OnePlus robots chuck snowballs at 120mph to show off 5G

It's all about exploring "true 5G potential."

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Carrie Mihalcik

March 3, 2020 8:38 a.m. PT

oneplus-mclaren-7t-pro — Unlike the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren, OnePlus' newest 5G device isn't a phone.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET

What better way to show off the potential of lighting-fast 5G networks than with snowball-throwing robots . At least that's the message from Chinese phone maker OnePlus (and I am totally here for it). After teasing something related to 5G and snow earlier this week, OnePlus on Tuesday unveiled plans for its "Snowbot Battle."

OnePlus is holding an "interactive snowball fight," starting March 9. People will be able to remotely control a Snowbot, which OnePlus says can hurl snowballs at 120mph, in an actual robot snowball fight.

We've created 5G-connected, snowball-firing robots (they fire at 120+ mph; we're not messing around).
We're calling them Snowbots. And you can control them from your phone to shoot Snowbots controlled by other OnePlus fans, from March 9. Get ready. #OnePlus5GSnowbots
— OnePlus (@oneplus) March 3, 2020

The robots will be "operated through OnePlus devices with a 5G network," the company said in a release, with the whole event giving people around the world "a seamless and lag-free offline-to-online gaming experience."

OnePlus set up a Snowbot Battle site with more info on how to participate in a snowball fight as well as a livestream of the frosty battles. The fights are being held in the remote Lapland region of Finland, according to OnePlus, with the 5G network provided by Finnish operator Elisa.

The fights will be played 24 hours a day -- with each match lasting a few minutes -- from March 9-12, OnePlus says. Apparently you only get to play in one snowball fight, so make it count!