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The first 'Rocket League' Hot Wheels car arrives this month
Want a tangible sign of your devotion to Rocket League, but would rather not drop $180 on an RC car kit or even several dollars on a Pull-Back Racer? Don't worry, you can buy something with your pocket change. Hot Wheels is launching its first Rocket League die-cast car, the Octane, later in December for a very modest $1.09. You can't really set up miniature matches when only the blue will be available at first (orange doesn't show up until 2019), but this should let you race Rocket League-style on Hot Wheels tracks.
Hot Wheels' real-life 'Rocket League' RC cars land November 1st
If you've ever wondered what Rocket League would be like in real life, this RC version is as close of an approximation as you'll get to the video game. As teased earlier this year, Hot Wheels and Psyonix have teamed up to build an actual physical version of Rocket League. The set comes with two radio-controlled battle-cars -- Octane and Dominus -- an arena, and a ball, with more cars planned as expansion sets. You won't be able to wreak havoc with your Xbox One, PS4 or any other controller, however, as Hot Wheels has opted to use an Android and iPhone app for input instead.
'Mario Kart' Hot Wheels cars arrive next summer
Not every Mario Kart fan has the means to move their obsession into real life by flying to Japan and checking out a Mario Kart ride at a theme park or tearing around the streets of Tokyo in a go-kart while dressed as Yoshi. Mattel will soon offer something a little more modest with branded Mario Kart Hot Wheels cars.
Hot Wheels' GoPro toy car captures sweet shots of your lil' stunts
How much do you love Hot Wheels? So much that you spend your days wishing you could ride that loop-the-loop yourself? Probably not, but Mattel has your back regardless. It just trotted out a Hot Wheels Zoom In car with a slot designed to accommodate one of GoPro's Hero5 and Session action cameras -- yes, you too can document your plastic track racing with a camera that costs exponentially more than the $1.09 vehicle underneath. If you've ever wanted to combine the thrill of first-person stunts with the fear of trusting an expensive gadget to the whims of physics, your dream machine is here.
Rocket League Rivals brings absurd car-based soccer to the real world
This week Hot Wheels unveiled Augmoto, an AR-enhanced course that makes the brand's track races a lot more video game-like. However, in the other direction it's also introducing Rocket League Rivals, a remote control vehicle kit that brings the popular console game's madcap soccer-but-with-cars action into the real world. Based on the number of times our cars flipped over or ran off the track while playing at this week's Toy Fair, it seems to have captured the spirit of the game, at least.
How Mattel is using AR to let you preview Hot Wheels playsets
Taking a cue from Lego, Mattel is betting on augmented reality as a new way to entice shoppers. The company will introduce an AR app this fall, which will generate a virtual version of its Hot Wheels City playsets when you point your phone or tablet at their boxes in stores. The idea is to give kids and parents a better sense of how the set looks and functions without open anything up, and without retailers wasting precious floorspace on demo units.
Hot Wheels' new AR track turns toy racing into a warzone
Hot Wheels may be known for little die-cast cars, but celebrating its 50th birthday this year doesn't mean it's stuck in the past. The brand's already given us AI-controlled racers and cars on virtual courses, but the one thing that's gone largely untouched is its signature plastic track. This year, Hot Wheels mixes things up with Augmoto, which takes the classic racing set and throws augmented reality on top of it. Now, road hazards and collisions can now look as cool as they do in your head, and each race becomes a lot more strategic.
Play ‘Rocket League’ IRL with a Hot Wheels RC car kit
After arriving on the Nintendo Switch in November, there's few places Rocket League hasn't reached -- but soon it will hit the real world. No, not in actual rocket-boosted vehicles, which would be way cooler to watch than a show about its eSports competition. Instead, fans will soon be able to race around in Hot Wheels-brand RC car replicas of the in-game vehicles.
