New App-Enabled Toy Will Make Your Spidey Senses Tingle

Jun 19, 2017 04:20 PM

Spider-Man figurine against a dark background with blue lighting.

The company that brought us a BB-8 droid controlled with the Force — okay, just a high-tech wristband — is releasing its take on Spider-Man. Toymaker Sphero collaborated with Marvel to release an app-enabled Spider-Man toy equipped with numerous features, as well as games for your smartphone.

This $150 toy utilizes voice-based interactive play, meaning that it's able to recognize your voice, engage in conversations, and relay one of its 25 interactive stories. Simply press on the toy's chest to explore any of these features. Want to learn some Spider-Man trivia? You got it. In the mood for a cheesy joke? Spider-Man comes ready with 100 of them. Sphero designed this toy so that when you talk to it, you're sure to get a response back.

Beyond this feature, the toy comes with more exciting surprises. Its eyes are actually LCD screens that change shape when it's expressing emotion. Want the toy to monitor your room so no intruders — cough, cough, nosy siblings — come in? Our favorite superhero is the man for the job. This pint-sized do-gooder may be stationary, but it possesses a motion sensor. When in room guard mode, Spider-Man will use his voice to defend your space.

Sphero's track-record shows that the company has a penchant for app-enabled toys. Following success with Star Wars and Cars toys and accompanying apps, this latest gadget release provides users with Sphero's most advanced technology yet. Spider-Man's accompanying app for iOS or Android lets users activate modes, alter volumes, play in-app games, and track progress during missions.

Mobile phone displaying a game interface with options for teaming up, aiming out, and fighting villains, alongside a Spider-Man figurine.

A hand holding a smartphone displaying a Spiderman-themed game interface, with a Spiderman figure in the background.

The app — available for both iOS and Android — is free and only works if you own the new toy. To utilize it in conjunction with the toy, you must connect via Bluetooth.

Regarding security, Sphero promises parents that the toy and accompanying app are totally safe. Voice recognition is not connected to the app, so your child's conversations with the toy will not be recorded. There's also no camera or geotagging, so no private information will be gathered.

Sphero's Spider-Man is officially available for purchase, so you can start slinging webs and saving citizens.

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Cover image via Sphero/Youtube

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