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Hasbro's flurry of 'The Mandalorian' toys includes an animatronic Baby Yoda (updated)
Disney's bid to cash in on The Mandalorian's success has come a long, long way from when the company was scrambling to release crudely-designed shirts. Hasbro is releasing a deluge of toys and games meant to capitalize on the streaming show, and it won't surprise you to hear that The Child (aka Baby Yoda to everyone outside of Disney) plays a starring role. Most notably, there's an honest-to-goodness animatronic figure. The little one wiggles his head and ears, makes squeaky baby sounds and even tries to use his Force powers in the most adorable way possible. It will cost you $60, and yes, it is already available for pre-order on Amazon.
Hasbro is relaunching classic Tiger Electronics gaming handhelds (updated)
A few years ago, Bandai revived its line of Tamagotchi virtual pets. The new versions of the toy were smaller than the originals from the '90s and had fewer features. They must have sold pretty well, though, since the company followed those up with full-sized reissues of both first- and second-generation Tamagotchis. According to The Verge, Hasbro is banking on '90s nostalgia, too, and will reintroduce the then-ubiquitous Tiger Electronics LCD handhelds. The affordable games took cues from Nintendo's Game & Watch portables, featuring one title per device and a simple form of gameplay. The big reason for their success -- and what Hasbro is likely hoping to still be a selling point -- was that they were based on popular console and arcade games like Mega Man and Ninja Gaiden, as well as movies and TV shows like 101 Dalmations and Beavis and Butthead.
Mall Madness electronic board game gets an update for 2020 (updated)
Hasbro is bringing Mall Madness back for old fans and everyone else missing local malls that became a casualty of the retail apocalypse. The company has given the electronic shopping-themed board game a makeover for 2020, 16 years after the last version came out. According to Bustle, the 2020 version features a 3D gameboard and will allow players to choose a personality and play as a Gwen, a Sage, an Avery or a Dax -- feel free to imagine what personalities those characters have -- and will have updated storefronts.
Hasbro's Halo-themed Nerf gun lineup includes a Needler (updated)
Over the last year, we've seen Hasbro jump on the Fortnite bandwagon by releasing themed Nerf guns. It's now turning its attention to a more historic gaming franchise, with the company announcing three Halo-themed Nerf guns that will come out this fall.
Everything in our holiday gift guide that you can buy for $50 or less
Depending on your budget and how many people are on your gift list this year, you might only have a modest amount to spend on each person. Even if you instill a cap of fifty bucks, though, you still have plenty of options. In Engadget's 2019 holiday gift guide, we have nearly 50 under $50, with picks running the gamut from toys, to video games, to books and movies, to mobile and gaming accessories. As it happens, today is Black Friday in the US, so chances are, many of the items here will cost you even less than the list price. Happy deal hunting!
The best tech toys and STEM kits
There once was a time when a toy section of the Engadget gift guide would have been a hodge-podge of toys that happened to take batteries, light up and make enough noise to annoy even the most patient of parents. (Yes, that means we probably would have been into the Hess truck.) But times have changed and now that everything is smart -- baby onesies, diapers -- our standards are higher. When it came time to curating our annual holiday toy list, the bar wasn't: Is this electronic? It's now: Is this thing fun? And most importantly, will this thing still be engaging after a kid has played with it for five minutes? We've had the better part of the year to answer this question. Some of the biggest toy makers have been teasing their wares since Toy Fair back in February. Since then, we've been keeping a running list of the things so clever, we might have wanted them ourselves if we were still school-age. From a lightsaber with built-in coaching to app-connected Hot Wheels, we homed in on the toys that don't just throw in tech for tech's sake, but that are actually better because of all the sensors inside.
Monopoly Voice Banking isn’t that smart, but it makes the game tolerable
Monopoly is one of the best-known board games... and one of the most reviled. Games take forever to finish and can end in tears or fisticuffs. But that hasn't stopped Hasbro from churning out version after version, with themes ranging from Mario Kart to broke millennials. The latest variant, Monopoly Voice Banking, would seem to be another gimmick capitalizing on the recent uptick in smart home devices. But it actually removes a lot of the pain points, boiling down Monopoly into the parts that are actually fun.
The latest 'Fortnite' Nerf guns include a rocket launcher
Hasbro isn't done riding the Fortnite bandwagon now that its themed Nerf guns are here in earnest. The toy maker is launching five new blasters on September 1st, and they might scratch your itch if you're looking for either heavy firepower or something a little stealthier. For one, there's a $30 RL Blaster rocket launcher that represents a dart-based equivalent to the earlier Super Soaker design -- if you really, really have it in for someone, you can make that abundantly clear. Those who'd prefer a one-handed weapon can spring for the $15, HC-E Mega Blaster, which mimics the game's hand cannon (albeit with a single-shot capacity).
