You know, every time I walk into Datablitz these days I get more and more tempted to pick up a copy of Skylanders. If you go there often, every branch has a store display of ‘Skylanders’ action figures that are not only toys — but are also integral to the Skylanders video game. When you place an action figure onto a “Portal of Power” (which is simply a Bluetooth enabled NFC device) the character comes to life inside the game. So not only do you get a new character to play with in Skylanders, you also get a collectible toy.
I had always wondered when this business model would be replicated as it really pushes the future of toys. After some research, it appears that this “future of toys” industry is quite prevalent and the buzz word is .. wait for it … “APPCESSORIES.”
Appcessories = Apps + Accessories (where “accessories” are toys)
While Skylanders has dominated the console, handheld gaming and PC scene, these appcessories are available on our everyday iPads (the app won’t work on the iPhone as the screen is too small).
Simply put: These are toys (mostly from Mattel) that you can use to play in conjunction with your digital device. In this case, we’re on the iPad. Instead of using your fingers to control a race car, you can use a toy car. It’s great for kids and fun for adults. Every modern day family more than likely has an iPad at home. From a developmental perspective, these toys breathe new life into play time so your kid gets to develop tactile skills while playing with the iPad.
The apps are free to download but most will not work if you don’t have the toys. These toys range between PHP 500.00 to a little more than PHP 1,000 for a box set and they all do different things. Here, watch the Batman one:
For some games, like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, the toys unlock hidden modes that I had no idea existed. If you place the King Pig on top of your vanilla Angry Birds app, several modes unlock such as “unlimited birds,” “play as pigs,” “touch to destroy” and many more! Placing Sensei onto Fruit Ninja multiplayer will unlock a special mode where one player plays as a fruit-throwing Sensei.
The Hot Wheels collection is actually the most affordable one, at less than PHP 500.00 for a collectible toy car and the app. When you place the car on the iPad, you can customize the vehicle with boosters, floatation devices and bigger wheels which make the actual toy look more awesome!
And here’s the WWE toy franchise in all it’s awesomeness:
If you’re a parent and have a kid, these toys are no-brainers. They’re collectible and fun to play with and if your kids misbehave you can always take these toys away thereby “locking” them out of the game. If you’re a geek that loves to collect things, these figurines deserve a place on your display mantle.
And yes, they’re scratch proof for your iPad. Available now, nationwide.
Check out these authorized sellers:
Power Mac Store
Digital Walker
Beyond the Box
Accent Micro
Future World
TechSavy
iGig
inBox
Fortress (Bohol and Legaspi)
iCenter (Davao)
iShop (Cebu)
The Computer Authority
Microstation
TechConcepts
Datalink
Ormocnet
Mobile1
Datablitz
