Anki Overdrive in the test: test reports on the racetrack toy 2.0

Anki Overdrive starter set

A new racetrack has been on the German market since October. The Anki Overdrive is not just another Carrera clone, but a symbiosis of this, a futuristic look, the integration of the smartphone and virtual special effects. A whole new level of gaming experience was achieved with the Anki Overdrive Racetrack. In this article I would like to give you a few facts and figures about this toy, which for many will certainly also be a Christmas present (here at Amazon!) should be interesting.


Note: Today is the Anki Overdrive Starter Set Amazon “Deal of the Day”. If you are still thinking about buying the iPhone racetrack, you should buy it today. It is unlikely to be so cheap again. It currently costs EUR 139,99 at Amazon instead of the usual EUR 179,00.


 

Anki Overdrive - well-known features reissued

Conventional, because essential, are some of the many properties that the Anki Overdrive brings with it. On the one hand there is the modular track. The starter kit, for example, comes with 10 track parts with which you can already combine 8 different, albeit short, routes. The novelty here consists in the fact that these are thin, smooth lanes without guide rails. This means that crossings, bumps, steep curves, jumps and the like are also possible on this track!

Anki Overdrive starter set
Here you can see the Anki Overdrive Starter Set assembled: Two cars, curves, straights and a few other parts are included here. Further accessories and additional racing cars (with different properties) can easily be bought later (photos: Anki).

The racing cars are of course also indispensable, 2 of which are included in the starter kit. A maximum of 4 can act on the racetrack at the same time. But here, too, there is a novelty that cannot be implemented in older racetracks: the AI. Yes, this racetrack has artificial intelligence on board, which you can compete against in a “single player mod”, so to speak. So the toy is not just in the corner if only one person playing (child, boyfriend or girlfriend) lives in the household or if there is only one control element (smartphone, tablet). I think that's a big plus!

Anki racetracks in a starter kit
These racetrack layouts can be put together with the track parts in the starter kit from Anki Overdrive.

Control via smartphone and Mario Kart elements

Once the route with the flexible elements, which are held together by magnets, has been assembled, then you can almost get started. What is now needed in addition to the cars is a smartphone or tablet per driver and the right one App.

Anki Overdrive iPhone app
Anki Overdrive iPhone App: With the app you control your car and activate your extra weapons. Of course, the app is also used to upgrade the car and configure the player character.

Are you just looking for the app and ended up here? Then here is the link to the Anki Overdrive app on iTunes.

The type of race is then selected in the app. Because driving stubbornly in circles was yesterday! Here you can choose from different modes, such as "Race", "Battle" (races and combat with virtual weapons), "King of the Hill" (battle for top position with virtual weapons and effects) and "Time Trial" ( Speed, driving on the ideal line). Then the racing car is selected and equipped.

The racing cars on the track do not change their look or technology as a result. However, various data on control and driving behavior as well as equipment and weapons can be viewed and changed in the app. Thus, each player can get an individual advantage that he can use during the competition. All of this is somewhat similar to the racing classic Mario Kart. If everything is set, then it starts.

A brief outline of how the Anki Overdrive racetrack works

Countless sensors are built into the flexible roadway. These ensure that, for example, the AI ​​can drive independently or that weapon attacks can be carried out in a targeted manner. The trolleys are controlled via Bluetooth. The previous version of this train was presented exclusively (Anki Drive) although on one Apple Keynote, but you can also compete against friends with Android smartphones. the Android app for Anki Overdrive you can find here. Of course, the trolleys can also be controlled via tablets (e.g. iPad), but smartphones are more manageable controllers. Especially since the largest of the screen does not matter here; the action takes place on the real roadway.

If you would like to see a bit more video material on how it works, you will find a video by Anki here:

Customer testimonials: Anki Overdrive gets very good reviews wherever you look

A source of supply for the starter kit from Anki Overdrive as well as for many customer voices is of course Amazon. Directly to the corresponding page you come here. The price for the toy is currently around 170 euros. It is questionable whether it will be corrected upwards or downwards before Christmas. Here I recommend observing the price until the second or third Advent and then buying it at the latest.

