Mattel’s Hot Wheels Rocket League RC Rivals looks like electronic Subbuteo on wheels

If you’ve ever fantasised about a world where real-life Rocket League – where cars play a version of football with a giant metal ball – is brought to life, then pinch yourself, because you’re not dreaming. Though if you did find a genie granting wishes and ask for that very thing, it may have been one of those spirits that offers results with an unexpected twist, because this version of Rocket League is a little on the small side.

Rocket League RC Rivals

is, in fact, a Mattel Hot Wheels set, meaning that you’d likely need to find a shortish bee to get behind the wheel and still be able to touch the pedals which absolutely aren’t there. Inside the box, you’ll find two remote control cars – Octane and Dominus in blue and orange respectively – a rollout stadium complete with LCD scoreboards, a charging base and an oversized ball. The cars are controlled via an app for iOS and Android and the ball has an IR signal which checks when a ball has crossed the line – no video replays necessary here.

Basically, you have everything you need to make the game work in real life – albeit in a simplified form. Cars won’t be jumping around, for a start, and unless you team up with a bunch of other buyers, it will be a strictly one-on-one affair. Still, as someone who actually had to buy the scoreboard separately for his sparsely-populated Subbuteo stadium as a boy, you can’t help feeling that today’s children never had it so good.

Of course, this kind of luxury does come at a price – and in this instance, that price is $179.99 – or around £130. Still cheaper than buying an Xbox One with Rocket League (especially if you download the Hot Wheels cars for it), of course, but considerably less versatile in the long run.