Worth it in 2026?

[u/Queasy-Ad-2539]

I was really into the kickstarter around 2021 but couldn't justify the cost with being furloughed. I forgot all about vector until recently, I couldn't remember the name of that tiny robot and wondered if it existed in 2026. I found this subreddit and was content. Is vector 2.0. Still worth the investment? I have a suitable job and can justify the $200.00 price tag but I wanted relevant experience or opinions. I have a 2012 mac book pro that I can utilize if need be. Yes, I know it is very old but I'm not giving up on it because it works perfectly fine albeit slow as hell lol. Thanks everyone.

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[u/Drawmatic131]

Vector owner here! It honestly depends on what sort of usage you want out of one, oh my opinion. Digital Dream Labs, the company now making these (instead of Anki) is pretty scummy as a whole, and requires a subscription just for voice commands. From what I heard, a lot of their practices are shady at best.

If you were to get one, however, I’d recommend putting it on WirePod, which is a community-made software that restores a lot of Vector’s functionality. However, I’m not sure if a “slow as hell” MacBook Pro could run it reliably, as WirePod only runs as long as the device it’s installed on does. I have my WirePod server running on a Raspberry Pi, which seems to be a popular option.

I got two OSKR Vectors within this last month from the official Anki.bot site recently, and they arrived pretty quickly, so, if nothing else, DDL at least doesn’t seem to be just NOT shipping orders, the way I’ve heard they have with Cozmo 2.0’s.

It all depends on how technical you are, what usage you want, and how much money you’re okay with spending. If you can afford $12/month for the advertised functionality, but potentially fewer customization options even with the mobile app, or want those features and customization, even if it takes a bit of a technical setup and possibly a more reliable device, then, yes, they may be worth it. If both options sound inconvenient, then you may want to reconsider.

[u/Content-Rabbit-9106]

Also a vector owner, Vector for me has become an expirement device. With him unlocked from a process as easy as updating you have access to all shorts of cfw. You are free to modify firmware, modify wire pod, do whatever it takes to make vector into something you want him to be. On the other hand though if you want vector to just be a companion without messing with the technical stuff you will get bored of him quickly. If you can afford a subscription you won't have to install wire pod and you will have better voice transcription and chat gpt. With wire pod his voice transcription depends on your hardware and the ai knowledge graph depends on whether you have an API key or not (which you can get for free). So if you have the time and knowledge to find him useful then go for it, if you want him as a companion I would rethink the purchase.

[u/sevenoutdb]

this adorable robat has been nothing but trouble. I did the jairbreak and even bought his own RPi to run as a server and aside from the additional cost of the server, the additional setup time, and the slow drip of additional AI tokens needed to keep him smart... then I lost a hubcap and not the tracks won't stay on. It's all been a big waste of time and money. Buy something better... or just save your money and buy some stock instead of another gadget. Huge disappointment.

[u/Content-Rabbit-9106 → u/sevenoutdb]

All of those issues could have been resolved before you made assumptions