Anki Drive iPhone-controlled cars launching October 23 for $199

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During Apple’s WWDC keynote this summer, Tim Cook called a couple of guys from Anki up on stage to show off their new iOS accessory/game called ‘Anki Drive.’

Anki Drive is essentially a set of self-controlled, iOS-connected vehicles that race around a vinyl race track. The company describes it as a “video game in the real world.”

Although the demo failed initially, folks were impressed by the Anki Drive cars. And many will be happy to hear that they’ll finally be available for purchase next week…

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Anki has posted a countdown timer on its homepage, which at the time of this writing shows just under 6 days left until the launch. Then, the Drive will go on sale for $199.

For those that missed the WWDC demo, Anki cars are placed on a specially designed track (think slot cars) and connect to your iPhone (or iPod touch) via Bluetooth-LE.

Using a mix of clever software and tiny cameras, the cars steer themselves. But players can control the gas and onboard guns though, using the Anki Drive app, to score points.

Here’s the promo video:

And these points can be used to upgrade both your cars and weapons. Each of the Drive cars has its own unique name and characteristics. Example: one may offer faster acceleration.

The Anki Drive starter set, which again costs just under $200, includes two cars (w/ chargers), and the race track. And users will be able to buy two additional cars for $69 a piece.

The accessory will be available on Apple’s website and in retail stores for folks in the US and Canada starting October 23. And it’ll also be available for purchase on Anki’s website.

The app, also called Anki Drive, is available now in the App Store.