0 Review | Game These Hot Wheels (THW) can be controlled with your iPhone

If you’re expecting a seamless Bluetooth connection to control the cars, unfortunately, you’d be wrong. As Hot Wheels’ iNitro Speeders are controlled via an infrared signal, you have to attach an included accessory to your iOS device before getting behind the (toy) wheel. It could be more elegant, as the add-on resembles the first generation of Square credit card readers. But hey, it gets the job done.

As a child, there’s nothing quite like playing with a remote-controlled car. Sure, the novelty may wear off a bit when you grow up and get an actual automobile, but there’s still something cool about being able to wirelessly control a toy car. Mattel’s Hot Wheels, which has long been king of toy cars, has entered the 21st century and released an iOS app that lets you control your miniature racers with your iPhone.
Once you install the app, you’ll need to pick your driving style. This is where Mattel has really gone above and beyond. There are five different choices for controlling your tiny racer:

Traditional

This option places a virtual dual-stick controller on your display. Control the “sticks” exactly as you would physical ones.

Accelerometer

This is one of the cooler options. If you’ve played iOS racing games like Real Racing 2, you’ll be familiar with the concept of steering a car by tilting your device. Only this time, you’re controlling a real car. Well, a real toy car.

GTA: Chinatown Wars

Okay, so Hot Wheels’ app has no connection whatsoever to Rockstar’s franchise, but this method resembles the top-down view of the portable GTA classic. Simply drag your finger over the displayed car and watch your toy car respond accordingly.

Etch-a-Sketch

This looks like a cool concept, but good luck getting it to do what you want it to do. Rather than tracing a path with your finger, this method forces you to use arrows to navigate. But, instead of absolute directional controls (up = up, left = left, etc.), the controls are relative to your position. So if the car is facing left and you push left, the car will move down. Got it? Didnt’ think so.

There are several pre-determined paths included in this one, which can let you perform some cool figure eights, circles, and spirals.

Availability

Each car and adapter combo (with a physical case/controller too) will cost you $32.99 each. The app is free, and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Though young children don’t typically have iPhones, many do borrow their parents’ iPhones. Even more have their own iPod touches. Though imperfect, iNitro Speeders will provide parents with a familiar “I wish they had those when I was your age” moments.

Review | Game These Hot Wheels (THW) can be controlled with your iPhone 9out of 10 based on 100 ratings. 9 user reviews.