Sphero by Orbotix

Reviews for Sphero by Orbotix

Customer Reviews and Ratings

4.0 out of 5 stars

Based on 20 reviews

Write a Review
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    More Than Just a Remote Toy! Endless Robotic Fun!

    • Written by from Frankford

    I bought my first Sphero when they premiered early this year, I chose it because you can only do specific things with a bluetooth controlled car or helicopter, but the robotic ball has endless possibilities! Sphero has 7 or 8 apps released by the company to interact with the ball and your surroundings, Drive, Mini Golf, Video Drive, and games Like Chromo where you use the Sphero as the game controller! Other App produces also build in Sphero functions to their apps to control anything from music or the character in the game. It uses induction charging (which will raise some eyebrows) and the charge will last a solid hour of driving full speed! It's awesome the Apple Store picked this item because Orbotix is an inventive company with plenty of fun on the horizon!

    128 of 143 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Endless Possibilities

    • Written by from LOS ANGELES

    I can't say what possessed me to purchase a Sphero but I haven't regretted it for a second. The thing works great with my ipad and the variety of apps (each with their own options for gameplay so there can be multiple games per app like time or memory challenges) makes this a winner.

    I've discovered a few uneven sections of my carpet where the Sphero doesn't work quite as well but if I use the "boost" to get up to speed I can plow right through. On the tile in the kitchen it's a champ. I haven't used it in water (can't imagine I will, either) but am glad to hear it's waterproof as the dog seems to enjoy chasing it and she can drool a little. On a related note, this isn’t a cheap, thin plastic ball. Before I handled it, I had this picture in my head of my dog chewing up those plastic Easter eggs but she’s caught it more than a few times and there’s not a mark on it. I wouldn't leave it within reach but I'm not scared of it breaking anymore, either.

    The apps and potential for use as controller are what really have me excited, though. I've bought a lot of hardware/software products that just don't deliver in one of those regards. "Great software, poor build quality!" Not here. It feels refined in all regards. And there are more apps coming, apparently (9 are listed on their site as I write this). It doesn’t always strike me as the most accurate controller but I’ve blamed every video game controller I’ve ever used at one time or another so maybe it’s me. Works as described and the inductive charging means it's always good to go if I just remember to put it away. Since I try to keep it away from the dog, that hasn't proven too difficult.

    108 of 120 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Family Fun!

    • Written by from Billings

    I originally bought this as a present for my dad to play with in his office. But our dog, and my niece have quickly figured out how cool it is. It's truly a gaming device for all ages! With all the available apps, you never get sick of just one game! Not to mention the future of apps still to come - it will seem like a new toy each time a new app is developed. Don't forget to take it for a swim, when they say waterproof, they mean it!

    106 of 124 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Amazing

    • Written by from Eagle Mountain

    I have been using my sphero for a few months now and have loved owning it. I have had a lot of fun using it and it has been very durable (although it isn't good, it has fallen off a table a few times and has been found under foot once or twice). It is fairly expensive but I definitely recommend buying it.

    58 of 70 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Amazing

    • Written by from Wilmington

    Sphero is so cool!!! :)

    56 of 71 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    That shi cray

    • Written by from Boulder

    Pairing to my ipad painless. Driving was very easy to pick up after following instructions and using it a controller for chromo or etch a sketch app is genius!

    41 of 47 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Robot Balls

    • Written by from Centennial

    Sphero is pretty cool. Controlling it took a minute to get used to, but after I got the hang of it it was pretty easy. Love that it's waterproof. Love that you can change colors. The Chromo app is fun...want more apps like that where Sphero is like a joystick. Still trying to figure out MacroLab, but seems like it could be cool to program stuff. Overall I'm really happy I got it...Just want some more apps!

    37 of 43 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Rocks!

    • Written by from Longmont

    I purchased and played with Sphero out at Apple's Developer Conference. As a developer I love what this device can do - I personally can sit down and write games to this ball. How cool is that? You can play driving, table top and controller games.

    The guy that rated this a 1 star is nuts...don't believe it!

    33 of 38 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Needs work

    • Written by from San Diego

    I'll start by saying that I really wanted to love this product. I have had my eye on it for quite some time. I bought it with the hopes of entertaining my energetic 12 pound dog when I didn't feel like moving off the couch. The price was steep but if he enjoyed it and got his energy out chasing it around it would be worth it. The device took about 6-7 attempts to pair. It kept saying "unsuccessful" - eventually it paired.

    The controls were decent. I tried a few apps. My favorite being sphero drive.

    My dog was afraid at first and then just apathetic. He just jumped on the couch to get away and watched me roll it around the room. I tried to entice him but he didn't have any interest in chasing it.

    Your dog my be different but I chose to return it. Too expensive of a toy to just sit around.

    My only other comment is the controls aren't very sharp. It doesn't turn around on a dime when you go from forwards to backwards. It more does a wide U turn. I probably would've gotten better with practice but since the dog wasn't interested I didn't play with it much more.