The positive customer votes (currently 25 x 5 stars and 9 x 4 stars) are far ahead at Amazon compared to the more negative comments (currently 2 x 3 stars and 1 x 2 stars). In addition to the workmanship, the safe packaging and the quick assembly as well as the various combination options, the individual game modes and ultimately the fun of the game are also praised. Because this is not neglected for young and old alike. And even the construction of dead ends is made possible with this railway and is seen as a positive novelty. Because the racing cars turn around independently at the end of discontinued tracks.

Anki Overdrive Auto: a lot of technology in the housing
There is an enormous amount of technology in every Anki Overdrive car: sensors, processors and a separate drive for each wheel ensure a lot of driving fun and driving physics that allow spectacular maneuvers.

A negative point is repeated here and there: and this concerns the app. Regardless of the system, the app for the Anki Overdrive racetrack occasionally led to crashes. And then it is possible that the game will end in the middle of the game. That is the disadvantage of a software-based system. However, only this offers the unique possibilities to use virtual weapons against each other and to be able to constantly incorporate new features into the physical game - and here the Anki team seems to be trying very hard, if you look at the speed of the feature updates.

Extensions also rated very well

In addition to the starter kit and the two cars in it, there are of course a number of accessories. These include, for example, other racetrack modules. For example the “Speed ​​Kit”, with which the starter package can already be extensively expanded. In addition, a “Rails Kit” with half-straights or half-curves and curbs, a “Corner Kit” with curves, the “Collision Kit” with an intersection, the “Launch Kit” with a ski jump, etc. There are also brackets and struts around to construct inclined curves, bridges, jumps and the like.

The extensions in detail:

The various racing vehicles (battery life: approx. 15 minutes) are based on racing cars and futuristically tuned sports cars. Here and there you can see shapes of a combat vehicle or the bat-mobile. In addition to the starter kit, these extensions also have consistently good ratings. So it all seems to be a high quality product with a whole lot of fun. This is not lost in the long run due to the different game modes and the ability to tune the car. A good further development of the racing tracks á la Carrera.

Tractor beam, rocket launcher and turbo boost - the extensions are fun!

To make your mouth water a bit, I found a video here in which you get a few races “played” in which special items such as tractor beams and flamethrowers are also used:

Conclusion and a look into a possible future

If you read through the different reports on Anki Overdrive, you will notice the positive and enthusiastic tone. So buying this toy as a Christmas present is not so far-fetched. The game modes, including computer opponents, also convince lone wolves. The “weapons” and “special items” (there are over 100 different ones!) make the race even more interesting. Maybe there will be a connection with smart glasses in the future, so that the attacks will also be "visible" on the racetrack. Technically safe to implement, because with the iPhone you can already show things on the display, which are then shown in the real image of the camera (see "augmented reality" in the game "Alien's Everywhere!").

If you are now considering shopping for the Anki Overdrive racetrack and one or the other extension, you will find a wide selection on Amazon under the search term “Anki Overdrive”: here directly to the Amazon search!

In any case, I am looking forward to your comments and ratings of the racetrack!

 

 

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1 comment on "Anki Overdrive in the test: test reports on the racetrack toy 2.0"

  1. Hello, Jens.

    I've been a Carrera veteran since I was a child in the 80s, back then with the Servo 140 and now with a Digital 132.
    I bought the Anki Overdrive just before Christmas. The price of € 139 was too tempting. Unfortunately, it is now like the old one.

    It's a lot of fun, something comparable to JakX. However, it is not really a controversy with my Digital 132, more of an alternative. One is the fun racer, the other is the simulation. ;)

    I hope parts and cars will drop in price a little and the basic package, too, somehow have in mind that the railway will otherwise not be able to keep itself on the market. I actually expect additional exciting new game modes and features for the future. The possibilities are nearly unlimited.

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