Answers From Tek Recon: NRG Rounds and Apps

Well, Sunday morning and the kickstarter is sitting at just over 15 percent of goal with 28 to 29 days left. We're already getting some answers from the PR folks at Tek Recon. They were cool enough to answer most of our questions on a weekend. I will post the answers in italics. Refer back to our previous article for more background on the concerns.

Right off the bat, there is a reason behind some of the perceived damage to the NRG rounds: The footage in the video is from much earlier prototype and NRG Rounds that were pre-product. The production NRG Round hold up much better and will last a long time.

They assure us that the actual product is ready to rock! 

Once you see the production NRG Rounds you will feel very confident that they are designed   and manufactured to endure multiple use at any setting on our blasters. The product functionality is exceptional.

As you know, we asked about price for the replacement rounds too. Price will range by retailer, but there will be multiple packs ranging from $7.99 and up depending on quantity. Now on to the app questions. The app is apparently not going to track hits. You can see how that might be difficult to track what physically hits in an app. No the app is meant for GPS Team Play and to track your opponents. Really excited to see how GPS tracking will work in the heads up display.

For the question I posed about other developers working on power-ups and such, they'll get back to us on that one.

Going to try to get our eyes on that app as soon as possible. In the mean time, we'll watch out for other updates. BTW, did you see the official pics released of Tek Recon's two current blasters? ~Chris

A Real World Video Game? Tek Recon

This past week brought the launch of an innovative kickstarter listing. Tek Recon has launched a 31-day bid to get $50,000 in crowd-funding from users of the famed kickstarter website. As I write this, they have 30 days left and are just over $6,100 on their way -a little over 12 percent.

President and CEO Brad Pederson says that this move is their most ambitious in company history. That makes sense, considering that it's time to put these things on the shelves.


"Two years ago we set out on a mission to bring video games, online connectivity and social interactive play together through innovation and great product design", says Pederson. "The outcome, TEK RECON has come to life and created a phenomenal play experience that has exceeded our expectations.”

I, for one, am very excited to see where this effort goes. Will this be that successful way that so many health professionals have been looking for to get kids off the couch? Campaigns have worked mildly recently, but there is not a massive appeal for those who would rather play Black Ops. Some folks will still not be happy because the game will still involve computer screens in the form of smart phones and other devices.

Is this the next step in gaming? Google glasses came out recently. I dreamed of a foam blaster or airsoft game where you could use those glasses for objectives and power-ups. Perhaps this is the step just ahead of that. A geek can dream!

At this time, the app is free that they offer to integrate a real-world blaster with online gaming. If they keep the prices for Hammerhead and Havok blasters at 25 and 40 dollars after the kickstarter promotion, I won't accuse them of overcharging to make the app "free" either. The app is exciting because of their promise of the use of GPS and the heads-up display. If you can set objectives for the app to help you track, perhaps it can include both game objectives and physical activity goals?

There are a lot of positive notes for this launch. Ultimately, I am all for it and will back the project too assuming I have the funds. Yet there are several questions left to answer as we move forward.

If you take a look at the video on kickstarter, there seems to be damage occurring to the NRG rounds as they build their "kinetic stretch energy" to fire. If you look closely at this shot in the video, particles of  . .  something are falling from the blaster after the round launches. Tek Recon says on kickstarter that the rounds are reusable, does that hold true and for how long? Also, how much will the refills actually cost? Keep in mind, this shot is from a demo of the long range setting. They've indicated that you can modify the range with a setting. Perhaps sacrificing distance will preserve your ammo?

Back to the app questions: Is this app meant to track if you get hits? I (and other journalists I showed the video to) skeptical of the usefulness of the app for tracking hits. I personally came away with the impression that it could be meant to function that way from the cup shooting demo in the video. Perhaps it was a misconception. Either way I am geeking out to give it a try!

I am also super-curious about further app development. They talked about power-ups in the video. Will those be something you can program and print for scanning or that they want you to buy? Will they allow other developers to design and contribute QR codes et cetera?

Obviously these questions should be asked to them and we will direct them there! Are there any other questions you are thinking of while we are asking? You can check out their kickstarter campaign for yourself here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/graemebissett/tek-recon-the-first-real-life-video-game

Until then, warriors . . . Game on! ~Chris

Foam Shotguns. Who wins?

Hey Warriors! Just posting up the last couple of reviews. Been meaning to keep up on that! Just below is the most recent review from Coop in the West Coast division. I love the title -Double Barrels of FAIL! Take heed to his warning about the quality.

Here is a better shotgun attempt. Of course, this one would be from the folks at NERF.

