From a virtual reality in View-Masters to Legos that come to life in digital form, technology has injected some nifty capabilities into toys.
Still looking for the perfect holiday gift for that little someone on your list? A lot of today’s technology is geared toward adults, but there are exciting new tech toys for children, too.
Here are some good options to help a child on your list create, learn, explore and have fun.
View-Master VR, $30: Mattel has teamed up with Google to update View-Master, the ubiquitous, red plastic viewfinder of generations past, to offer a virtual-reality experience.
The new viewing process is simple: You download one of several View-Master apps to a smartphone and then secure the phone inside the View-Master device. Looking at the app through the View-Master starts an immersive exploration of, for example, Liberty Island, the African savanna or outer space, including photos, video and minigames.
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The starter kit includes the viewer and a preview reel; additional “experience packs” are available for $15. The device is aimed at children 7 and up. The panoramic view can produce wonderment, but also dizziness, so make sure there is nothing breakable nearby.
BB-8 App-Enabled Droid, $150: BB-8, a pint-size robot from Sphero, is one of the hottest toys this holiday season. Modeled after its character in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” BB-8 has a personality that evolves, responding in different ways depending on your interactions.
After connecting BB-8 to an iOS or Android device via Bluetooth Smart BLE, you can guide him around a room with the app or use voice commands. Or send him out on patrol, during which he will explore his surroundings on his own.
You can also record and send a video message to BB-8, which he will transform into a virtual hologram. BB-8 is for children 8 and up.
Playmation Marvel Avengers, $120: The Playmation Marvel Avengers system from Hasbro combines an app, wearable tech and connected toys to create an adventure story intended to get children active and using their imaginations.
After strapping on the Iron Man-inspired Repulsor arm armor, players interact with the toys, becoming a superhero like Captain America or Black Widow to defeat villains like Ultron and Iron Skull.
Jarvis, the artificial-intelligence machine from the “Iron Man” series, instructs players to shoot targets and block enemy fire while running, jumping and hiding.
The system is meant for children 6 and up. The app, for Android and iOS devices, tracks battle stats and provides additional mission content.
Lego Dimensions Starter Pack, $100: With Dimensions, Lego has taken the leap into the toys-to-life category, physical toys that come to digital life.
Dimensions is a video game that incorporates characters from DC Comics, “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Simpsons” and many other entertaining fictional worlds. The game, aimed at children 7 to 14, focuses on Gandalf, Batman and Wyldstyle as they travel through a portal to solve puzzles and fight enemies.
Dimensions adds physical interaction to the game: Players have to build the toys first (269 pieces come in the starter kit), then rebuild them later to unlock new features.
Crayola Color Alive Easy Animation Studio, $25: Stop-motion animation typically requires painstaking hours of moving objects in small increments and photographing each pose. With its “smooth action technology,” the Color Alive Easy Animation Studio from Crayola simplifies the process, helping young directors — those 6 and up — create seamless animated clips with just a few photos.
Children can choose one of 10 characters in a booklet to design, including a fairy, a robot, a superhero or a zombie. Using Crayola’s Easy Animator app for iOS and Android devices, the design is scanned into the app.
Pre-made animations and backgrounds are offered in the app, or children can create their own using an 8-inch poseable mannequin and photographing places in their house or yard. Only a few poses are needed; the app fills in the rest.
LittleBits Gizmos & Gadgets Kit, $200: The electronic building kits developed by littleBits are popular among young tinkerers. This year, littleBits has expanded its line of electronic building kits with Gizmos & Gadgets, a set that can be used to build and recombine 12 devices, including a fan and a doorbell.
The kit, aimed at children 8 and older, provides all the tools needed, including easy-to-understand instructions. The components, called Bits, include power switches, light sensors, dimmers and buzzers that snap together using magnets.
For those inspired to greater heights, supplemental kits are available, and littleBits has a community website for inventors to show off their creations.