LEGO Mindstroms NXT 3.0
There have been a few customers who approached us to find out when the NXT 3.0 would be released, the price and other queries. Most people wanted to know when they can get their hands on it!
How to improve on the highly successful 2.0? What features will it contain?
The truth is – We have not heard anything from LEGO. LEGO typically announces new product releases to distributors and re-sellers months in advance. However since the NXT 1.0 was released in 2006 and the NXT 2.0 was released in 2009 it reasonable for NXT fans to expect the replacement/enhancement for 2.0 to be released within 2 years.
In line with LEGO tradition we can expect backward compatibility of parts, sensors, interfaces and software. So the new release is not expected to render the 2.0 obsolete anytime soon. In fact, as many enthusiasts are aware, the RCX (pre-NXT robot kit released in 1999) is still being used widely especially at schools and in competitions. The RCX sensors and motors are compatible with the NXT intelligent brick.
With the rapid technology advances we could expect some interesting enhancement to the NXT.
Here are some of the enhancement we would like to see:
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Increased I/O ports
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â More powerful and faster processor – Dual core 
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â More memory for programs and files
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Large color LCD screen
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Touch screen
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â WiFi connectivity
- Â Â Â Â Â SD card support
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Built in Accelerometers
Write in and share your ideas/comments:
Tags: LEGO Mindstorms 3.0, LEGO Mindstorms NXT 3.0, LEGO NXT 3.0, Mindstorms 3.0., NXT 3.0
I purchased the original Mindstorms 1.0 way back in the nineties. I absolutely loved it; it was a great workout for both my imagination and my ingenuity. It was also a great family toy: I could get the gears aligned and programmed, and my 8-year old daughter would supplement it with additional Legos for fun. That was what I loved about the original set: it did a wonderful job of straddling the line between robotics set and sheer silliness. The computerized brick looked like a giant yellow Lego; there were lots of colors, and it was compatible with other Legos. It even had an expansion set that allowed you to built animals and monsters, and came with Lego eyes, fins, and all kinds of fun little additions. The creations were functional (usually!), but also seemed to fit into the World of LegoLand.
This new set looks like…well, a robotics set. That’s not a bad thing, but it means that this set needs to be compared to other robotics sets out there. Before, Mindstorms was completely unique, in a class all by itself. Now it looks like a very well-designed robotics set. The colors are drab, the 600+ pieces all have a specific practical function, there is less room for customizing.
Don’t get me wrong, this set is a huge step up in functionality. The new color sensor alone is an enormous improvement. I will have hundreds of hours of fun with NXT 2.0. But I’m not sure my current young daughters will have much interest in it, and that makes me sad.
One last note: the box itself is pretty poorly designed. It’s…a box. There are no dividers or compartments to keep organized. Not a huge issue, but you would think that at nearly $300 a pop the Lego folks would be willing to spring for a little extra cardboard.
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I’d love to see wi fi, more memory and faster processor