Go, Go, Sphero? Unboxing & first impressions!
The first time I saw Sphero — a little Bluetooth-controlled spherical robot — was in a Family Gamer TV episode earlier this year, and I wanted one immediately! It just looked so awesome! Imagine — a little glowing ball to zoom around the office, negotiate obstacles at home, and chased by cats. Awesome!
So when I saw it discounted on Amazon from £99.99 ($129 in the US
Here’s my unboxing and first-impressions video:
Sphero is really nicely packaged, and it feels worth the premium cost… until you open it. The box felt heavy which I expected to be the weight of Sphero, but actually the weight is in the charger and plug. Sphero itself feels weirdly cheap; it feels like there’s a protective film around it, but after a few moments of picking and realising nothing was budging, I figured out that the Sphero just feels that way.
Sadly, the software feels even cheaper. Unlike the Pebble smart watch which can pair to your device via the app, Sphero needs to be manually paired before the app can detect it. In subsequent plays, the initialisation of the connection was hit-and-miss. The app is bold and goofy, and clearly aimed at an audience younger than me! It starts up with a movie about the Sphero’s backstory as an alien from outer space or something… I didn’t finish it, because I just wanted to start driving the thing.
Eventually, I got to the driving part of the app. I followed the tips, set up my Sphero, and… well, I couldn’t get the thing to work. I could make it grind and rotate on the spot, but not actually drive anywhere. It’s all in my video above.
My gut instinct is that the hardware is working, but I just can’t figure out the software. I’m sure it’s possible to drive it the way I want to, but I can’t wrap my head around it. The software was also sadly not written with a global audience in mind, and uses language which is pretty offensive here in the UK. If I had to describe how the software makes me feel, I’d say it’s somewhere between “stupid” and “sick”.
Considering the massive discount I got, I don’t feel too let down. I’m sure I’ll figure it out, given enough time. Honestly though, I expected Sphero to feel a bit more premium, given the normal asking price, and I expected the software to make more sense. I expected it to be more “pick-up-and-play”-able rather than stumping me solid for 20 minutes until I gave up.
Would I recommend Sphero? For £19.99 ($33), sure — pick one up and see if you have more luck than me. For £99.99 ($129)? No way. Go spend the money on a really nice RC car instead.
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