Toys are great, especially tech toys as
they offer us a nice diversion and some relaxation to help take the
stresses out of our daily lives.
Today for review I’ve got a cool little
gadget from USBGeek that will allow you to torment your co-workers and friends from a
distance wirelessly. A while ago I looked at the USB Missile
Launcher, today I’ve got the wireless version of it, it’s basically
the same just without a wire attached to the launcher tethered to
your computer. The wireless version has a transmitter that is hooked
to your computer via USB, and the actual launcher can be placed up to
15 feet away for some long distance fun.
USB
Wireless Missile Launcher
Author: Kristofer
Brozio
Sponsor:
USBGeek
Tech
Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
Now you can set up your Missile
Launcher anywhere!
-Features: Powered by USB with
4 feet of cable
-Wireless control up to 15 feet
-Multi-Channel I.D. (up to 4
players)
-Fully directional targeting
-Shoot up to 10 feet at an
extremely fast rate
-Software is included so it can
be controlled, able to move left, right, up, down.
-Use your mouse or keyboard to
control the ‘control panel’
-Rotates 360 degrees and about
45 degrees up and down.
-Missile launching sound
effects when you fire.
-Prerecorded sound effects.
-Wireless Launcher requires 3 x
1.5V “AAA” LR03 batteries (not included)
-Compatible with Windows Vista,
XP, 2000
Package
Contents:
-3 x Missiles
-USB Transmitter
-Wireless Missile Launcher
-Wireless Launcher Software CD
and Manual
Price:
US$ 45.00
A
Better Look at Things:
The USB Wireless Missile Launcher
is from DreamCheeky, they don’t sell product they just make them so
you’ll find their products at places like USBGeek on the web. The box
is bright and colorful with pictures and information all over it.
Opening up the box and unpacking
we find a driver/software disc, target, user manual, ‘missiles’, the
launcher itself and the USB transmitter.
Both transmitter and receiver look
like little satellite dishes, both also have a selectable channel
switch with four choices to help avoid interference, the receiver has
an on/off switch as well and the batteries go into the receiver to
power it and the launcher itself.
The missiles are just little foam
darts basically that are soft and shouldn’t hurt anyone.
The launcher has a tiny air
compressor inside of it that is used to launch the missiles, it can
turn left and right and move up or down to help hit your target.
Installation,
Testing and Comparison:
The first part of the installation
is very easy just attach the missiles to the launcher and set it up.
The second part of the
installation requires you to install three AAA batteries into the
receiver that power the launcher, the third part of the installation
involves installing the drivers and software for it on your computer.
Easy to do, no problems at all.
The launcher can be controlled
with the graphical interface that includes sound effects, or you can
use the keyboard cursor keys to control the launcher and the space
bar to fire a missile. It’s all pretty easy to do, and it’s the same
controls as the wired version.
It’s fun for a bit, my kids like
it quite a bit, but it’s not something that you’ll be playing with
for hours, it’s a nice diversion for a few minutes or to torment
fellow co-workers during some down time.
The USB Missile Launcher works as
advertised, and it’s easy to use.
Summary
and Comments:
The USB Missile Launcher from
USBGeek is a nice little diversion from work or to wreak havoc on
your friends or co-workers.
The price is a bit high for a toy
like this though, at least in my opinion it is, but others might not
think so, it all depends what your priorities are I guess.
DragonSteelMods gives the Wireless
Missile Launcher a 4.5 out of 5 score.
Pros:
-Good clean fun
-Easy to use
-Easy to install
-Seems well made
-Wireless fun!
Cons:
-Need to buy batteries
-High price
I
would like to thank USBGeek for the chance to review the Wireless
Missile Launcher and for their continued support of DSM.
review# 497