The best toys and coding kits for kids
This is the first year that Engadget has included a toy section in its holiday gift guide, and it's already one of the biggest (and in our opinion, best) sections. Here you'll find both coding kits from Lego and others intended to teach little one basic programming skills, as well as toys that just happen to be electronic in nature. And yes, the re-released Tamagotchi pets made the list -- you know, for the nostalgic millennial on your list.
Osmo 'Mindracers' puts real Hot Wheels on crazy virtual tracks
Hot Wheels will be celebrating its 50th anniversary soon, and even in an era when kids spend a lot of time on smartphones and tablets, they also still play with little die-cast metal vehicles on plastic orange track. But the venerable toy car brand can also be found on handheld devices, making its entry into AR earlier this year with Track Builder, which allowed users to build their own Hot Wheels setup in simulated space by moving their phone around. Last holiday season the company also brought video game mechanics into the real world with Hot Wheels AI, which put computer-controlled cars onto a real track with virtual pitfalls. With Mindracers, their newest product, Hot Wheels and Osmo have flipped that dynamic around. Now those metal cars can be dropped into virtual worlds, the kind of places kids used to only see in their imagination.
You're not too old to play with Hot Wheels in 'Forza Horizon 3'
The second Forza Horizon 3 expansion is coming out soon and it's bringing a big dose of childhood nostalgia along with it. Hot Wheels and their iconic bright orange tracks arrive on May 9th as part of the Forza Horizon 3 Expansion Pass or as standalone DLC for $19.99.
'Hot Wheels Track Builder' is an AR den for your creations
Hot Wheels is best known for its extensive line of die-cast model cars, as well as some racing video games for younger kids. However, at this year's Toy Fair the brand is aiming to combine the best of both in its new Tango augmented reality game. Track Builder gives you a virtual play area to construct custom tracks for your cars. The only limit is what you can imagine, and not the amount of physical space in your home.
Hot Wheels AI is the love child of slot cars and Roomba
Model cars and track racing are the bread and butter of Hot Wheels, but they might look a little long in the tooth compared with flashy console games like Gran Turismo and Need for Speed. With the new Hot Wheels AI set, toy autos get a bit of a boost -- not just in speed, but in intelligence. Now you can race against a computer in the real world, right there on your living room rug.
'GTA Online' update turns the game into 'Trackmania'
Bummed that Criterion's Burnout followup got canned? Rockstar Games has your back with Cunning Stunts, a free expansion to Grand Theft Auto Online that adds a new dimension to racing in the open world game.
Mattel goes all in on AR for 2013
At last year's Toy Fair, Mattel was all about Apptivity. The line of figures that interact with an iPad didn't exactly revolutionize the industry. But, the company isn't giving up on the concept. In 2013 it's evolving and moving from action figures that you drag across a screen, to much more interactive augmented reality concepts. Rather than simply slapping a capacitive pad on the bottom of a toy, this next-gen version focuses first on delivering a solid analog experience, then enhances it by actually using the considerable computing power made available by the iPad. To give the new series the best chance possible at succeeding, three of the biggest brands in the Mattel stable will be first to make the jump: Barbie, Disney and Hot Wheels. So what does 2013 hold for the venerable toy maker? Head on after the break to find out.
