Nerf just brought back laser tag -- again -- with Laser Ops Pro
Strap on a smartphone and pew-pew-pew to victory.
The Nerf Laser Ops Pro Deltaburst rifle. It's got a three-shot burst.
So long foam darts, hello laser beams? Nerf's new Laser Ops Pro blasters are coming next month. They've got built-in IR receivers (so you don't have to wear a vest to get hit), force feedback when you shoot, and reload buttons you'll smash to refill their virtual magazines, too.
Last July, we wondered if Recoil could bring back laser tag and challenge Nerf for blaster-toy-aisle dominance. Sure enough!
Similar to Recoil, you'll pair Nerf's Laser Ops to a smartphone (one you'll strap on your wrist) to form teams and keep score -- but you may only need a single smartphone to play, Popular Science reports.
The Nerf Laser Ops Pro Alphapoint pistol.
It sounds like it's not quite as sophisticated a laser tag system as Recoil (Recoil has players walk back to dedicated "respawn" zones and pick up powerups using GPS) but it's also a lot cheaper to get started. Nerf's blasters are coming in August for $30 (roughly £22 or AU$40) per Alphapoint pistol or $50 (roughly £40 or AU$70) per Deltaburst rifle, and you can also pick up a two-pack of pistols for a discount.
Both have lights and sounds, but the Deltaburst also has an LCD screen on the back to display your health and ammo count. You'll need 4 AA batteries for the pistol and 6 AAs for the rifle.
Popular Science got to try the blasters, so check out their story for more detail.
Originally published July 2.
Update, July 3 at 10:53 a.m. PT: Updated with official info from Hasbro and a picture of the Alphapoint pistol.
