Nerf N-Strike Elite – info lowdown:

Heads up!  Finally feeling like a human again, I’m able to put together a more coherent post of everything that happened.  Well, not EVERYTHING as some of what I heard was supa top-secret in specifics, but let’s get some business out of the way:

• N-Strike Elite is going to become the standard of the N-Strike line.  That means the new streamlines, the Elite branding, all of it is here to stay.  The original streamlines and N-Strike brand as we know it are going to be replaced by N-Strike Elite.
• N-Strike Elite is going to revisit previous N-Strike blasters and release Elite versions of them.  CALM DOWN.  Without going into specifics, not all blasters are going to get Elite ranges.  More recent releases than what came out when N-Strike first appeared are more likely to become Elite.
• I CAN’T TELL YOU WHICH BLASTERS ARE GETTING THE ELITE TREATMENT.  The key phrase here is, “In the realm of possibility.”  But a Longshot is NOT (I repeat, NOT) one of them.

• The Nerf Firevision might have something for blaster fans 🙂  That’s about all I can say until Toy Fair 2013.
• Elite is Elite, Dart Tag is Dart Tag, Vortex is Vortex.  They like to keep the brands separated so I wouldn’t hold my breath for Dart Tag Elite and so on.

• They aren’t done with Dart Tag yet!  Just the NDTL had been around long enough, and it was time to move on for them.  Dart Tag blasters are still going to be rolled out, but it’s up to the fans to run their own.  From what I’ve heard, Australia’s doing a bang-up job of that:)
• N-Force isn’t over with, they’re still going to support that.  Just nothing new yet (understandable, with the N-Strike Elite and new Vortex blasters)
• Clearly, the Nerf Vortex line is going to be supported still.
• One Direction was NOT at the party.  :*(
• No oversized Vortex disc shooter anytime soon 😦
• Nerf N-Strike Elite Darts will be the standard in the future.  Micros and Sonic darts are going to be phased out, in order to make things easier for people.  Elite darts will fit better in most blasters currently released.  Dart Tag darts and Nerf Vortex discs will obviously still be available, as the lines are still supported.
• SOME international markets (Australia, mainland China, Philippines, etc.) will have a range-reduced version due to the toy safety regulations of their governing bodies.  This means the blasters will achieve somewhere around advertised 50-55′, down from the 75′ that everyone else gets.  
• Speaking of ranges, around a 35 degree angle is what the advertised ranges we see for darts, while Vortex is fired at 10-15 degrees to determine their range.

Questions?  Comments?  Lemme know!