Robosen Robotics' Optimus Prime robot can automatically transform into a truck just like the movie/cartoon versions, but the breathtaking $900 price makes it more a toy for collectors than children. Now, Hasbro and Robosen have launched a companion Trailer and Roller set for Optimus Prime with equally cool auto-conversion features and an equally steep $750 price. Based on the G1 design, the trailer measures an impressive three feet (1 meter) in length, fully extended. Using Robosen's clever robotics, it automatically unfolds and tilts vertically into a nearly flat rectangular shield, complete with an integrated, articulating sentry blaster. In truck mode, it houses the Roller vehicle and human sidekick Spike "who is ready to jump into action or enjoy the ride." The blaster can also be mounted for "further firepower and support," according to Robosen.

Robot design tends to fall into one of two camps. In the first, they look like us; in the second, they look like tools, their bodies molded toward a particular function. And like tools, this second camp of robots--the smartphones of the robot universe--have tended to look very similar and require some thought on the part of their designer to elevate their personalities above that of a can opener. Metroid Dread on the Nintendo Switch doesn't escape this trap: It's a fine and frightening game held back by its boring robot villains. This story originally appeared on WIRED UK.

While we wait for Nerf to come to Oculus VR, Hasbro has unveiled a new game featuring its toy blasters. Nerf Legends is a first-person arena shooter with a sci-fi twist that sees players battling robots across 19 single player levels. Of course, the game is another way to sell real-life Nerf products to a generation of kids who have grown up playing Fortnite. As such, there are 15 blasters from the Mega, Ultra and Elite lines, with upgrades and skins, to choose from. To help your side win, you'll be able to use dart power-ups like magnetic push and pull, seeker and freeze on your opponents.

Amazon wants to see more consumers using their voices to control their TVs this holiday season. This week, it announced a new $35 product, the Fire TV Blaster, which acts as a universal remote of sorts, by enabling TVs that don't have voice access to respond to Alexa. It will be available Dec. 11. The advantages of voice versus clicking are substantial, says Amazon vice-president Sandeep Gupta, who stopped by the Los Angeles USA TODAY bureau for a Talking Tech audio interview. Voice is a more "flexible," experience and completes the task with less bother, he says.

Logitech's Harmony division makes better universal remote controls than just about anybody. Its latest model, the $250 Harmony Express, might be its most practical, even if it's not the company's most powerful. The Harmony Express doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the company's top-of-the-line Harmony Elite ($350 MSRP), which Logitech will continue to sell. The Express doesn't have a touch-sensitive display, it doesn't have as many programmable buttons, and it can't execute complex macros that incorporate both home entertainment gear and smart home devices. The Express can do much of what the Elite can for a lot less money, and--since it has Amazon's Alexa onboard--it can do some things the Elite can't.

Nerf guns are a lot of fun. But the arguments over whether someone got hit and picking up all those darts when you're done? Laser tag has a huge advantage there. Nerf even made its own laser tag guns a few years ago, and this week it updates the line with a video-game-influenced augmented reality upgrade. Now you can track your stats and target virtual opponents -- things that fans of foam-dart-based weapons can only dream about.

Jennifer Jolly's coolest gadgets from CES you'll actually see in your home this year. A New Year means one thing in the world of gadgets -- a trip to Las Vegas for CES. It's the enormous consumer electronics show packed with nearly 50-football fields worth of shiny new tech toys. Somewhere inside the cavernous convention center crowded with TV's we can't afford, concept cars we'll never drive, and stupid "smart" things we'll never use (Alexa-enabled toilet…really?), there's always a handful of gadgets that really can hit the jackpot of product-perfection. That's what I set out to find early-on here in Las Vegas. Here are my favorites so far.

Unfortunately, I didn't really get to do any exploration, but I did get a good taste of the smooth and fluid combat system during my demo. One trigger locks you on to your enemies and the other lets you blast away, making it relatively painless to keep up with the swarms of fast-moving attacking robots. Another button tells your robot companion to attack, and you can swap rapidly between them at any time. Each bot has its own special attack you can use to even the odds, as well. The bots are designed to be crucial to your success -- if you forget about utilizing those special attacks, you'll likely end up in big trouble.