Saturday morning. My child appears with a glint in their eye and a product pulled up on a device. 'Dad, look at this.' I look. It's a ball. That flies. I open a new tab and sigh the sigh of a man about to do research.

See it, Dad? →
Kid
But Dad, it's a FLYING ball. It has sensors so it won't crash into things. Everyone at school wants one!
Dad
Mm-hmm. Let me check what people who actually bought it are saying.
Kid
And it lights up! Plus it's a drone so that's basically a superpower, right?
Dad
About that. The people who have one? They're not exactly using it as a superpower.

What Is It?

The RC Flying Ball Drone is essentially a small hovering sphere with infrared sensors designed to bump around your airspace while emitting light and the gentle hum of buyer's remorse. It's got that magical-sounding promise of 'hands-free flying'—which is a nice way of saying 'you won't actually be in control of it.' Picture a ball shaped like hope, lit up like Christmas, bumping into your ceiling fan.

What Does the Internet Think?

With 3.6 stars across 6,700 reviews, this product has the rating of something that works maybe half the time and disappoints the other half. Customers report the sensors are enthusiastic about things that aren't actually obstacles, the battery life is generous (five minutes is generous when you're setting expectations), and 'it kept getting stuck under the couch' appears more often than not. ★★★½☆ across 6,700 reviews.

🚫 No.
★★★½☆ 3.6 stars  ·  6,700 reviews

No. We have that at home. Well, we have something that bounces around unpredictably and frustrates everyone equally—it's called letting your kid loose in a room. For slightly less money than this flying ball, you'd buy the exact same experience and a healthy dose of 'I told you so' energy when it inevitably wedges itself behind the TV. The internet has spoken, and it's a no from this house too.

Check Price Anyway →

💡 We Have Something Like That At Home

Basic Foam RC Helicopter
Cheaper, doesn't pretend to be smart, crashes reliably, and teaches physics in real-time.
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