I'd personally say that the price looks too good to be true since there's more than 30 robots you can build with this. The creations you can make are amazing, like a catapult, a rubik's cube solver, a walking humanoid, a speedy race car, you name it. You can make all that with this set! (the given examples are actually MOCs, so don't expect phisical instructions inside the box. Find them on the internet.) And then you can also use the remote (as seen in the thumbnail)! But what if the controls are too irritating? In that case you can make your life easier by changing the controls with a program. The possibilities are endless.

In case you don't know, The robot includes one EV3 Brick, one Infrared Sensor, Two large motors, one medium motor, a Touch Sensor, a Color Sensor, and a remote. If those aren't enough, there are other sensors you can buy for your robot, like the Sound Sensor (from the NXT edition), Ultrasonic Sensor, Gyro Sensor, and temperature sensor (in Celsius).

I would recommend this to anyone who's running after walking. If you're a walker and not a runner, I recommend you try Lego Boost first (set number: 17101)

A long awaited set and my very first in the mindstorms series. As a Lego Technic fan, this set was just too tempting to ignore. This review will cover the retail or home edition of the Mindstorms EV3 and became a bit more extensive than I anticipated. But then again, just a few sentences would do unjustice to this set as there is much to tell. There is also an educational version that is slightly different in a number of ways.

Content:

Once unboxed (don't tear up the mission mat!), I found a descent amount of parts and off course the specific mindstorms motors, sensors and the intelligent brick. The Technic parts themselves are not too exiting if you allready own a lot of Technic sets like I do. Otherwise, it sports a good amount to get you started. A lot of white panels in various sizes are included which is always welcome to make your models look smooth, and there are some spikey or bladelike parts which I did not see before. Overall, there is a bit of everything included.

The intelligent brick itself is the heart of the set and allows the use of up to 4 sensors and up to 4 motors. You can connect up to 4 intelligent bricks giving you 16 inputs and 16 outputs for complex builds. It uses normal AA batteries, although a special rechargeble one is available also. I did not try rechargeable AA batteries yet, but I might if the normal ones are continuously drained really quick. It also has a speaker for sound, an "old fashioned monochrome" display that has no backlight (saves on battery lifetime, but sometimes hard to read) and a number of backlit buttons to control it. Then there is a USB connection and a micro SD slot to expand the brick's memory for file storage.

The set includes 2 large motors which are indeed quite large and odly shaped. There is also a smaller motor that also includes a positioning sensor just like the larger ones. This is great for building a bit more compact, but it is also weaker in power than the larger ones. All motors have a good amount of mounting points for both pins or axles, so even given their size and shape it should be relatively easy to use them in all sorts of builds.

Three sensors are suplied:

• 1 Infrared sensor: can measure distance, track the supplied beacon and serves as receiver for controlling your robot with the supplied remote control.
• 1 Color sensor: can recognise a number of colors and light intensity.
• 1 touch sensor: basically just a push button.
• Although not really a sensor, there is a remote control unit that can also serve as beacon for your robot to find.

Nice to know is that for the most part, you can also control your robot using the power functions remote control. To me that works a bit better for really driving a robot around the room as the buttons on the EV3 remote are not exactly big for my fingers. The Mindstorms remote does seem to offer more button combinations you can press for even more control, and has the specific beacon button.

Instructions and software:

Out of the box, you get one thin booklet with instructions for the first Track3r robot. I was a bit disappointed with only these short instructions at first but now I think this is done to make a point for the later stages. It is a fairly quick and uncomplicated build to get started, and the intelligent brick comes pre-programmed with a demo program used by the instruction book. Once the instruction book is completed, the real fun can begin. First you will need to install the software which you must download from the Lego website. Once installed, this nicely crafted piece of software contains building and programming instructions for all 5 robots that are on the box, and allows to download another 12 "bonus"models, creating a grand total of 17 models from one set. I have not built all of them yet, but I sure will over time.

For every one of the 5 starter robots you get multiple missions to achieve, all requiring some building and some programming for each step. The finished programs are all in there for you to use, but it also offers a step-by-step guide to do the programming yourself. This is what I did and it is of great help in understanding the interface and learning the use of the different program blocks. A program is basically made by connecting all types of program-blocks to form a chain. Fairly easy to understand the basics in a slick and colorfull user interface, harder to master all available options.

Pros:

• Sensors, servomotors, programming, and compattible with all your existing Lego means endless possibillities.
• Once the software is installed, it really guides you one step at a time ramping up difficulty as you go.
• The robots are nicely designed, look very good and are lean on parts used but making the most of them by creative use.
• If you do own Mindstorms NXT (2.0), you can use (most or all) the motors and sensors with the new set and software so not everything is lost.
• 17! models from one box. There's a great value for money here but....

