Zac Electrifly

The Stryfe and flywheel system have become the standard platform for all motorized blasters following its release. The Stryfe platform is so universal that it can be anything from an automatic blaster with a high rate of fire to a sniper type blaster with a high rate of feet per second. The Nerf Pro Stryfe X has been released as an upgraded version of the Stryfe. The first big change with the Nerf Pro Stryfe X is that it shoots half-length darts. Unlike some other blasters that shoot half-length darts, the Nerf Pro Stryfe X can not switch between half-length and full length darts. The Nerf Pro Stryfe X appears to have upgraded internals. It has a different rail attachment system than the Nerf Elite blasters. It does not have a front attachment point like the original Stryfe does. It does still have a standard Nerf Elite stock attachment point. It does have a rechargeable battery. It does appear a little bit larger than the original Stryfe so it can better fit older people.

It is the first Nerf gun to come with half-length darts. Half-length darts have been around sine the early 2000’s. Half-length darts have been around since before the Stryfe existed. They initially existed as modifications to foam darts. The first company I know that was manufacturing and selling half-length darts was Worker Mod. They blew up in popularity and accessibility thanks to Adventure Force and Dart Zone making half-length darts widely available at stores like Walmart, Target, and Amazon. The Nerf Pro Styfe X does come with thirty Accustrike half-length darts. The Accustrike half-length darts are new and are a half-length version of the Accustrike dart that Nerf released with the Accustrike line. The Accustrike dart is notoriously one of the worst standard size darts that has been released.

There is not a lot of information on the ammunition. There is no way at this time to compare the ammo to other half-length dart brands. Dart refills are also not currently available. It is unclear if they will be available in the future. The Nerf Pro Stryfe X does come with a fifteen round magazine. It is unclear if they will be selling those separately. From what I have seen early on it is compatible with other half-length dart magazines and other half-length darts. Nerf not selling additional ammo or magazines won’t be the end of the world for people who decide to buy this blaster.

Overall I think this is a step in the right direction from Nerf. I like the rechargeable battery aspect. I think all of the electronic Nerf blasters should be rechargeable with either a detachable battery or an internal battery. I do like the larger aspect of the blaster. The fact that it is basically built for adults is nice. If nothing else this shows that Nerf is willing to tap into an older market looking for more competitive blasters out of the box eve if Nerf is late to the party.

There is a problem with the rails. They are not Nerf Elite rails so none of the hundreds of Nerf Elite attachments will work. They are the same rails used in the Nerf Rival series. The big draw back for that is those accessories are no longer widely available. Nerf has also not made any attachments for that rail type in years. As this is a blaster for older users designed to be competitive, it should have had standard airsoft rails on it. That would have allowed users to have access to thousands of accessories to attach to the blaster. Not having a front barrel attachment point is a problem. One of the biggest draws of the original Stryfe was the ability to almost endlessly customize the blaster. It’s ability to be customized is what has turned the original Stryfe from a stand alone blaster into an entire platform.

The biggest draw back for the Nerf Pro Stryfe X is the price point. At one hundred and twenty dollars it is a heavy price. Yes there is a lot here. Yes it is designed to be competitive out of the box. At this price point it is cheaper to buy a standard Stryfe and instal mods. That would have the customization options that the Nerf Pro Stryfe X does not have. For that price it should be full auto. There are other arguably better blasters that come at half or less of the price. The Adventure Force Nexus Pro is only forty dollars and out of the box is just as competitive of a blaster. The X-Shot Skins Pro Series Longshot is only thirty dollars and is just as competitive if not more so. With a spring that cost less than two dollars the X-Shot Skins Pro Series Longshot can shoot over two hundred feet per second. Plus I think the X-Shot Skins Pro Series Longshot looks better than the Nerf Pro Stryfe X. The Dart Zone Omnia Pro is a way better blaster at thirty less dollars. It has more standard battery. It is also full auto. However all High-Impact Round style blasters are just as competitive if not more so than the Nerf Pro Stryfe X.

The second biggest draw back with this blaster is accessibility to the accessories. The battery can not be bought separately. From what I understand Nerf has no intention to sell the battery separately. The only way to get a second battery is going to be to buy another blaster. At that point why make it detachable then? The Magazine is not sold separately. The ammo is not sold separately. Hopefully that will change but it might not. There is also no attachment accessories currently being sold that will work with this blaster. That is another thing that might change but might not as well.

From what I understand this was made not to be a competitive blaster for everyone or every game. This was meant to be for the upcoming Nerf Ball. However that has not been officially confirmed as far as I am aware. It has been ten months since anything was announced about Nerf Ball. They have teased it and nothing has happened since. There is still no information on the gameplay or the competitive structure Nerf will be putting in place. Again I do have my doubts and concerns about Nerf Ball as a whole. I do believe it will be limiting and not allow for growth or investment. I think it could be limiting from game play, competitive structure, number of players, place to play competitively, interest outside of competitors, and outside financial investment. That is part of the reason the Nerf Dart Tag League failed after a few years. What I see happening with Nerf Ball is that there will be an initial jump in interest that will slowly dwindle due to the limitations imposed by Nerf and Hasbro until it just stops. Accessibility is a huge issue for sports. Especially new sports. I don’t think that is something that Hasbro or Nerf are taking into consideration. The price point of the Nerf Pro Stryfe X is some of those speculations coming to reality. It also makes me think that the moment Nerf Ball does not make any money, Nerf and Hasbro will drop it.