Sphero's New Spider-Man Toy Talks, Offers Interactive Adventures

Toymaker Sphero is releasing an interactive toy in the form of a Spider-Man smart speaker. Unlike the company’s previous toys, this interactive Spider-Man toy is stationary and controlled through voice commands.

Sphero is mostly known for creating the BB-8 toy from “Star Wars” or the Lightning McQueen toy from the Pixel film “Cars.” But unlike those two, Sphero’s Spider-Man toy focuses more on interacting with kids through actually speaking to them.

What sets Sphero’s Spider-Man apart is that it is capable of guiding a child through comic book storylines. The Verge likened the toy to “a camp counselor at a bonfire.” The Sphero Spider-Man toy will be able to tell the story while kids can choose what to do next.

The toy is capable of remembering where the story left off, so kids can jump right back into them easily. Sphero’s Spider-Man comes with more than 400 pages of content, with 100 storylines. With Sphero known for delivering software updates with new features, it’s likely the company will add more stories down the line.

To trigger Spider-Man’s voice command feature, users will simply have to double press the spider logo on its chest. The toy is able to recognize phrases like “tell a joke,” “let’s hang out” and “tell me a story,” CNET reported. Kids can also tell it to “set an alarm” so it can wake them up in the morning. Kids (and adults, if we’re being honest) can also try out other phrases to see what else Sphero’s Spider-Man can do.

The toy also comes with LCD eyes, which lets Spider-Man be a bit more expressive. There’s also a built-in accelerometer, so the toy can provide commentary if it detects that it’s being picked up or being shaken around.

The Spider-Man toy also has a built-in infrared sensor, so it can react or talk when it detects someone walking by. The IR sensor also works for the toy’s “guard mode,” which can tell intruders who’ve entered a room to get out, TechCrunch reported.

Although the toy can mostly be used through voice commands, it requires the free companion app for iOS and Android devices. The app can help keep track of storylines and missions that have been completed and unlock other features. The app also is needed to set up the toy.

Since this new Spider-Man toy uses voice commands, it’s understandable that parents might worry about privacy. This is why Sphero is making sure the toy will have voice recognition built in.

This means nothing will be shared or stored online, unlike other smart assistants like Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant, Gizmodo reported. The toy’s microphone is also only turned on when the spider logo is glowing, so it’s incapable of always listening. The toy can connect to a Wi-Fi network, but that is only for software updates and downloading additional content.

The interactive Spider-Man toy is available now from Sphero’s online store for $149.99. The release of the toy also appears to have been timed to coincide with the release of Marvel Studios' "Spider-Man: Homecoming," which hits theaters on July 7.