Cons:

• It also comes at a steep price so this is probably not a set you buy without a second thought.
• Even though you are guided in great detail, once that is done this set could be somewhat overwhelming in what possibilities it offers.
• Not much documentation in the box. You really need the software to continue.
• Computer/laptop needed to build the actual robots (but you need one anyway for programming so...).
• Younger kids will need some help to get started, and possibly some adults too :)

Conclusion:

• Overall rating: 5. This is a great set if you, or your kids, have any interest in robotics, or at least in creating things that move and let you decide exactly how.
• Building Experiende: 4. Great design, but building from a screen takes getting used to.
• Parts: The special Mindstorms parts get 5 out of 5, the rest is very familiar to a technic builder, averaging to 4 points.
• Playabillity: 5. I have much fun creating the models and even my kids like these robots, even though they can not build or program them yet at their age (how about a Lego Duplo sorter then...). The only limit is what you can't think off.
• Value for money: 4. Its defenitly worth the money if it has your interest, but its still a lot of money for just 1 set and that could make people turn around.

If there is ever a flagship theme in Lego, it is absolutely Mindstorm. Taking Technic's already impressive functionality to a whole new level, the rest is history. We all seen the creativity stunts, but the question remains: How does the latest Mindstorm stand up, 8 years later? And between the NXT 2.0 and the EV3, which one is better? I only have been able to try a little the NXT 2.0 back when I was in my worst days, 7-8 years ago. On the other hand, I had good time with the EV3 and I once again used it back in college during an electronic class. You know you made it when post-secondary institutes use your lego theme professionally. But is the EV3 truly better?

I think I should start up by pointing out that not giving 5 out of 5 everywhere is not without reasons. It is kind of unfair to compare Mindstorm to let's say Bionicle, as the later will never compete with the former. So to make an objective review, it would be better to compare it to the NXT 2.0, which by this point was the cream of the crop regarding lego building. Enough disclaimers, time to proceed.

From a part standpoint, the EV3 is slightly downgraded, as some components previously included in NXT 2.0 are now separate purchases and the set includes fewer parts. However, 601 parts next to 619 is very minor of a setback and compared to anything else, 601 is enough to impress a lot and some parts are better protected than before. Like with the predecessor, it is multi-builds, except the EV3 has 5 different builds instead of 4. So I give it 4 out of 5.

Playability shall never be questioned, from the programming all the way up to the modularity. Instant 5 out of 5.

Now, here is where the mess begins: value for the money. Compared to anything else, the price is stupidly cheap for such features. I think I bought it for 200 dollars without tax back in 2014, although other reviews says they spent 350 dollars (or bucks?) or more. While the NXT 2.0 got allegedly cheaper than at release, the EV3's price got jacked up. If Brickset is to be trusted, the current price tag is at 479.99 dollars, which is insane. Not even the "Yeah, but it is mindstorm" can excuse the lower amount of parts compared to the now cheaper predecessor which is currently at 246 dollars. Unfortunately, I have to give it a 3 out of 5.

So it begs two questions. Is the EV3 great? Absolutely. Is it 450+ dollars good? I don't know about you and your wallet. I know other people are willing to pay for the EV3 anyway, and I am sure by this point, it is the more common. But 480 dollars next to 246 is one wide of a difference, given the out-of-the-box content.

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 Retail set is a really nice set. If you like robotics, this is for you (especially if you're a fan of LEGO).

Pros

• EV3 Intelligent Brick now a lot more intelligent
• More memory
• On-Brick Programming
• Improved Color Sensor that detects 7 colors (was 6 with the NXT)
• Lots of decorative pieces
• Remote-Control capabilities

Cons

• Too pricy ($350? Really?)
• Not as much sensors as its predecessor (NXT 2.0)
• No UltraSonic Sensor
• Only one Touch Sensor as compared to two in NXT 2.0
• Why only 3 motors included with a 4-motor port Intelligent Brick?
• Not as much gears as I'd like
• Fewer pieces than its predecessor (NXT 2.0)
• Batteries drain way too easily

I really like this set! Although I would never want to part with it, I still wish I didn't buy this and with the extra money buy: 4X4 Crawler Exclusive Edition ($199.99), Extreme Cruiser ($59.99), Monster Truck ($49.99), and Race Truck ($59.99) altogether. I'd get over 3,000 pieces with these vs. 601 pieces with this set. Overall, it is a nice set to get if you're absolutely crazy about MINDSTORMS®. Otherwise, look for a better deal on NXT 2.0.

SUGGESTION

If you find this EV3 set too pricy, I suggest you get the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 Education set. It is priced at $339.95, and here's what you get:

• One EV3 Intelligent Brick
• One EV3 Color Sensor
• One EV3 Gyro Sensor
• Two EV3 Touch Sensors
• One UltraSonic Sensor
• Many more gears than included with the Retail set, including a turntable
• 545+ pieces
• Built-in EV3 Rechargeable Battery and Charger (can be charged without removing it from the EV3 Brick)
• Educational Hardware with built-in data logging (not present in Retail set)

You can get this at LEGOeducation.com.