![]() ![]() You’ve got enough track to build eight course layouts (with risers for looping designs), plus two cars for head-to-head battles or races against an A.I. Expand? Eh…Īnd it all comes together really well with the Starter Kit. That’s a very cool benefit that shows the real potential of connected toys: it’s not just about replacing an RC remote with your phone screen. Small speed and shield boosts help your car on the track, as do the customizable weapons that open up along the way. More importantly, the app provides a sense of progression: you’ll earn experience and in both campaign and standalone events and level your car up, which allows you to tap into upgrades. It loops through races and combat-centric battle events, and while it’s not the most enthralling quest, it provides a bit of context so you’re not just repeatedly running plain races when friends aren’t around. First is the campaign mode, which delivers a series of increasingly challenging races with just enough of a storyline to drive your ascent in the futuristic racing league. They scan the track to learn the route, and then during the race they can detect their place on the track, as well as the other cars.īut the app also enriches the experience in two other key ways. You don’t actually drive the cars manually. It also provides sound effects, spoken dialogue, and music, adding a crucial theatrical element to the experience. It’s the home control panel that lets you set up events, customize your virtual driver, and see which cartoonish opponents inhabit the A.I.-controlled cars you’re battling against. In fact, while the physical components make Anki Overdrive feel like a video game come to life, the Overdrive app itself really propels the experience. Your phone vibrates, the cars light up and slow down, and it gives the game a Mario Kart-esque allure. Other weapons might stall you on the track for a couple seconds, weaken your armor against further attacks, or show your momentum with machine gun fire. If you’re hit with a tractor beam, for example, you’ll slow down and the foe who zapped you will blast ahead. No, they’re not physical projectiles or attacks (I can dream), but rather virtual volleys that resonate within the app. Winning races and battles nets you upgrades for your weapons and cars. The latter point is important, since Anki Overdrive has a secret, unseen weapon: weapons. ![]() You’ll lightly steer the car by tilting your phone or tablet, so you can lean into turns or position yourself behind a rival. It’s so cool to see them whip around the course for the first time, but you’ve got a job to do. Anki’s little sprinters are impressively speedy as they auto-accelerate around the tracks, constantly scanning the infrared markings on the pieces to maintain position as they zip along. After connecting to the Anki Overdrive app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device, they’ll do a slow lap or two around the course and learn the layout.Īnd then they’re off-quickly, too. You get two with the box, and they’ll need about 10 minutes on the included charging dock to be fully juiced up they run upwards of 20 minutes once charged. Unlike traditional slot cars, these very thin, plastic tracks aren’t electrified: it’s the cars themselves. It's slated to launch in October.The magnetized track pieces snap together. For $100, the Hot Wheels AI package includes two cars, 20 pieces of track, and a pair of controllers. You'll also pay less compared to Anki's Overdrive Starter Kit. But the Hot Wheels system may have a longer shelf life thanks to the cars' standalone R/C skills: The included remotes offer simple left/right thumbstick controls, as well as triggers for forward and reverse. Advanced mode involves more user input and higher speeds, and an Expert mode unlocks the cars' top speeds and forces you to take complete control.Īnki's system tries to be like a real-world video game, while this Hot Wheels system is more like a pair of easily controlled R/C cars with video-game-like elements thrown in. The easiest is a no-brainer Beginner mode that keeps your car on the road no matter what, and at snoozy low speeds. There are three driving modes to choose from. The system also keeps tracks of each lap as you complete it, and a speaker in each controller barks out your position in the race and your fastest lap times. Unlike Anki's cars, they don't know competing cars' positions on the track, but you can launch virtual oil slicks and missiles to disrupt cars in front of you. The AI in these cars is limited to their ability to read the track in real-time, as well as some digital weaponry you can use to sabotage your opponent.
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