BB-8 Showdown: Sphero v. Hasbro

On the Left is Sphero on the Right is Hasbro. Who will win?!

  Today I will be reviewing the two remote controlled Star Wars BB-8 toys that where released on Force Friday, September 4th. Both were bought by me on Force Friday. For this blog post only one shall be the winner for the best BB-8 Toy for kids on Christmas. So keep in mind when I review these toys I am thinking which one would be best for a child to play with. It was a tough choice with a lot of factors for me. I had 5 factors that I considered while comparing them: Cost, Box Presentation, Ease of Putting it together, Size and Look, and Usability. Each characteristic was judged with clear winners, which in the end helped me determine the final verdict. So let's begin shall we?

1. Cost

Sphero:

What you pay for is the box presentation and all that technology inside. 

Sphero costs about $150 before taxes. I think my total with state tax was around $159. It's very pricey, and that doesn't include the Smartphone required to move BB-8. That's right, this little guy has no remote that comes with it. 

Hasbro:

A good representation of all you need to make this guy run. It's definitely a toy box. 

Hasbro's which is a Target Exclusive in the US costs around $80 before taxes. However, unlike Sphero who has a built in rechargeable battery this BB-8 does not have one. It requires 4 AA Batteries in the robot itself and 2 AAA Batteries for the remote that comes included with the toy. So factoring that all in you are spending about $94 for the two packs of batteries. 

Winner: It's pretty clear in this case who won. Hasbro did. Although they require batteries for their BB-8, they do include a remote and don't require the extra cost of a smart device. For a toy for a child I'd rather have them use a remote than a smart phone to move a robot around. It also helps that you are saving $60 when getting the Hasbro BB-8. 

2. Box Presentation

Right away you can tell Sphero has the slickest box. 

Sphero:

The box was slick, and it's packed like an iPhone. 

Here's my unboxing video if you are curious!

  Sphero's box as you can see form the unboxing is really well designed. When you open it up it pretty much is all in one piece. In fact it reminds me of unboxing a brand new iPhone. The fact that requires a smart device makes it all the more apparent that this is a really sophisticated robot.

Hasbro:

It's a typical Hasbro boxed item. Lots of cardboard inside.

Here's my unboxing video for Hasbro as well: 

  I took an after shot of opening the box. As you can see from the un-boxing video and the picture Hasbro expects you to treat this like any other toy they have sold in the past. I think the only time a Star Wars toy had really fancy packaging in my youth from Hasbro was when I got my Interactive R2-D2, but even that was close to bare bones and not as fancy as Sphero's box. 

Winner: Sphero. They really cared about presentation. Remember you are paying $150 for the toy, instead of $80 though. 

3. Ease of Putting Toy Together

Sphero:

  Sphero made it pretty easy. You get BB-8 all put together, all you have to do is put on it's head and put it in the charging station and wait for it to charge before booting up your smartphone BB-8 app and starting up your new robot toy. Oh you do have to hold the smartphone next to it really close for it to lock on to the robot. That was a bit annoying, and expect an update to download to the robot at launch. It's nice though that BB-8 is pretty much in one piece.

Hasbro:

  You have to put BB-8 together for the hasbro one. It's neat to look at the guts, and the instructions included with it is pretty easy to get the hang of. Don't forget to put the batteries into the black part that moves the whole droid around! Also, have to use a screwdriver to put in the batteries into the remote as well. This step pretty much takes a parent to do.

Winner: Sphero. It was close though, the app for Sphero was annoying to wait for, but as far as putting together the droid, Sphero already did it for you. 

4. Size and Look

Winner: Hasbro.  This picture pretty much sums it up. Sphero is the smaller of the two. Sphero's look is smooth and shiny. However, it looks painted on and flat. Hasbro's has more details, even a bit of dirt here and there in it's paint job. It looks like a prop from the movie. It has character. Size matters not, but as far as character, Hasbro's BB-8 has it and Sphero's doesn't.

5. Usability: 

Sphero:

Here's a video on how Sphero's BB-8 is controlled.

