Sphero Mini update lets you talk or sing to move robot faster and use your hands and feet in Desktoy modes.

I recently bought the Sphero Mini for my 7 years old daughter and this has been undoubtedly the best toy purchase I’ve ever made. The app-enabled robotic ball is fun to play with in that you can control it via Bluetooth on Android or Apple-made devices. The Mini itself can transform into a controller to play games right in the app. The latter has been updated today with two new features: Scream Drive and Desktoy modes.

Sphero Mini lets you use your facial expression to move the ball around. While it is not perfect, it is fun to play and get ready for a good laugh with the funny faces as players try to drive the Mini around. Things are about to get even more interesting or annoying with today’s update. With Scream Drive, players will use their voice to make the little robot move faster. You see where this going, right? The louder you talk or sing, the faster the robot accelerates. The app doesn’t offer a built-in karaoke, so you’ll have to either improvise or come up with your own playlist. So, get ready to make some NOISE.

The second feature is equally fun, albeit less noisy or annoying and it’s called Desktoy modes. In most case scenarios, the smartphone is the robot’s controller. You use it to change its color, to roll around. Sure, you use the Mini as a game controller, but you’ll still be holding your phone or maybe it will be sitting on desk, but not far away.

Desktoy modes introduce a new way to interact and play with your Sphero Mini without the phone or tablet. The new games let you put the Mini on a flat surface, say a table, and you have to use your hands to prevent the robot from falling off or escaping. The longer you manage to keep the Mini on the table, you guess it, the faster the robot will move around. You can use your feet too – not on the table though. Sphero Mini will turn green when you win or red if you lose.

Desktoy modes is definitely less noisy than Scream Drive, but be careful with letting that little robot falling off a table, it may not handle that very well in the long run.

If you own a Sphero Mini, download the update in Google Play Store and have fun with these two new features.