least in the works.
Can't watch video on my iPad !
just because you hatin on the new sphero 2.0 doesn't mean you have to make a video on it
Still waiting to understand the term level up?