Photo: Hot Wheels
I wasn't a big fan of Hot Wheels growing up, but I can still remember buying one (well, asking my mom to). It was small and I wasn't particularly crazy about it, but it was one more car to play with.
However, my disappointment with the new purchase grew to dizzying heights after I turned the package over and saw a few more Hot Wheels models I couldn't ask my mother to buy for one month. One of them, in particular, I will never forget: it was a roofless white Suzuki Vitara with a winch and "Beach Patrol" written across it. You have no idea how many times I played with that thing. But only in my mind, because one month later, it was nowhere to be found.
I could probably buy it off e-Bay now, but it wouldn't be the same. Besides, Hot Wheels is offering much better choices these days, and they don't get more attractive than the Hot Wheels AI racing system. Being overwhelmed with information about self-driving cars, the first thing you'll probably notice is the "AI" bit. Indeed, the Hot Wheels set does come with some sort of "artificial intelligence," but it's the good kind.
Instead of forcing the cars to stay on track by having them guided with a pin on a rail, the Hot Wheels AI does things a lot more... 21st century. It uses a sensor on the bottom of the cars that reads a color pattern on the track, steering the vehicles when necessary to keep them in the race. It will be interesting to see how this interferes with your racing strategy, because other than that, the two cars are free to move wherever their pilot wants.
Unlike other similar games, the Hot Wheels AI has actual remote controllers, with analog joysticks and triggers for accelerating and braking. They also offer the option of switching off the AI intervention, which would probably turn the race into a case of "who can push the other car off the track first." Which sounds like a lot of fun.
The piece comes with 20 "smart" track segments that can be combined for a total of 40 different layouts. The box also says there are "virtual track hazards" and displays a virtual oil pool, which explains why the track is so smart. The quality doesn't look to be excellent, but then again the price isn't too high either. Expected to sell for $100 sometime closer to the end of the year, the Hot Wheels AI is likely to make many dads happy this Christmas.
I could probably buy it off e-Bay now, but it wouldn't be the same. Besides, Hot Wheels is offering much better choices these days, and they don't get more attractive than the Hot Wheels AI racing system. Being overwhelmed with information about self-driving cars, the first thing you'll probably notice is the "AI" bit. Indeed, the Hot Wheels set does come with some sort of "artificial intelligence," but it's the good kind.
Instead of forcing the cars to stay on track by having them guided with a pin on a rail, the Hot Wheels AI does things a lot more... 21st century. It uses a sensor on the bottom of the cars that reads a color pattern on the track, steering the vehicles when necessary to keep them in the race. It will be interesting to see how this interferes with your racing strategy, because other than that, the two cars are free to move wherever their pilot wants.
Unlike other similar games, the Hot Wheels AI has actual remote controllers, with analog joysticks and triggers for accelerating and braking. They also offer the option of switching off the AI intervention, which would probably turn the race into a case of "who can push the other car off the track first." Which sounds like a lot of fun.
The piece comes with 20 "smart" track segments that can be combined for a total of 40 different layouts. The box also says there are "virtual track hazards" and displays a virtual oil pool, which explains why the track is so smart. The quality doesn't look to be excellent, but then again the price isn't too high either. Expected to sell for $100 sometime closer to the end of the year, the Hot Wheels AI is likely to make many dads happy this Christmas.
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