    56 of 98 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    so fun!!!

    • Written by from ירושלים

    its realy fun i love it the only problem is : you have to charge it 3 hours till you can play for only 1 hour i love it do

    22 of 31 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    fun when it connected

    • Written by from austin

    i really wanted to like this toy and i did ONLY when it connected. i had it for a full week, played with it for 4 days total and on the 7th day it no longer connected. many connection complaints on other websites and forums. this doesnt seem to be an isolated incident. its a fun office toy that everyone wanted to play with. it really is cool and so are the apps, especially macrolab. i just cant justify spending $140 after taxes for it to have problems like it does. im going to return it before my 14 days are up. i would definitely buy again (and want to) if they fix these issues and drop the price (even down to $99). the charger is awesome and the build quality is good. doesnt feel cheap. its a shame because i would have given it 4 stars (-1 star for price).

    37 of 61 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Best

    • Written by from White City

    Best toy ever worth the price.

    20 of 28 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Very funny for kids

    • Written by from Springfield Gardens

    The Sphero is amazing. Once you really know how to control it, it become enjoyable.

    I have a one year old twins, and they try to catch it every night. I love it and I will absolutely recommend it.

    13 of 20 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    Shphero by Orbotics

    • Written by from Marlborough

    I was really excited to recive this product in the mail. I had watched all the videos related to it and thought Sphero was a very cute toy. I opened it right away and started to hook it up to an iPad. Once the initial fun wore off I began to realize that Sphero seemed very fragile, completely unlike the adds specifily it as having an "opaque, high-impact polycarbonate shell on the outside". The shell which I thought was more murky, translucenty color felt very thin and the built in light inside only shone through to the outside in a few places. And to tell you the truth you had to realign Sphero's "tail-light" many times over the course of the time I played with it. Overall I am displeased with this little robot. This would be a pretty cool toy if only the price would come down ALOT, somewhere in the range of a lower-end, remote controlled helicopter. This item will be in the mail back tomorrow.

    12 of 19 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Love this product

    • Written by from Loveland

    My kids play non-stop. Awesome for family gatherings when all the kiddos need something to do. Love it.

    3 of 3 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Addictive

    • Written by from Boulder

    The driving app is addictive on this little guy, takes some getting used to but fun learning.
    Love the game called Exile too. Great throwback.

    2 of 2 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Super boring and doesn't work very well.

    • Written by from Phoenix

    We bought one of these for our kids because we thought they looked cool. The thing is nearly impossible to drive. By the time you get the hang of it, you realize that you've spent over a hundred bucks just to (poorly) drive a little ball around your floor. Plus, if you run it into the corner, the thing can't go backwards, so you have to walk over and pick it up. Pretty silly limitation for something they're calling a "robot."

    34 of 67 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    One Device, So Many Games!

    • Written by from Highlands Ranch

    I love my Spheros. I have two and playing Sphero Tag with them is just about as fun as it gets.

    Highlights: Pass Sphero-- Like hot potato with your Sphero. As a grown adult, I had the most fun family game night in years playing Pass Sphero with my parents and friends playing this game. Chromo game on Spin mode-- played on an iPad with headphones = fully immersive gaming experience. Sharky the Beaver-- Still can't get over having multi-million dollar movie technology in my pocket and taking pictures of the animated little guy. Waterproof-- I've had way too much fun driving Sphero in fountains. Learning to program with Sphero-- cool to learn how a robot understands commands.

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Boring!

    • Written by from Orlando

    I'm a 3D artist and love high tech stuff. My only experience with robotics was building a HeathKit Hero one robot. I truly enjoyed doing it, but hadn't looked at robots since. This year I decided to buy myself a Christmas present, and since I already have an AR Drone 2.0, I thought Sphero would be interesting. Well, as it turns out I will probably be returning mine soon. I had read somewhere that it was an autonomous robot. It seems more like a remote controlled ball than anything else. Kind of expensive at $129.95. I thought an autonomous robot should be able to determine where it is and react to it's environment. Sphero just seems to do what you tell it to much more like a remote controlled car. I know it has a lot of sensors compass, accelerometer, and gyro, but I don't see it doing anything with them to really interact with it's environment on it's own. Please if I'm missing something here please correct me. I like Macrolab the best out of all the Apps. It would really be cool if Sphero could interact with it's environment, then make it's own decisions based on the data it obtains. I think the idea is cool, but needs more actual robotic brains. Have you seen Romo the iPhone robot? Now That is more like what I thought Sphero would be. Please tell me what I'm missing. The device works great, and seems to be a very polished product, but after rolling it around a few times it gets really boring. As for using it to control apps, seems like it's much easier to just use the accelerometer built into the iPhone itself. Just saying.

    13 of 39 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate

  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Fairly useless.

    • Written by from Chapel Hill

    This product is overpriced and doesn't do much. Maybe if it was more interesting and entertaining it would be worth purchasing.

    17 of 60 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

    Flag as inappropriate