I’m a sucker for remote control toys and especially the toys that can use to battle against each other. Recently we’ve had the bomb dropping blimp, jousting knights, laser shooting helicopters and the exceedingly cool battle tanks. The R/C gadget for today are the Laser Combat Cars, which can be used to battle against a friend but also have an AI (Artificial Intelligence) mode so you can pretend you’ve got friends who still like playing with toys.

These remote-controlled cars have infrared lasers that are fired by the handheld remotes, allowing two users to engage in combat, or one of the cars can be switched to artificial intelligence mode, enabling one player to battle a microprocessor-controlled car. The remote controls use digital proportion trim to move the cars forwards, backwards, right, and left, including clockwise and counterclockwise pivots that allow you to turn quickly and fire at your opponent. During combat, the lasers are aimed by directing the front of the car at your opponent, and the lasers can be fired without limit, while each shot causes the laser cannon to recoil. The battle ends when one of the cars is hit ten times, and at the touch of a button, an invisible shield protects the cars from lasers for five seconds.

The R/C combat cars cost $99.95 from Hammacher.