Furbies returning to store shelves next month
Furbies returning to store shelves next month
Not quite your traditional gaming, but with 600 responses to user actions at least as complex as some interactive computer games I've played.
[Image description: two new Furbies]
The original '90s furby is unironically a fantastic platform for a hardware hacker, because they were so cheaply made the whole thing runs off a single motor and a clever arrangement of cams. It would be reasonably straightfoward to pull out the 'guts', fit a motor controller and a Raspberry Pi Zero, put a camera where the IR and light sensors go, put a better mic and camera in, then hook the bastard up to GPT-4! There's a cam position sensor too so you could modulate it's speech cycle by counting the syllables in the GPT output as well as move its ears, eyes etc.
Other improvements could include high brightness RGB LEDs behind the eyes to indicate mood, an ultrasonic sensor with a second motor so the furby can turn around and make eye contact with people entering a room, and using one of the pi's GPIO pins and a suitable piece of wire as an FM radio transmitter (use a low pass filter because doing that shits out harmonics quite badly) to hijack nearby radios.
I didn't need another project.
...i am so tempted to go down this rabbithole of furby hacks
The comments here prove we still don't read the article. The new Furby is putting front and center "Does not connect to the internet."
The furby doesn't need to connect to the internet directly, the app on your phone already will. I expect its permissions list to look as invasive as Play Services, or Facebook.
Where are you seeing that? I don't see anything mentioned either way about internet connectivity in TheHill article nor the hasbro announcement.
It’s on the Amazon listing.
The previous model connected via Bluetooth to a phone. I'm assuming the same with this one. No wifi, and therfore no "Internet" connection.
The Amazon listing mentions "does not connect to the internet or to any devices" so it might actually not have any sort of connectivity.
But I think my old one is still talking in a box somewhere.
Clearly someone needs to figure out how to get an old Furby to interact with a new Furby.
(Of course, someone has already done ChatGPT + Furby)
“Through this research, kids told us that it was important for Furby to be their ultimate best friend – a furry companion to do all the things a BFF would do, like dance to music, share fortunes, meditate, mimic each other in silly voices, and even put on a light show, and that’s exactly what we created.”
I love picturing small children setting up elaborate light shows for their best friends
Can confirm, been there, done that. Closet Rave FTW
kids told us that it was important for Furby to... ...meditate... Ok I'm aware that traditions are different in different parts of the world and such, but now I'm picturing that times have changed so much kids are meditating and it's an important thing to them. I mean I started kind of out of the blue as a kid without outside influence as a pasty white European dude, but I got made fun of for it when people found out.
Kind of really cool if kids are meditating these days.
Depite all the black mirror watchers here not reading or looking into it, no furby has connected to the internet yet?
Didn’t the terrifying Furby Connects of like 2016 have the ability to connect to internet-connected apps and would send OTA updates to the furby on a weekly basis? I think the furby itself was receive-only and wouldn’t send anything, but I might be wrong. I still think it’s fair to say that furby was at least semi-connected to the internet.
Technically Furby Connects is a subcategory of Furby, and I was talking about the main line, (and "Connect" is in the name, so that is still not trying to sneak it past consumers) but I could see the argument it is a little pedantic.
But saying THIS model has a camera and is connected to the internet explicitly goes against most of the advertising and most everyone is just wanting to act panicked about a basic toy. 😑
I can’t wait until Look Mum No Computer turns them into a terrifying musical instrument.
Thanks for the nightmares. I love it.
No thanks, I'm still waiting for a long furby.
Ferret-bird.
2023 Bingo is fooling me again.
What's the biggest surprise so far?
I found them oddly endearing. Maybe because I didn't have one of my own and played with the ones other people had.
If I actually had one, I'd either have fallen on the "this is fucking creepy" side or "never leave me, Furby". No in between.
But they were always kind of the "Gremlins without exposure to water or food after midnight".
This being the timeline we're in, I'm not ruling out the possibility that this changes. That they become exposed to something and we get a Furby revolt. Gremlins becomes real. Chaos.
Gizmo 2024 - Infinity.
"Furby sad. Furby see Atlas Shrugged. Furby save America. Furby is John Galt."
Equiped with real ai this time for even more uncanny responses.
@ffmike Lord help us all...the end is nigh /s
Firby I'm sad, play despacito
they are legion.
I always wanted a furby and maybe now that I'm a grown adult I'll finally get one lol. Although any time I see a furby now I'm reminded of this scene from Mitchell's vs the Machines.
I like those projects where people have attached a raspberry pi to the old furbies to turn them into cool things, I wonder if that will be possible with these new ones?
These are actually pretty cute, but again with the fucking app and online connection. I'd never have one of these in my house, let alone give one to my kids to play with unless I've disabled any network connectivity (but the simplest solution would be to just not buy one.)
@Onii-Chan@kbin.social
I think you misread the post friend. The app says that they introduced that garbage 10 years ago, but in a misleading move, they didn't clarify that this new iteration of Furby does not have either.
It's a super dishonest way of writing. I hope this helped!
Ya know?
These were scary before we had the problem of internet connected cameras being stuck inside everything
Who thought this was a good idea?
Probably Mr. Wing's greedy grandson.
How long until someone makes it into a Long Furby?
Didn't know those were discontinued to begin with, I got one for my daughter like 5 years ago, for Christmas. It used a mobile app or some shit.
And here I thought we were rid of these menaces.
Now they return…
God help us all.
I'm holding out for the return of BonziBuddy.
I had the last version and thoroughly enjoyed it. MSRP is $70 so be wary of the high price on Amazon. If you go to other offers you will find the ships from Amazon for the proper price.
Lest we forget https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBmHHYiA1XM
The horror...
Huh. I didn't realize they'd stopped selling the last reboot.
Oh no, not again.
These things scare the hell out of me still.
Equiped with real ai this time for even more uncanny responses.
I for one welcome the long furby renaissance.
A hero appears in the loneliest of times.