Out of Darts Announces the Nerf Pro Stryfe X!

After seeing the news while working (and taking time to take in the conversations press releases, and pictures), I can finally post and comment!

Starting with a blaster review on Out of Dart’s Youtube channel, Hasbro has announced the Nerf Pro Stryfe X! It’s a great update to a beloved platform…but it raises both praise and concern. More after the jump!

THE PRESS RELEASE

NERF PRO STRYFE X

(HASBRO/Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $129.99/ Available for pre-order on Amazon starting 8/9/2023 at 10am PT / 1pm ET; officially launching at retail on 10/15/2023)

Introducing the NERF PRO STRYFE X blaster, the first high-performance half-dart blaster from NERF! Designed for ages 14 and up, this upgraded version of the fan-favorite STRYFE blaster celebrates a decade of NERF battles. The STRYFE X blaster is built for NERF athletes, featuring a premium design and performance for pro level competitive play. It comes with 30 NERF ACCUSTRIKE Half-Length Darts, which take the iconic ACCUSTRIKE NERF darts to the next level for older consumers. Engineered for extreme distance, accuracy, and velocity, thanks to their stable trajectory and ACCUSTRIKE tip. The blaster has a semi-auto firing mechanism, reaching speeds of up to 150 feet per second velocity, powered by an 11.1V 1000mAh LiPo rechargeable battery. Load up the blaster for battle with the included 15-dart, quick-swap magazine and fire as fast as you can. Its durability and reliability make it perfect for intense gameplay, and it includes customizable features such as tactical rails, a stock attachment point, and a sling mount. Additionally, the blaster comes with ANSI Z87.1+ and EN 166 compliant PPE eyewear for protection during battles, contoured to the face for a comfortable and protective fit. A universal USB-A to USB-C charging cable is included for the removeable rechargeable battery. Get ready to unleash your competitive edge with the NERF PRO STRYFE X blaster. Darts and magazine are designed exclusively for the NERF PRO STRYFE X blaster. Available for pre-order on Amazon starting August 9, 2023 at 10am PT / 1pm ET; officially launching at retail on October 15, 2023.

My Thoughts

The Stryfe X is, by all accounts, a logical progression, improving on a previous platform. As per this Verge article, some hobbyists now work at Hasbro and had a hand in the project. On the one hand, it means that some actual modding experience went into the blaster. This is apparent in everything from the use of an actual Lipo to the Talon magazine compatibility to the additions on the shell (motor cover, grip heel extension, etc.). The Stryfe X looks like something I would have seen in someone’s hand at a Nerf war, barring the obvious (injection molding and so on).

Unfortunately, in some ways this highlights the lack of effort on Hasbro’s part, given the price. $130 (Amazon currently has the preorder at $120) does beat buying a Stryfe and all the parts for modding it, plus doing the modding yourself; the comparison may vary depending on skill, ability to make your own parts, etc. At the same time, though, that’s comparing the manufacturing and sourcing capabilities of a massive corporation to that of an individual, who is limited to buying commonly-made parts relatively individually (switches, etc), and needing some parts that are either custom made (a lathe for flywheels, a 3d printer for a cage) or only ordered by a few hundred or thousand at a time (motors). The individual is forced to spend extra money to overcome all the inefficiency…but Hasbro can turn almost all of that into profit.

This also occurs at the same time as other companies releasing pro blasters for less – the Dart Zone Max Omnia Pro released this past Friday, has select-fire capabilities, also comes with a rechargeable battery, and goes for $90. That’s more features for less money (pending future blaster review). On the springer side of things (which the Verge article notes is not in the cards for Nerf, considering their use of Accustrike short darts), the Xshot Longshot released for $30, and we have many other options that are fantastically affordable.

Still, it’s hard to beat a name brand blaster that’s going to be for widespread release, especially if it works perfectly as intended (and really, it would be hard to screw up a Stryfe). That’s especially big when it comes to people just joining high fps blaster battles, or for clubs needing reliable loaner blasters. We’ll have to wait and see as review samples get sent out, people take them to wars, and we get a fuller picture of whether the Stryfe X is worth the money.