  Sphero's usability feels limited. It needs pretty flat carpeting so it got stuck in parts of my apartment that has thicker carpet. You need to re-align the blue light constantly while it moves to where you are to make it move right. The control stick on the app is weird and wanky. You only get one control stick that controls movement. He does have great little head bobs that you can input in, and he can explore on his own if you wish. The one feature it does have is a gimmicky hologram that shows up in your smartphone's screen.

  Here's one annoying thing: You need the app for him to make sounds, it all comes from your smart phone, and some of the sounds are very annoying. Such as the lightsaber sound that it makes every time you have to point the blue light back at you to re-calibrate where you are in relation to BB-8. Something just feels off about Sphero's BB-8 right now. I know that the head of Sphero announced pretty quickly that we will be getting updates, patches, and more in the coming months and after the release of the new Star Wars film. He can free roam while Hasbro's can't. However, he didn't free roam well on any of my carpets, where Hasbro's got around mostly fine. So for me free roam hasn't worked real well and should probably be done on a flat service such as hardwood floors. The AR message system that the app can do  to make BB-8 have his own "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi" message mode. The Hologram message mode is neat, but feels gimmicky. It's not something you'd use a lot while playing with him.  Sphero BB-8 feels like a toy meant for an adult collector, not a kid. Nothing wrong with that, but for my review I am thinking of what you'd want to get for your child.

That dang cat hair gets everywhere. 

The head has wheels that collects dust. Mine having only been used a few times had already started to collect stuff in the wheels.

Side-Note: My cat loves chasing this one!

Hasbro:

Here's a Video on how Hasbro's BB-8 is Controlled. 

  Hasbro's controls are pretty easy to figure out. Turning him on is easy too, just shake him awake, or turn him upside down. You get 2 pads to control BB-8 with. One for head movement to point him in the direction you want him to go, and the other for forward and backward motion. You can also make him move pretty well for angles and such by pressing both controls down at the same time. You have to remain closer to BB-8 than the Sphero one but it wasn't too bad. Even though he can't explore on his on like Sphero, mine moved at times on it's own free will. He emits all the beeps and boops from himself, not from the remote like Sphero.  He also has a cute personality that I assume his "voice" sounds closer to the film version of BB-8 than Sphero's chipmunked R2 chirps.

Although it sometimes falls off, there is no way cat hair can get in it! 

  Also, the head has no wheels so no dust collection! The magnets control it's movement at all times and stays on pretty well.

Side-Note: My cat was curious about this one but ran away because it was too big and scary.

Winner: Hasbro. It just seems like a toy meant for a kid.

SO WHO WINS THE SHOWDOWN?

Don't feel too bad for Sphero BB-8, he's still a great toy. 

The Winner is:  Hasbro. 


  Although Sphero is a pretty great toy and is fun to play with, at launch it has many faults. It feels like it's not fully released yet, because it hasn't really. We will see when the movie launches how BB-8 Sphero is then and I'll probably make a new post on the updates then.  For now Sphero's feels like an adult collector toy. While Hasbro's is clearly meant for a child.

  Hasbro's also feels like it just popped out of the movie. It has character. It is easier to control. It's priced way more reasonable. It doesn't require a smart phone. It is just simple to use and control. A beautiful and simple child's toy that has pretty much everything Sphero does great right now, but in it's own unique way that feels more real. Hat's off to you Hasbro you made BB-8 proud!


  Don't let my review choose for you though, both these toys are excellent! I just felt that if you were to buy one of these toys for a child, Hasbro's is the most sensible and suitable choice. If you do want to purchase either Hasbro's or Sphero's BB-8 I have included information below.

  Hasbro's BB-8 again is a Target Exclusive and can be bought online here. You can also find it at your local store while supplies last.

  Sphero can be found in many stores in the US. I got mine at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. You can also find it on Amazon, Gamestop, and Disney Store. Although a lot of stores are trying to get it in stock, so check your favorite store for availability!

  I hope this review helped you make a future purchase of your BB-8 for yourself or a loved one.

  Until next time, May the Force Be With You.

-Bordon


Update: On September 11th the US Disney Store has started selling an Interactive BB-8 that lights up and beeps. Since it has way different features to the BB-8s in this review I have made a review for it on its own that can be found here: http://bit.ly/1F8C7y4