Pleo

First off, I know it's not a Furby, but it was created by the co-creator of Furby, so I think there's a bit of relevance to posting here. If not, I have no idea where to put this as there's no robotics thread or anything. Anyway....

Anyone have a Pleo? Or have you ever played with one? I think they're fascinating, and was watching things about the Pleo RB, but with such a hefty price tag, it seems like it would turn away a lot of possible consumers unless they were rolling in dough. Also i think the battery lasts only what? 2 hours? Would make it a pain to continue the playing when you have to stop and charge it every few hours, at least I would think so. But for those who have one, what are the pros and cons of the robot? And is it really worth the huge price tag? And how much time do you/have you invested in it before shelving it for a while?

I had to go look it up because I haven't heard of Pleo before.

It looks amazing!

but the price, the price!! D:

Exactly. That price is awful. but I can see why it's so pricey. Only the version 1 seems to be on Ebay, the version 3, which is the RB (ReBorn) is the one that's way more high end. It has voice recognition, something I guess the first doesn't? Can train it with voice commands, it can get sick, it NEEDS to be fed, it mimics injuries, etc. It looks really amazing, but I don't know of anyone who's had experience with such a robot. I mean I LOVE dinosaurs, but I could never justify that price unless I had a really high end job.

I have a Pleo RB called Minty and yes they are DEFINITELY worth the price tag! They are adorable and really realistic and each one has a different personality and skin/eye colour combination which I think is a nice touch. Cons? Well they can be a bit needy like a real pet so if you don't have a lot of time to play with them that could be a problem and after a while the actions do seem to get a little repetative. As much as I love my Pleo I'm afraid it will never quite surpass tamagotchis for me but I'd definitely reccommend buying one if you can. I've had mine for over a year and I'm still not bored

Izzyd07 said:

I have a Pleo RB called Minty and yes they are DEFINITELY worth the price tag! They are adorable and really realistic and each one has a different personality and skin/eye colour combination which I think is a nice touch. Cons? Well they can be a bit needy like a real pet so if you don't have a lot of time to play with them that could be a problem and after a while the actions do seem to get a little repetative. As much as I love my Pleo I'm afraid it will never quite surpass tamagotchis for me but I'd definitely reccommend buying one if you can. I've had mine for over a year and I'm still not bored

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Really? I wonder if the first version can do voice recognition and such, too, as sometimes you can find them for decent prices...

Do you know what gender you get when you get it? Or is it unisex? Can it work right out of the AC adapter from the wall in case the battery isn't working properly? (I've heard of many different battery issues with Pleos.)

My rb was actually brought as a replacement for a version one I brought when they first came out and loved... Until my cousin pushed it down the stairs and broke it! The version ones do not have voice recognition but the only use for that with rbs is to teach them their name and teach them tricks. The older pleos can't do as many tricks but to teach rbs tricks you need learning stones which are sold seperately for about £25 a pack although one does come free with the pleo. The version ones also cannot feel temperature and react to it e.g. shivering/getting a cold or panting in the heat and they can't tell what the time is so they won't automatically go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning which the rbs do or get hungry at certain times. They come with a "training leaf" which doubles as a toy and food but the rbs come with a range of foods which they react differently to as well as a training leaf and tug of war toy. Unfortunately if you want to buy any extra foods for an rb you'll have to shell out about £25 again. Also with the rbs you can register them on pleoworld.com and see a picture of them "hatching" and a summary of their personality and gender. The rbs come in blue, pink and green. The blue ones are set to be boys and the pink ones are girls but the green ones will be a random gender although there are downloads which you can use to change your pleo's gender. The only difference the gender makes is how it behaves around other pleos though so it doesn't really matter unless you plan on buying two. The first generation pleos have no set gender so you can decide what you want it to be. Both versions however develop a unique personality dependant on how you treat them although there are downloads for different personalities on the pleoworld website I think and you can even write software programnes for rbs if you're technologically minded. I honestly don't know which version I prefer to be honest but if you want a cheaper lower maintenace one I would go with the first version (although you should remember its warranty will no longer be valid so if something goes wrong you can't have it replaced). A word of warning: the first versions are particularly prone to paint peeling off the skin and teeth and even the rbs can get wear on their skin. As for batteries, you have to take the battery out to charge it but I think batteries with a longer life are now being sold on the pleoworld website. Sorry for writing so much - hope I didn't bore you lol

That's fine, that helps a lot actually. I wonder what can be applied to prevent the skin from going bad, too. I heard they can dry out and crack and eventually rot off. Heard about the skin issue, too, makes me wonder why they don't air brush a dye on instead of a paint. Unless it IS a dye and it's prone to wearing off anyway.

The rbs come with a cape which prevents most of the paint wear on the actual body and you can buy capes for the version ones online. What innvolabs (the company who makes them) reccommends is to spray pledge polish on their skin which keeps it soft and has actually helped really well on my rb - bearly any wear after a year. On my version one I used talc which worked too but gave it a weird white look! Also for the version one's teeth you can use an enamel pen to patch up the paint chipping. The version ones are more prone to actual skin tearing but neither should really experience if you leave them switched off in the standing "off" position, not in the sleep position for long periods of time.

Ah okay. Makes a lot of sense, thanks so much. And Pledge? That's really interesting. Maybe in the future they'll looking into silicone skins, or at least maybe mixing silicone in with it for more durability and longer life.

Yes, it does seem a shame that they couldn't figure out how to fix this one problem for a £500 robot!

I really wanted to have one... And still do, but the price... D:

I can't even afford the new Furby. XD The hefty price will unfortunately prevent me from ever owning one, which is a shame because they seem like really nice robots. (and I love dinosaurs)

^ Same here. If I finish school I will get a gaming laptop, but... Mom is already prepared to pay 1000 dollars for one, and they are getting heaper. Why not putting up a pleo in there too? They are not THAT expensive comparing to other robots...

Jhud said:

^ Same here. If I finish school I will get a gaming laptop, but... Mom is already prepared to pay 1000 dollars for one, and they are getting heaper. Why not putting up a pleo in there too? They are not THAT expensive comparing to other robots...

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True. In comparison to the AIBO-ES7 (was that the model?) A Pleo is downright dirt cheap. I figure if I get back into making sculptures for a bit of time again, I could put some of the money I get for those towards recreational spending, and maybe would use some of that for a Pleo or something of the like. I'm a sucker for dinosaurs, and I am fascinated by robots, and since I only have birds and no four-legged creatures and plan on having a demanding career in the future, this might be something more manageable than an actual pet (for now). My only real concerns in the future is of course preservation/longevity and future support for the model. It seems somewhat of a bad idea to drop so much on something you might only get, say, a year or less out of before it starts to break. (i.e. skin cracking/tearing, robotics failure, battery failure to hold charges, etc.) Worse would be to lose the support in the event these things happen.

I'm just debating if going for the old model first would be ideal, or just saving for the newer model since it has so much more to it and has been upgraded so-to-speak. But I do occasionally find decently priced older models for under $200. Hm.

@JHud: Being a gamer, I'd probably be picking the gaming laptop over the Pleo any day only because I could do more with it and it'd fit my needs more. XD But that's just personal preference.