Lightsaber Academy helps you practice your Jedi swing
Toy lightsabers are a lot of fun: Kids love to strike poses, swing them through the air and jab the weapons at their friends as they pretend to be Luke Skywalker, Rey or even Darth Vader and Kylo Ren. But what they can't do with a standard lightsaber is actually learn how to wield one. Star Wars Lightsaber Academy, an app-connected toy introduced at this week's Toy Fair, aims to change that by putting kids (and adults) under the virtual tutelage of some of their favorite Force users.
'Overwatch' action figures and Monopoly are coming this spring
Hasbro is about to give you many, many ways to flaunt your Overwatch fandom beyond the occasional Nerf gun. It's launching a series of toys and games themed around the character-driven shooter, including Monopoly Overwatch Collector's Edition. The $50 board game turns maps into properties, cards into loot boxes and player pieces into familiar characters like D.Va and Winston. However, that's really just the start of the collection -- the action figures in particular stand out.
Nerf's 'Fortnite' guns will be here March 22nd (updated)
If you thought Hasbro was already milking the Fortnite trend for all it's worth with an official Nerf gun, you haven't seen anything yet. The toy maker has unveiled its full line of Fortnite-themed Nerf guns (including Super Soakers), and while it's not a complete reflection of the battle royale shooter's arsenal, it's likely you'll find something that suits your tastes. People who prefer dart-based havoc can pick up the AR-L assault rifle ($50) or SP-L pistol ($20) for conventional weaponry, but they can also wield $10 MicroShot dart blasters for surprise attacks. If you've ever wanted to shoot foam projectiles from a llama's mouth, now's your chance.
Hasbro's Bluetooth lightsaber lets kids train to become a Jedi
Hasbro has a new toy for the future Jedi in your life. The Star Wars Lightsaber Academy is a suped-up version of the standard lightsaber that comes with its own training exercises and activities built in, according to The Verge. The toy connected to a smartphone app via Bluetooth to provide Jedis-in-training with interactive challenges that teach them to fight like their favorite Star Wars characters.
A 'Stranger Things' version of 'Dungeons and Dragons' arrives April 22nd (updated)
The third season of Stranger Things won't arrive until July, but you might be able to while away some of the time by checking out the Dungeons and Dragons adventure the gang plays in the first episode. Hasbro is releasing a D&D starter kit based on "Hunt for the Thessalhydra" on April 22nd.
'Magic: The Gathering' esports league launches with $10 million in prizes
Magic: The Gathering, which counts over 35 million players worldwide, will get an esports league with a combined $10 million in prize money, Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) and Hasbro announced. The Magic Pro League (MPL) will cover both the tabletop games and Arena digital PC version (still in public beta) and count 32 of the world's top players.
Nerf's first ‘Fortnite’-inspired gun is the AR-L Blaster
Last month, Hasbro and Epic Games announced that some Fortnite-themed Nerf guns were on the way. And now we have a model and a release date. The first Nerf gun from the line is the Fortnite AR-L Blaster, and it features rapid-fire motorized blasting and flip-up sights. It also comes with a 10-dart clip and 20 Elite darts.
Nerf adds 'Fortnite' blasters to its foam arsenal
Blizzard made waves earlier this year when it announced Nerf guns were coming based on those found in its colorful hero shooter Overwatch, but that's not the only game getting licensed foam blasters. Today, Hasbro and Epic Games announced that Fortnite-themed Nerf guns are coming, too.
In 'Fortnite' Monopoly, Tilted Towers is the new Boardwalk
How do you get Fortnite-obsessed kids to play an old-school board game? By putting Fortnite in the board game, of course. Epic and Hasbro have revealed a Fortnite version of Monopoly that replaces the usual property trading with elements from the battle royale shooter. Island locations replace buildings (popular drop point Tilted Towers is the new Boardwalk), while health points replace money. Don't just call it a cosmetic change, though -- there are genuine changes to the game mechanics.
The first 'Overwatch' Nerf blaster arrives in 2019
So far, replicating the distinctive weapons of Overwatch has usually meant a whole lot of crafting, and you still aren't likely end up with something that works. Hasbro, thankfully, is about to make your life much easier -- it's partnering with Blizzard on official Overwatch Nerf guns. The first of the bunch, the lengthily-named Nerf Rival Overwatch Reaper Wight Edition, is due in 2019. It mimics Reaper's iconic shotgun in looks, though not in functionality. The toy weapon carries eight of Nerf's Rival rounds and includes both a ready indicator and a safety lock.
Nerf’s latest laser tag kit takes a cue from FPS games
Nerf guns are a lot of fun. But the arguments over whether someone got hit and picking up all those darts when you're done? Not so much. Laser tag has a huge advantage there. Nerf even made its own laser tag guns a few years ago, and this week it updates the line with a video-game-influenced augmented reality upgrade. Now you can track your stats and target virtual opponents — things that fans of foam-dart-based weapons can only dream about.
Nerf’s new laser tag guns hook up to your smartphone
If the only thing missing from your summer is the ability to play laser tag at home without a vest, then Hasbro has got you covered. Today, the company announced its Nerf Laser Ops Pro blaster line, which shoot IR bursts and allow you to keep track of ammo, health and how your team is doing right from the device. Batteries are, of course, not included.
