A unique take on RC cars, the Kobotix Real Racer FPV Remote Control Car allows people to drive an RC car from the view of the driver’s seat, with amazing VR technology.
First Impressions
The Kobotix Real Racer was much higher quality than I expected, with a VR headset consisting of synthetic leather padding and a very sturdy plastic body. This sturdy plastic was also used for the remote control and car, with both being rather light but relatively solid.
The setup was easy enough, with the only real annoyance being the wait time for the battery to charge, which took a few hours at most to charge fully. Once charged up, I had to simply download the Real Racer App, which once connected to the internet, instantly linked with the remote control, car and my phone.
Design
The car was smaller than I expected, with it being around the size of an Xbox controller. Its build was strong and sturdy, giving the impression that it could withstand a few bumps when whizzing around your house or garden. The tires were grippy enough to sustain the outside conditions, although they did not work on grass.
A small camera sat on top of the car, delivering a decent-quality image and a relatively wide shot, letting you capture quite nice video footage. I can see this car being of use for cameramen, for example, this is a perfect gadget for skater videos, as you can drive alongside the skater and capture some up-close footage.
The fully plastic remote control was very sensitive, with every tap on the throttle or turn of the wheel causing a lunge forward or sideways from the little red car. The control itself was covered with a bunch of different buttons, all adjusting either the remote control’s settings or the camera settings.
These buttons specifically are buttons to capture video or photo footage on the fly, adjust the steering rate or the steering trim, adjust the throttle rate and of course, the power button which turns the whole thing on. All these buttons add to the experience, with users being able to modify the feel of their car and remote control.
As for the VR headset, it was a slight let-down to see that the screen was simply your phone slotted into place, nonetheless, the headset itself was of a high quality, with it being much more comfortable than many other VR headsets that are purely for gaming, like the PS VR by PlayStation.
Adjusting the VR headset was also easy, with a Velcro-style strap system and comfortable synthetic leather around the eye sockets. My phone once set to headset mode slotted into the designated area of the VR headset, with the phone screen being what I saw when looking through the headset’s lens.
Performance
One thing which caught me off guard about the Kobotix Real Racer FPV Remote Control Car was the speed at which the car can go. It is a fast RC car, with top speeds of around 9.3mph. This however does make controlling the car sometimes a challenge, especially in the first-person view with the VR headset.
It was very fun once I got the hang of the speed and sensitivity of the controller, doing laps around my garden chairs and my living room from the driver’s seat of an RC car was a surreal experience, to say the least.
One slight issue was the fact that the whole setup requires Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to work for an optimal experience. The car simply didn’t respond every now and then when the Wi-Fi connection dipped, which was quite annoying.
Additionally, I had to be in the range of the car for it to work, which became a struggle since I had the VR headset on, meaning it wasn’t exactly possible to know where I was unless I drove the car right up to myself. On top of this, the range isn’t huge, which restricted me from really roaming far and wide in the car.
The car worked well on most surfaces, whether it be carpet, wooden flooring, concrete, or gravel. The one area where it struggled mainly was on grass, although I think if you have areas where the grass is especially short, the car should work.
Filming footage was simple and easy, with the footage being downloadable to your phone straight after it has been filmed and sent to the Real Racer app library. You can also stream the footage directly onto Twitch, Instagram, YouTube Reddit or Discord, which is a great option for streamers out there.
The app itself did the job well, with it not having a crazy number of features besides storing video and photo footage. The app did also have a few setting options such as changing the video quality, adding basic visual effects, or connecting a microSD card.
The quality of the camera was pretty good, with very little lag or delay apart from when you drove the car too far away. The camera films at a maximum quality of 720p High Definition, which is very solid for a small camera like this.
Conclusion
Overall, for the price of £150, you get a lot for your money with the Kobotix Real Racer Remote Control FPV Car. The RC car itself is a solid RC car alone, and then combined with a neat and high-quality VR headset, it starts to look like quite a good deal at £150.
The Kobotix Real Racer FPV Remote Control Car does have its flaws, with some struggles on grass and the lack of range, however, I highly recommend trying this out. It is a unique experience driving around your house or down streets from the point of view of an RC car, one that kids will no doubt have bundles of fun with, although I recommend keeping an eye on whoever is using it, as it can be easy to wander off aimlessly with this headset and RC car.
Product Rating
Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Features: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Real Racer App: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Performance: 3.5 out of 5.0 stars
Value for Money: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Overall ranking: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
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Looks like an awesome bit of kit – great review