Review: Orbotix Sphero 2.0

The future of mobile gaming is bright. And round. And rolls on the ground while you steer it from the comfort of your smartphone.

At least, that's Orbotix's vision of the future. The company first released its Sphero robotic toy in 2011. Now, the ball is back – the newly updated Sphero 2.0 is ready for a second trip around the carpet.

Playing with Sphero is a lot like playing with an RC car, but with greater maneuverability and a lot more room for imagination. It's not just a ball that you drive around. You can use it to play specially tailored games with the switch of an app.

My first impressions of Sphero when I reviewed the old version were that it showed promise, but that it was really just a glorified cat toy, and an expensive one at that. But some significant hardware and software upgrades have made it more compelling, more interactive, and heck, just plain more fun. It's available for pre-order today, and like the previous model, Sphero 2.0 costs $130. That's still pricey for what is essentially a remote-controlled ball, but now, it may actually be worth the money.

The new Sphero is twice as fast as the original, reaching speeds of up to 7 feet per second, about 4.8 mph. That's spritely enough that if you're rolling down a long sidewalk or hallway, you'll have to jog to keep up with it. That's also enough speed to make some impressive jumps off the two plastic ramps that come in the package. It's not like a Motocross event or anything, but this robo ball got enough air to garner wows in the office.

It's a little bit smaller than a baseball, and it comes in two editions that differ only in appearance: one with the same opaque white shell as the original, emblazoned with the Sphero logo in blue, and an Apple Store exclusive that has an iridescent white sheen. The Apple exclusive version is called "Sphero Revealed" – see-through cutouts on the ball's shell offer a peek at Sphero's electronic innards. The body for both models is high-impact, waterproof polycarbonate. In addition to the ramps, it also comes with a nubby silicone case you can squeeze onto Sphero to give it more grip on slick surfaces.

Dual LEDs are tucked inside the chassis, and they're brighter on this updated version. The toy's familiar multicolored glow is more visible in both well-lit areas and during nighttime rolls. To turn it on, you give the ball a good whack and its lights start cycling through a rainbow of hues. It often took me a couple whacks to do this.

Inside, Sphero 2.0 is essentially a tiny Segway, motored about by two wheels at the inside bottom of its chassis. It has a lower center of gravity than the first Sphero, which means it rolls with less noise and less effort than before. Maneuverability is also a little better.

The danger of these things is that the novelty wears off quickly. So, you'll spend $130 on a neat toy, play with it for a few nights, and then stash it on a shelf, where it winds up a dusty relic. To keep you engaged, Orbotix has built an unlocking experience into the main Sphero controller app. You can't access the full capabilities of the device right out of the box – you've got to keep driving Sphero until you earn achievements to unlock things like new top speeds and special lighting tricks. By logging in with Facebook or creating an account, you can also track your progression toward becoming the Master of Sphero and measure your achievements against your friends (Nnnnnerd!).

The biggest fault of the original Sphero was its lack of game offerings within the device's ecosystem. Orbotix released an API and SDK with the first Sphero so that app creators could build custom games. Two years later, Sphero's paltry app ecosystem has expanded to 25 titles, and the company says five more are scheduled to arrive by the end of the year. Now, you've got multiplayer games, multi-ball games, augmented reality games, and games that let you program Sphero's moves and colors. Many of the offerings are free, while others cost just a buck, so it's a cheap and easy way to make this little robotic ball do a lot more. I get a kick out of an AR titled called The Rolling Dead (developed by Orbotix) in which you've got to roll Sphero to try to kill zombies that appear to climb out of the floor. Sphero Pinwheel turns the ball into something like the classic memory game Simon. And Sharky the Beaver turns the ball into a 3D-looking beaver you maneuver to nom cupcakes that drop to the ground.

Sphero still makes an entertaining pet toy, too, of course. I tested it against a fat cat, two Boston terriers, and a corgi. The cat found Sphero mesmerizing and whackable, but too much work to chase when it starts hitting top speeds. The corgi was cautiously afraid of Sphero. The Boston terriers enjoyed chasing Sphero, but with the silicone casing on, my efforts were thwarted when they realized they could just pick up Sphero in their mouths as a glowing prize and take it back to their dog bed. The casing attracts dirt and pet hair from the floor, but is easily washable.

Through its more robust app offerings and higher speed capabilities, Orbotix has managed to completely level up the Sphero experience. While I still don't know if a robotic ball has the sort of mass appeal to gain a wide following, Sphero 2.0 is an undeniably high quality product that holds a lot of promise for future mobile development, but has enough available app options to make it a dynamic toy today.

I can see Sphero being especially appealing to people who love future toys – the AR games, the hackability of the thing, and the fact that you control it from a smartphone really pluck all the geek strings.

WIRED Fun for humans and pets alike. Respectable app ecosystem (iOS and Android). Dependable Bluetooth connection with no perceptible lag between commands and execution. Super-durable polycarbonate shell can withstand drops, dog jaws, kicks from editors, and rolls on cement. At least an hour of battery life, and charges via induction on an included stand.

TIRED Still requires calibration every time you turn it on, and recalibration whenever Sphero's compass falls out of sync with your phone's compass, which happens fairly often unless you're stationary. The "whack to wake it up" feature doesn't always work properly.