Some basics if you want to pick up the BB-8 by Sphero yourself. You might recall we covered earlier that there would be at least two versions of the BB-8 that you can control yourself, one by Hasbro that looks like it is going to be only at Target, and another by the company called Sphero that actually helped make the BB-8 that debuted on stage at Star Wars Celebration.
During the first 12 hours of Force Friday, the Sphero BB-8 was unveiled on the Star Wars official YouTube live stream andSphero.com/starwars refreshed with some new info about the little gal, including this super-cute launch video for the product:
Now you want one, right? Let’s go through this in Q&A style so we can talk about if you are going to spend your time and money tracking one of these cuties down.
When can I get the Sphero BB-8?
We can officially say that these should go on sale at participating outlets at 12:01 AM Force Friday morning (9/4). So, now!
Where can I get the Sphero BB-8?
Sphero isn’t a company that has its own stores, so you best bet is to check an outlet listed at Sphero.com/retail-partners. They have updated the listing to show which ones will be carrying the BB-8.
U.S. Sphero partner stores. Note BB-8 Available.
Because this is an app-controlled toy, it is being sold at tech stores more than toy stores. Toys R Us and KayBee Toys, for instance, probably will NOT have the Sphero BB-8 on hand this Friday. AT&T stores, Apple stores, and Sprint stores probably will. Unlike your Lego and action figures, if you want to physically purchase this droid without ordering online, maybe try slamming the Brookstone near you instead of waiting in line at a Force Friday event store.
How much is the Sphero BB-8?
A cool $150, which is only $20 more than the Sphero 2.0, Sphero’s equivalent product.
What makes this better than the cheaper versions of BB-8?
It depends what kind of toy collector or Star Wars fan that you are. Even if you’re super into robots, the gyroscopic positioning might be fun to see work. Since this version of BB-8 is app-controlled and communicates with the toy through Bluetooth, it’s more reliable than the RC version of BB-8 we’re expecting to see a release. The Hasbro Black Series BB-8 that comes with the Rey figure is well sculpted but doesn’t move and the Lego BB-8 is a Lego figure. This is by far the most BB-8 of the available BB-8s.
What comes with BB-8?
BB-8 is a ball, basically a Sphero 2.0 gyroscopic ball toy, the BB-8 head that attaches to the ball by internal magnets, and a charging stand that charges the ball through contact. Because the head is held on with magnets, it does come off.
The head comes off?
Yeah, if you run it into a wall hard enough, you can pop the head off. It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t stop the ball from working or anything.
What does BB-8 do?
You can drive BB-8 around using the app (currently available in the iOS and Android stores), just like a Sphero 2.0 but with that cute head and the app beeps at you in BB-8’s “voice” if you have that option turned on.
Driving mode with instructional text.
BB-8 has a series of voice commands that it will respond to in various ways. Ask her how she’s doing and it’ll do a little dance for you if she’s fully charged. You can command it into and out of sleep mode and tell her to “look around” which will start a bout of wandering.
BB-8’s voice commands
You can record a video on your device and through that same device see an Augmented Reality projection of the video. It comes with a pre-loaded video about the new X-Wings, but you can also record your own. Presumably Sphero can push messages to BB-8’s projection through the app, so here’s hoping there’s some fun content added for this in the future. Right now, the info on the X-Wing is the best.
BB-8 also boasts “Autonomous Behavior” and “Adaptive Personality.” It is certainly autonomous in “Patrol” mode where the ball droid wanders around, keeping data on acceleration and possible boundaries and obstacles. Just how much it learns still remains to be seen. Right now my BB-8 is trapped in the kitchen. She’ll find her way out eventually, but will she remember the kitchen?
How is the app and the control?
Pretty good!
All the cute sounds you hear BB-8 make in the above video will come through your app, so I highly recommend headphones for maximum cuteness. When you drive BB-8, she projects a blue light from inside her casing that allows you to orient your app control, then it works like a joystick. There are tap-able buttons for a speed boost (all the better for jumping her off ramps made out of folded rugs!), perimeter patrol and some controlled motions like a square and figure 8 pattern.
I managed to set up a little obstacle course with books and Spider-Man action figures and any problems I had were entirely because I’m new at driving ball droids:
There are a few other settings in the drive menu like putting BB-8 on “Alert” and forcing a self diagnostic. There’s not an instruction manual, so all I had to go with is trial and error. Still not exactly sure what they do. One looks like it toggles vocal responses, but BB-8 seems to respond to my voice regardless.
The patrol mode of the app makes BB-8 wander on its own. On the app, a bunch of mini screens show up that include data from BB-8 like acceleration, temperature, proximity warnings, and collision data. It’s looks like BB-8 is gathering a ton of data. I wonder if it’s really mapping sometimes.
Does BB-8 work on carpet?
Yes and no. If you have long or shag carpet, BB-8 is going to need some momentum to get started. I drove BB-8 on hardwood floors (where you can get her to drift if you try hard enough!), rugs (short cut weave – no problems) and shag carpet (once she stops, she’s not moving). You’re going to have the most fun with BB-8 on not carpeted surfaces.
The drive mode has a “boost” option (puts the ball in turbo for a second), so you can get it across shag carpeting by getting some momentum and timing your “boosts” correctly.
BB-8 is a she?
The literature says “he” once, but who is Star Wars to gender my droid?
What about pets – will my pet ruin my Sphero BB-8?
Sphero BB-8 is pretty durable. The casing on the ball is ultimately what you’ll be worrying about as – like any Sphero – it’s just a plastic shell. The Sphero product line has rubber treads and things you can augment your ball with, but none of these will work with BB-8 because of her head attachment. If you have a cat or a dog, make sure they don’t detach the head and start chewing on it. Otherwise, if they don’t gnaw on the ball casing, BB-8 is pretty pet friendly.
Some research has been done. Here are a bunch of cats with a Sphero 2.0
Can I take BB-8 outside?
I’m sure you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The ball is the thing on the ground, so it will track dirt and stuff up inside the head. You don’t want that.
Can I take BB-8 to public places to get attention from people?
Yes. BB-8 is a lot like a puppy in that regard. I’m not sure you could do this with a plain Sphero, but I took BB-8 to a coffee shop and drove her around on a table and people LOVED it.
Can BB-8 do stunts?
Tiny ones, yeah! Now that I’ve messed around with BB-8 for an hour, I really want to get the Sphero terrain park accessory and see how BB-8 rolls.
Is this robot now your best friend?
Yes. I have begun speaking to it outside its recognized commands and it responds in loveable Star Wars bleeps and bloops. Adorable.
What makes it so cute?
When you say “It’s a trap!” she runs and hides. I was so happy.
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