Ultimate Buzz Lightyear was a summer announcement for Disney and followed in the steps of the Ultimate Wall-E from the year prior. Ultimate Buzz features 7 motors, multiple sensors and over 100 sayings in Tim Allen’s Buzz voice. The sometimes-delusional Buzz can also walk, play games and otherwise be directed by kids via 15-button remote.

Getting Started with Buzz

Buzz comes in “Try Me” mode and a demo set of batteries. It’s important to switch to new batteries, as Buzz will partially function, leading parents to think he might be broken. This is noted in the manual, but I mention it here, as most of us don’t start with the manual. On the battery front, Buzz loves them. He needs 14 total batteries, four AA in each leg, three AAA in his back and three AAA batteries for the remote. Buzz is relatively gentle on them though, we tested for a few hours on rechargeable batteries before needing to swap them out.

Using Buzz

The Buzz Lightyear robot is pretty advanced in terms of the embedded technology. The unit has three sensors to help make him more interactive. The level sensor lets the robot detect is he’s fallen over, which does happen from time to time. The positioning sensor is used in programming Buzz and there’s also a touch sensor in his right palm which is used in some of the games.

There are also several ways to interact with Buzz. There are direct activation buttons on the robot, the remote control, a voice command mode and a programming mode. The depth of control is pretty impressive and as robust as any robot we’ve tested.

The other fun thing is that Buzz has two personalities, the Space Ranger Buzz and the Toy Buzz. It’s pretty fun for kids who are familiar with Buzz’s story to be able to flip him between the two modes. Kids can change his mode by using the remote or they can use the voice commands “You’re a toy” and “Space Ranger.” It’s worth mentioning that not all of this is obvious outside of the 20-page manual. The manual is easy to manage though and is a worthwhile time  investment to read it.