Griffin and Crayola intro contact-free Light Marker, drawing workstations
Griffin and Crayola are already best of friends through their ColorStudio HD collaboration for the iPad. They're deepening that relationship at CES with a handful of iPad accessories and apps based around the quintessential crayon. Heading up the pack, the Crayola Light Marker you see above upgrades the earlier input by letting kids draw in the air; they can splatter (thankfully virtual) paint and play other games without scribbling directly on the tablet's screen. A pair of cradles are joining the marker, including the Digital Activity Center portable lap desk (after the break) and the briefcase-like Color & Play Workstation. The software side is being rounded out with special Barbie and Hot Wheels versions of the ColorStudio HD app, each of which has drawings themed around the perennial favorite toys. Griffin expects the Light Marker, Digital Activity Center and Color & Play Workstation to reach young artists' hands in the spring for $30, $40 and $20 respectively; the specialized iPad apps should arrive later in January, each for $3. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Mattel casts NASA Curiosity rover die with new Hot Wheels toy
After NASA's Curiousity attempts its tension-fraught landing on August 5th, you'll be able to get one yourself in the form of this Hot Wheels die-cast model. The 1:64 scale buggy will reproduce the gutsy rover's nuclear motor, drill, cameras and laser, while being a galaxy away from the $2.5 billion price tag, at a mere $1.09 or so. The real six-wheeled deal will need to hit all its marks perfectly when it attempts to land in a few days, with a complex sequence involving an atmospheric entry, parachute deployment, retro rocket firing and final crane-style drop. So, if you do end up with the toy version, hopefully it'll be a good souvenir of a Spirit-like success -- and not some other unmentionable Mars excursions.
Mattel Apptivity hands-on (video)
Mattel thinks it has the secret to succeeding where so many others have failed in bridging that divide between the virtual and the physical -- and it might be right. While plenty of other toy companies have tried pairing hunks of plastic with apps in the past, Mattel has gone the extra mile, incorporating its recognizable brands and partnering with top tier developers. Later this year the company will launch Apptivity, a line of toys made from conductive plastic that interact with iPad games -- some which you're already quite familiar with, like Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja and, of course, Angry Birds. The games will get an update when the toys hit the market with new features and play modes specifically designed to utilize the physical pieces. Other brands, including WWE, Batman and Hot Wheels will also be part of the first batch of toys designed to be played with on your iPad screen.None of the apps or the toys themselves were quite ready for prime time yet, but Hot Wheels, WWE, Fruit Ninja and Cut the Rope were all at least playable. The Apptivity mode in Cut the Rope and Fruit Ninja are pretty intuitive, but it took a bit of practice to get the hang of Hot Wheels. We had trouble finding the sweet spot on the screen that kept our car speeding along while leaving room to see upcoming obstacles. The line of toys will launch exclusively in Apple Stores in May with Hot Wheels (which will cost $20), followed by the rest in July. Check out the gallery below and the video after the break for a few more impressions.Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.
Hot Wheels RC iNitro Speeders hands-on (video)
iPhone-controlled RC vehicles are a dime a dozen these days. But, ones as tiny as a standard Hot Wheels car? Those are little more rare. In fact, we only know of one such product -- iNitro Speeders from Mattel. The radio-controlled Hot Wheels racers won't hit 100MPH, but it also won't decimate your bank account. The itty-bitty Mustang GT we tried out is, after all, just a toy -- and not the kind that bored rich men buy themselves. It's plastic, relatively cheap ($33) and designed to work with every kid's favorite touchscreen device, the iPhone. So, how is one of the premiere brands of die cast cars keeping up in the smartphone age? Keep reading after the break to find out.
Hot Wheels Video Racer has a VGA camera under its hood, confirms that kids have it all
Damn kids these days and their cool tech toys! We know we sound cranky, jealous, and old, but how are we supposed to react to Mattel's new Hot Wheels Video Racer? Yep, just as the headline reveals, everybody's favorite matchbox car is now home to a VGA video camera that can capture 30 to 60 frames per second and a .95-inch LCD that allows you to play back that recorded footage right on the belly of the tiny vehicle. While a short clip of the Video Racer flying off a self-made jump may be pretty awesome, Mattel will also include protective cases so those wild and crazy kids can mount the cam to a skateboard or helmet. Disappointingly, the small car only houses 512MB of storage, which can only hold 12 minutes of video, but at $60, Mattel also includes a rubberized mini USB to USB cord for connecting the cam to a Mac or PC and child-friendly editing software. The Video Racer won't actually peel out until the fall, but we managed to take a few shots of the little thing this week and nab some video of it while at CES. Hit the break for that video and start saving that allowance! %Gallery-114785%
