Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/09/24/unauthorized-darts.html
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FRIST: Christ what assholes.
Also – DRM broken by enterprising 8-yr-olds will undoubtedly happen.
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Sounds like they really nerfed Nerf gunz.
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Ok. “Nothing” it is. Is it irony that Nerf is nerfing Nerf?
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For those out of the know.
The N Strike line that introduced clips and slim darts could only fire around 30 to 35 feet due to safety concerns and pricing costs. Modders opened up the gun and modified them to shoot farther. This ticked off Hasbro so in order to please them they introduced the Vortex line which was just small (slow & inaccurate) frisbees. Modders continued to modify both the dart and disc guns so Hasbro just went ahead with plan to make the Elite line fire darts to around 75 feet. They continued on to release the Mega line with denser big ass darts to fire around a 100 feet and then they released Rival line that shoot tiny balls (which are much more compact than darts) to 90 feet.
I’m not surprised Hasbro finally made one that can fire 120 feet.
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Hmm, well the new darts do look cool. I looks like it has some fins that create a bit of spin, which would stabilize them in flight. Much better than the soft plastic suction cup darts I had as a kid.
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FYI those Rival blaster balls do work nice. I got a Boba Fett themed one and they did work well in my tests.
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I kinda see their point about possible liability and the fact the spent money designing and making patents, only to have factors in China rip off the design. To be fair about the China trade war thing, the one valid point is they don’t seem to have much enforcement for trademark, copyright, or patent infringement.
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But - HOW does this DMR thing work? Form factor? RFID chip?
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Maybe if they just lowered their prices, people would still buy real Nerf darts because they are made better. 50 cents a dart seems a bit high, IMO. But maybe that material is pricey, vs the knockoff stuff.
Cool - it seems to me if they just wore eye protection, you could make more powerful dart guns for fun.
ETA - pics of new darts.
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Go to thrift stores and buy old Nerf guns for cheap. 1) Cheaper guns 2) Nerf as a company doesn’t see a dime. Plus who needs another toy to feed batteries to?
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ARM- Analog rights management?
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DRM cracked in 10-9-8-7…
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But can if fire Keurig capsules?
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Only the limited edition Coffee Commando ™ has the genuine Kuerig ammunition option.
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Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? Presumably, this “new Ultra foam” with its “patents pending” is safer at high velocities, and people who want to take risks with cheaper, harder high-velocity darts can buy products from a competitor who’s willing to take the risk of being sued.
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I’m predicting that Nerf is aiming to cover for the AR-15 production that Colt cut recently…and with proprietary ammo, to boot!
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This doesn’t seem like DRM. It feels more like an engineering restriction, in that it only works with the brand new darts designed for this brand new product line. I am sure there will be compatible knockoffs soon enough, but old Nerf darts and old knockoffs worn’t work with the new line.
Also, “Rival” is a Nerf product line, not a rival company, which may be part of the confusion.
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At that price, they should put a cheap RFID tag in them so that kids can round up the strays for a small commission.
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This assumes that there are only responsible nerf shooters, who use the guns only on controlled grounds where everyone wears safety gear.
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I like nerf guns, but I hate those darts with a passion. I go out cleaning garbage in the local park once a week, with a group of volunteers, and those nasty foam darts are decomposing in the bushes by the 100s.
Please people, Nerf guns ar fun inside, but don’t use them in the park.
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They exist. I was in an Assassins’ Guild at University, and there was one specific brand of dart gun that got banned as soon as the organisers were aware of its existence. I think it was designed to fire chalk-loaded darts that left a mark on the target, but was powerful enough to leave a bruise when fired at the close ranges common in the game.
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