Anki Drive - advanced AI for 10 thousand rubles!

New Year is coming soon, which means it's time to finally decide on gifts! The end of 2013 was remembered by a huge number of the most diverse and interesting gadgets: a new line of apple devices, the fifth google phone model from LG, Moto X - a whole bunch of excellent candidates for taking center stage under the Christmas tree.

However, I would like to draw the attention of the Khabrovsk residents to something more non-standard and interesting, especially considering the specifics of the Banderolk blog, if you buy this “something”, it’s only in the USA. It is about Anki Drive - the clever toy to which recently advanced users have devoted a separate Habr post .

This post is good for absolutely everyone, except that the most important thing was not described in detail - how and where to buy this toy and how much it will really cost, given insurance and home delivery. In Russia, Anki is sold, but not at a human price. Judge for yourself:



So, the Anki Drive kit, which includes two smart cars with AI, a vinyl track and charging, will cost the Russian buyer 20-25 thousand rubles. What with the original price of $ 199 is not attractive at all!

Briefly about Anki

Anki Drive is a toy whose main feature: artificial intelligence. Its essence is very simple: this is an ordinary track for racing toy cars. What makes it unique is that these cars are equipped with advanced AI, which allows them to quickly analyze the situation during the race and show enviable results. Overtaking a robot is really not easy!
Do not want to play against the computer, play with a friend - this mode is also provided. In any case, the fun is guaranteed!

You can control cars only with the help of Apple devices. There is no Android application yet, however, it may be worth the wait. The wording of the developers is: "Anki DRIVE does not currently work with Android devices."

And Anki will work only with relatively new apple gadgets. Here is the official list of supported devices:

• iPhone 4s and newer
• iPod touch 5th generation
• iPad 3rd generation and newer
• iPad mini

The app can be found on the App Store . Incidentally, it introduces a rather large element of interactivity into the game. Here you can buy weapons and improve the characteristics of your car, earning points for the "destruction" of the opponent.



In general, the game is practically no different from modern computer arcade racing, except that the action takes place not on the screen of a computer or tablet, but on the floor of your apartment! A kind of experimental breath of fresh air in the digital entertainment industry.

Now about buying the

Original price of Anki Drive and an authorized retailer - Apple store - $ 199. Extra cars (and we recommend buying at least one extra car) cost $ 69.
Given the regional isolation of the Anki Drive project - the developer sells its products only in the United States and Canada, Russian prices are amazing. Instead of the planned 6 thousand rubles, local entrepreneurs ask for 20-25.

Here the Parcel comes to the rescue !

Thanks to the relative liberalization of Apple Store policies, you can now order almost all products from there to our address without any problems. If the store still cancels the order - it doesn’t matter, recently the Parcel has resumed its “Buying Assistance”, presented today by Veles.

Delivery

Anki Drive - the toy is dimensional and relatively heavy:

Weight - 9.5 lbs / 4.31 kg
Length (length) - 45 inches / 114.3 cm
Width (width) - 8 inches / 20.3 cm
Height (height) - 5 inches / 12.7 cm

Send It can be sent to Russia and other CIS countries using EMS. Considering all the costs: the commission, the cost of packaging, insurance and delivery to the door of the apartment, the cost of sending Anki Drive is $ 106. It will take about a month to wait for the parcel from the United States as part of the characteristic New Year’s overload (of course, there may be delays, however, according to tradition, in Russia they don’t clean the tree until March 8th, which means the gift will still be in time! :)

So, you will receive Anki Drive for 10 thousand rubles, together 20-25. And for that price, Anki Drive is really a very nice New Year present!