Getting Started with Buzz

Buzz comes in “Try Me” mode and a demo set of batteries. It’s important to switch to new batteries, as Buzz will partially function, leading parents to think he might be broken. This is noted in the manual, but I mention it here, as most of us don’t start with the manual. On the battery front, Buzz loves them. He needs 14 total batteries, four AA in each leg, three AAA in his back and three AAA batteries for the remote. Buzz is relatively gentle on them though, we tested for a few hours on rechargeable batteries before needing to swap them out.

Using Buzz

The Buzz Lightyear robot is pretty advanced in terms of the embedded technology. The unit has three sensors to help make him more interactive. The level sensor lets the robot detect is he’s fallen over, which does happen from time to time. The positioning sensor is used in programming Buzz and there’s also a touch sensor in his right palm which is used in some of the games.

There are also several ways to interact with Buzz. There are direct activation buttons on the robot, the remote control, a voice command mode and a programming mode. The depth of control is pretty impressive and as robust as any robot we’ve tested.

The other fun thing is that Buzz has two personalities, the Space Ranger Buzz and the Toy Buzz. It’s pretty fun for kids who are familiar with Buzz’s story to be able to flip him between the two modes. Kids can change his mode by using the remote or they can use the voice commands “You’re a toy” and “Space Ranger.” It’s worth mentioning that not all of this is obvious outside of the 20-page manual. The manual is easy to manage though and is a worthwhile time  investment to read it.

Our testers mostly worked with Buzz through the remote control. They liked walking him around, even though he’s pretty sluggish. Buzz more waddles than walks, rolling his feet on the ground. It takes a bit for him to turn as well, but kids didn’t seem too worried about his lack of mobility. The interaction with the robot was more appealing to them.

The remote has 15 buttons that cover all off Buzz’s functions. Buzz also has receivers on the front and back, so as long as kids are within 20 feet or so of Buzz, the remote should work just fine. From the remote kids can control Buzz’s persona, have him perform activities like a salute or laser blast and kids can launch the target game, program mode and voice activation.

Buzz is also open to quite a bit of programming for older kids who might be interested in that. The interesting thing is Thinkway has made this available through what they’re calling “puppeteering.” This means kids can program Buzz by manually moving his arms, body, head and legs. When kids push the playback button on the remote, Buzz will go through their specified sequence. Buzz can record one program at a time of us to 64 moves.

Aside from controlling, programming and playing the targeting game with Buzz, kids love that he has personality, similar to what they’ve experienced in the movies. That’s probably the strongest sign that Disney and Thinkway got this robot right. Ultimate Buzz really feels like he came out of the movie, which isn’t  a connection that’s always there with licensed toys. While Buzz is recommended for 8+, kids down to 5-6 appreciated him, while the older kids found the programming and more advanced features to be fun.

Here’s a brief video showing Buzz in action:

Bottom Line

Ultimate Buzz Lightyear is a lot of fun and a respectable incarnation of the toy from the movies. We have only one complaint and that is his walking and turning movements are sluggish. But that appears to be more of a parental issue, kids didn’t seem to mind. It is worth mentioning though; if your child is expecting Buzz to cruise around the floor with any speed, they won’t be happy.

Buzz isn’t cheap, with an MSRP of $149. We find the value to be above average though, as kids in a wide age group had fun with Buzz. Couple that with the fact that everything but the walking is well done and there’s a lot to like here.

Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars

When kids first start playing with Buzz, they’ll notice he’s in his somewhat delusional state, thinking he’s a space ranger that has crash landed in a child’s room. Buzz responds to voice commands including, “Buzz Lightyear,” “Salute,” and “Fire Laser.” And to snap Buzz Lightyear out of his space ranger mentality, kids can remind him “You’re a Toy!” and Buzz will assume his toy character and will perform a different set of responses to his voice commands.

Buzz is powered by seven motors that help him walk, turn, blink, salute, fire his laser, answer his communicator and a “give me five” action. Kids will control Buzz’s movements with a 15-function remote control that comes with a programming function that lets kids playback their routine.

Buzz also features multiple sensors for sound and motion detection. These come in especially handy when playing some of Buzz’s built-in games, like an interactive targeting game.

Disney’s Ultimate Buzz Lightyear robot will be available his fall for a suggested retail price of roughly $129-149.

Update – Ultimate Buzz Lightyear Review Posted

There are a bunch of Wall-E branded robot toys, but this one is the “ultimate.” The 16″ tall Wall-E Ultimate Control operates via remote control and features light-up eyes and movie-like expressions and sound effects. This Wall-E is recommended for kids 8-14 and retails for $249.99 and is currently a Toys R Us exclusive.

A huge selling point of this robot is the voice. Many toys lose connection with the movie by including a reproduced or entirely new voice for the line of toys. Wall-E Ultiamte features the original voice from the movie, making it feel much more authentic. He can also dance, play music from your MP3 player, follow you around (while avoiding obstacles), or explore on his own. His programmable infrared remote control lets you create more than 1000 action sequence combinations!

Ultimate WALL-E has audio, motion and obstacle sensors and 4 audio sensors that give him 360-degree sound detection. WALL-E is also quite animated, he moves his arms move up and down, hands grip and rotate 360 degrees and his body tilts forward and backward and he has real working treads.

Wall-E is shipping now, exclusively from Toys R Us for $249.99.