UPDATE Feb 1, 2024: It’s been a difficult life for the Snap Pixy. Announced in April of 2022, the short-lived camera drone halted production just a few months later, with Snap CEO explaining that the product had been axed as “part of broader reprioritization of company resources.” Now, those who purchased the flying sidekick while it was still available are being urged to stop using it or charging it due to a fire hazard.
Fox Sports to use three-drone fleet to help cover World Series
Snap and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission have issued a recall, citing “four reports of the battery overheating and bulging, resulting in one minor battery fire and one minor injury.” For its part, Snap is offering a full refund of $185 for the drone, or up to $250 for those who bought the bundle option. Additional compensation is being handed out for any additional Pixy batteries or accessories returned, as well.
Pixy owners who wish to return their drones or accessories can do so by entering their drone’s serial number here. No receipt is necessary.
The following was originally published August 18, 2022:
UPDATE Aug 18, 2022: Snap has killed the Pixy, at least for now. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel has told employees that development on the Pixy has been halted as “part of broader reprioritization of company resources.” Though the drone’s development has apparently ceased, it is still currently available for purchase on Snap’s website. The Journal speculates that the Pixy will still be available to consumers for some time, though the future of the device remains unclear. As such, consumers who are interested in picking up a little flying selfie robot friend might want to act sooner rather than later.
Snap calls the Snap Pixy flying camera “a pocket-sized, free-flying sidekick that’s a fit for adventures big and small.”
In a press release in April, the company explained that Snap Pixy comes with four preset flight paths, no controller required and it apparently takes off and lands from your hand.
Naturally, the goal is more Snapchat content. Videos from Snap Pixy flights are wirelessly transferred and saved into Snapchat Memories. From there, users can tap Snapchat’s editing tools, Lenses, and Sounds to customize their captures; they can automatically crop into portrait and apply quick Smart Edits, like Hyperspeed, Bounce, Orbit 3D and Jump Cut, then, share to Chat, Stories, Spotlight, or any other platform.
Word in the consumer press is that Snap “didn’t make enough”. So until you can get your hands on one, here’s a chance to see what it’s about.
https://youtu.be/Qp-cNYsXlPU
Now the reviews and videos are in:
RECOMMENDED REVIEW: Snap’s Pixy gets everything right except for one critical feature (Carlos Campbell, Input)
I know you can learn how to fly a DJI Mavic 3 without too much effort, but having to go to school to use a camera I only wanted to take on a vacation isn’t high on my list of things I want to do. Snap’s solution, however much it seems like a Fisher Price toy, is kind of perfect, for its size, its friendly design, and how stupid simple it makes fairly complicated drone shots.
Campbell took the time to film an example each of the Snap Pixy preset patterns, and did a thorough recap from build to battery. MORE@INPUT
Here’s Joanna Stern at The Wall Street Journal testing the Snap Pixy
Pixy drone hands-on: A flying robot photographer for Snapchat users (S. Dent, Engadget)
The main camera takes 2.7K video at 30 fps and 12-megapixel images. It shoots in 16:9 landscape mode, which is a bit odd considering the Snaps are vertical. However, a cropping tool in the app lets you convert your captures to portrait mode. Once the flight pattern is selected, just hold the Pixy up so its camera can see your face and press the start button. It’ll take off and perform the selected maneuver, saving video and/or photos to the 16GB of fixed internal storage. That’s enough for around 100 videos and 1,000 photos, depending on the mode and settings. MORE@Engadget
See also: Samsung launches Odyssey Ark monitor
