N-Strike Elite Speculation

While Nerf has released some information about the upcoming N-Strike Elite series, there is still a lot we don't know. I figured it was time for speculation.

First is the rumor that is the Pyrogon. The Pyrogon is supposedly a Vortex-version Elite in the form of an updated Praxis, complete with a 40 round drum. While it hasn't been officially confirmed by Nerf, it does come from the same source that gave us information on the other Elite blasters and a Vortex Elite seems like a logical step. I'm going to say the Pyrogon is highly probable.

A rumor I've heard a lot is that the Elite series is an attempt by Nerf to shut down Orange Mod Works and other similar third party companies. At first, this makes sense, as both the Elite series and the Mod Works kits boast similar ranges and Nerf has a history of making internal changes in an effort to discourage modding rather than straight up denying it. And while I wouldn't be surprised if competing with Orange Mod Works was a goal of the Elite series, I think the reasoning behind the Elite series is much greater than that.

More specifically, I think that Nerf is releasing the Elite series in response to the relative success of the Xploders and Max Force lines. Both boast ranges up in the 60-100 feet margin and neither has managed to run into any legal trouble (that I know of). I believe that Nerf has been considering something like Elite for some time, but since other toy companies have already successfully tested the waters, Nerf has decided that it's time to act. They might have chosen the ranges they did in an effort to also beat out Orange Mod Works, but I don't think it's the sole reason for releasing Elite.

Lastly, I'm going to speculate on price point. It would seem obvious that the target audience is older kids, but I think that it branches out much more than that, even up to buisnessmen who have office wars. In either case, I definitely think that the Elite series will be the most expensive series to date. I'd estimate $35 on the Retaliator, $40 on the Rampage, and $50-55 on the Hail Fire. This is essentially a $10 increase on comparable N-Strike models, with an additional $5 increase for the Retaliator so that it doesn't conflicting with the Raider, Raven, and Lumitron.

Let me know if you guys have any other questions about Elite.