Anki - Overdrive starter kit

Coming from the days of slot cars (back in the day) I wanted to find something similar for my kids. Well after watching some videos and examining Anki - Overdrive I came to the conclusion that this is the real deal. The integration of slot-less computer based race cars is a great new approach to rejuvenate this fun past time. Today racing has been brought into the future with AI and functionality based controlled on mobile devices. The competition can be based on single player to multiplayer car racing. Where back in the day it was slots and speed to race Anki up'd the strategy of speed, weapons (if you choose), and slot-less lane changing to compete. My 4 kids love the racing and love the cloud based tracking of their performance. We purchased the starter kit from Best Buy which has plenty of track to start with and 2 cars. We all went through the intro (training) which was another nice feature that Anki thought through to bring a beginner up-to-speed.

I got this for my son for Christmas and it's a blast to play with. The cars are very responsive and they put alot of thought into developing this race system. It's kinda expensive but as long as the cars are durable I can see my son and I playing this for years to come. The controllers are your phone or tablet so be prepared for that.

One of the first class of products to really take advantage of combining an app with the physical environment. My son and I race all the time. The flexibility of coming up with new track designs is endless fun. The thing that also really keeps it fresh is battle mode. No need to keep going in the same direction.

In the 70s, I had my share of slot car tracks, slotless tracks, and other racing sets that were popular back then. I thought this might be a fun toy I could share my love racing with my two kids and I was not disappointed. my kids are 9 and 10 years old and they loved it even when dad left them alone to race by them selves. Packaging: Upon first opening the box, the packaging is well thought out and sturdy which I like because I like to keep store my sets back in the original package when possible. Quality: The track pieces are made from a thick flexible vinyl with printed surface decoration that looks like something out of a Tron movie. The ingenious part about this track is the way it snaps together. No complicated clips, rubber bands or difficult pin devices here, just put the track pieces near each other and the magnets snap themselves together perfectly. This makes changing up the track layout simple and quick. With this set you can make over passes but there are add-ons you can buy to create jumps and banked curves as well. The cars themselves are incredible. I never thought I see the day where toy cars of this size have their own microprocessors and cameras onboard. Pro Tip: vacuum your carpet or sweep your hard floor before you setup the track because static electricity from the vinyl will bring carpet fibers on the surface of the track which are not best for the little cars. Gameplay: You will need a portable device to operate each car, It appears any tablet or smartphone will work, Download the software and your off to the races. Each racer can customize their driver profiles and keep track of their added weapons and purchased items(you purchase items through the points you collect while racing). One person can set up any number of types of races and duration and the others join in. We had 3 cars on the track at the same time, but I believe you can have a lot more. You simply put the car on the track and it will find it's own way to the starting line and even change direction if need be once the track is scanned for one lap. Ingenious!! Racing: While driving the cars, you have enough control to to change your speed and run in any of the 3 invisible lanes for passing purposes and each car comes with it's own speed characteristics and weapons payload which can be purchased with the points you've collected while playing. For younger drivers, the cars will stay on the track in one lane even while the portable device is hands off. Recharging of cars is done by snapping them into the charging base which can charge up to four cars simultaniously. Charging takes about 7-8 minutes and run time is around 15-20 minutes depending on your throttle. Various game modes can be selected like catch the flag or just plain racing where all car add ons can be voided. Sometimes a car will get knocked off the track and it will try to find its way back on or spin in circles till you pick it up and set it back on the track. Amazing!! No searching for out of control cars under furniture like the old days. Summary, This toy is great for kids and adults alike. The construction build is very sturdy and the gameplay much more dynamic than just watching cars drive around a track and the game is never the same with all the parameters you can change. I highly recommend it and there are a number of add-on track pieces and extra cars available to make the gameplay even more customized.

This is a great application of modern tech to a toy. My son and I enjoy racing and battling. So far it has been very reliable and the cars operate consistently. The track is easy to setup and care for. Only downside is the initial cost and extra track is pricey as well.

My 8 year old son put the tracks together very easily. Then he set up his cars on his IPad. His dad had to enter his own email address to complete the set up. My son enjoyed racing his car against his dad's car. Overall, it was a hit.

I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my 10 yr old grandson. I waited until now to leave a review to make sure I could give a fully tested review. Turns out, this was his favorite gift! It is so easy to put together and he has had lots of fun changing the layout of the track. We purchased just the starter kit, which at first we were worried wouldn't be enough, but it comes with 2 cars and enough track for 8 layouts, which was plenty for lots of fun. We will be adding more cars and other track options to the kit for his birthday just to see what he comes up with next! It has been a great activity for all family members to play together. We would highly recommend this.

Kids got it for Christmas, they LOVE IT! Their favorite thing about it is that they can shoot the other cars with some weapon on their own car. Easy to set up and operate. Slight learning curve with new/young drivers.