Anki DRIVE finally on Android, limited devices supported

True to its promise, Anki has finally made available an Android app for its rather intriguing Anki DRIVE system. Now those living in Google's world need not feel jealous of their iOS rivals as they can now join and, perhaps more relevant, compete against them on equal grounds. Plus, Anki is announcing yet another price cut, though this time not for the starter kit itself but for the separate expansion cars you can purchase to spice up your races a bit.

As anyone following Apple's press events might already know by now, Anki took the spotlight at the 2013 WWDC and introduced a new game that blended real physical toys and video games. Of course, being a robotics company, Anki DRIVE injected a bit of artificial intelligence into the mix. To put it simply, players took control of miniature race cars, each with its own distinct personalities and capabilities and raced against other players or even AI around, controlled via a mobile app. That mobile app also served as the brains of the whole system, including those of the AI, but was limited only to iOS. Until now, that is.

Last month's massive Anki DRIVE announcement included a sliver of hope for interested Android players and now Anki has delivered on its word. The app has finally landed on Google Play Store. That said, it isn't all good news. For technical reasons unknown, the app is only (officially) compatible with a select number of Android devices, 6 in total. Aside from the Nexus 5, the rest are the latest Samsung devices, including the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 4, and the 2014 Galaxy Note 10.1. Anki once again promises that it is working with OEMs to expand its scope to make the Anki DRIVE experience available on more devices as soon as possible.

That said, the app is, of course, only a part of the experience and you will need the race track and the cars to complete the requirements. Anki has just recently brought down the price of the starter kit to $149.99 in the US and Canada and ₤149.99 in the UK. Now it is also slashing the price of expansion cars, including the new Spektrix, down to $49.99.

Download: Anki Drive on Google Play Store

SOURCE: Anki