Let us know what you think! Have you tried these blasters? Will you be getting them? ~Chris

Pic Spam - NERF Super Soaker 2013

So, several of the new Super Soaker blasters and accessories have shown up in one of the local Walmarts near Click Click BAMF's Mountain Division in Colorado Springs. Not that any of these are a surprise.

THE SHOTWAVE: This may be one of the weirdest new blasters I've seen. The water clip just sticks so far out that it seems things would be awkward. Though, the input placement makes this a good candidate for the Hydro Pack vest.

HYDRO PACK:  100 ounces of water to douse your enemies with. It works with any of the clip system soakers. It looks good, though I doubt it will fit larger adult frames.

Check out the new clips. Between the banana clips and the individually sold drums, you may be better off reenacting any big movie scenes with Super Soakers over other NERF blasters. At 20 ounces a pop, the banana clip can hold it's own while looking good. I still really like the placement of the caps on the Super Soaker clips, they are really convenient for a quick fill-up. And yes, the banana clips have belt clips on them, which is good. The drums are bigger, of course, holding 37 ounces a piece. These aren't too pricey either, coming in a 8 or 10 dollars a piece.

FLASH BLAST: NERF is fronting this thing as a sneak attack blaster. It holds 3.7 Ounces. This is so it can be compact and concealable. It only costs $8.99 so it could be a great addition to your arsenal. Not a bad addition, though I'd personally stick with the Electrostorm for one-handed access.

ARCTIC SHOCK: Did you ever add ice cubes to your water gun to give your opponents a surprise? Well the clip on this blaster is designed to help you fit those frozen cubes in more easily. The blaster itself is nothing special, so we can only hope that NERF will soon sell these clips separately to satisfy the masses!

Lastly the Switch Shot. Sadly, they stole the name from an already existing blaster. Honestly it doesn't steal from the coolness of this one though. The Switch Shot allows you to select your spray pattern from fours choice. It comes with a 20 ounce banana clip. I like the blue design on the box better than the orange -just sayin'. Don't forget the awesome stock that comes with it. I still think it's the most beast one they've come out with.

We're working on some testing variables for the Super Soaker line. Perhaps you'll see some of our indepth reviews on NERF Super Soaker blasters in the near future.

~Chris

Diatron Review and Other Tidbits

Seen the latest from Coop on Click Click BAMF? Good stuff!

Also, after much pumping . . . shotgun reviews and a sniper rifle review on the way in the following weeks. Did you know that the Roughcut will advance to fire a dart in the next row if there aren't two darts on one row? Pretty awesome (see below).

More to come -obviously! ~Chris

Preview Toy Fair - 2013

Exciting news, Warriors! NERF just gave us the heads up on part of what they'll be talking about in the toy fair starting in a couple of days here.

As you know, many of the new Nerf N-Strike Elite releases have been trickling into the stores with an official release in Spring of 2013.

Two of the biggest things I'm excited about from the release we have are:

NERF's N-Strike Elite Stockade.
 

1) The N-Strike Elite Stockade WILL be released here in Fall of 2013. The average retail price is supposed to be $21.99. May will remember that this is a Barricade re-do. If they stay true to the Elite line, it will should farther than it's parent blaster. Can't wait to mess with that stock!


2) The NERF N-Strike Blazin' Bow is announced for Fall of 2013. Straight from the release:

" NERF N-STRIKE BLAZIN’ BOW Toy

(HASBRO/Ages 6 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Fall 2013)

Who’s ready for more NERF action? Send NERF foam arrows soaring across the sky with the NERF N-STRIKE BLAZIN’ BOW toy. The BLAZIN’ BOW toy features an authentic pull-back bow design that you simply pull back, aim, and release to fire the NERF foam arrows. The BLAZIN’ BOW toy can hit targets from up to an impressive 40 feet away, and comes complete with integrated storage for two additional foam NERF arrows. Includes three NERF foam arrows. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and HasbroToyShop.com."  

 

Previously we've enjoyed the NERF Big Bad Bow that has been around in various forms since 1998 -in the NERF Hypersight brading. Many people have shortened the name to just "BBB". It's latest version and color scheme came out in 2011, released under the N-Strike brand. Over a decade later, I'm personally excited to see what may be new in the Blazin' Bow design!

 

 

   

Looking forward to the care package NERF is sending us ahead of this weekend's New York Toy Fair 2013.

 

By the way; Here are the two lates episode from the channel. Feel free to subscribe so that you can keep up with us!

 

 

 

 

 

Stryfing for Victory?

What's up, Warriors? Coop got his hands on a NERF Elite Stryfe thanks to our friend Jason at BasicNerf. So here goes the unboxing: