Part of Nerf’s Rival line for older kids (14-years-plus) that debuted last year, Prometheus shoots dimpled foam rubber balls instead of darts. So it’s both more accurate and a little more in line with paintball or Airsoft than traditional Nerf guns ⏤ you’re going to want to wear goggles and definitely not at aim a glass sitting on the edge of the table. The blaster itself is a beast. Held waist high with two hands (using a shoulder strap), the chainsaw-style grip and two-finger trigger are on top of the gun. It holds 200 high-impact balls ⏤ unlike its predecessor, the 100-round Nemesis MXVII-10K ⏤ and is fully motorized with an “advanced acceleration system” that allows it to blanket a room with a steady stream of 70 mph rounds. Fortunately, it has a safety to ensure nobody accidentally shoots the dog’s eye out and uses a built-in rechargeable NiMh battery. It’s going to run $200 and will hit store shelves this fall. Assuming you don’t need all that firepower for the big intra-office lunch battle, Nerf’s also releasing a 60-round pump-action blaster with an easy-to-load integrated side clip and equally intimidating name, the Hades XVIII-6000. It will have the same estimated release date, this Fall, but a price tag around $70.
