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I have played with the original RCX when I was in school, and I'm so in love with it. Now I have just got my first job and I would like to get an NXT robot. However, I saw in this Wikipedia article saying that it was released back in 2009.

So the question is: should I wait for NXT 3.0 to come out (probably soon?) Or should I just go ahead and buy the NXT 2.0?

Also, is there any news on any upcoming refresh of the Mindstroms sets?

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    The difference between NXT 1.0 and NXT 2.0 is minor, so I wouldn't hold my breath for a NXT 3.0. – starblue Nov 2 '11 at 8:34
  • I thought it was released in 2006 . . . it's been out a long time. – tooshel Dec 14 '11 at 21:31
  • As of November 2012, the rumour of a NXT 3.0 is getting so thick that it's not going to be a rumour for much longer, so yes, you may as well wait. – Joubarc Nov 26 '12 at 9:51
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    And as of January 2013, the next version of Mindstorms, Mindstorms EV3, has indeed been announced officially – Joubarc Jan 7 '13 at 12:30
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    Note that even this announcement doesn't mean you shouldn't buy current NXT2.0 sets - there are still good reasons to do so, price being one (especially if LEGO dumps his current inventory at some point, which is possible), and retrocompatibilty being another. – Joubarc Jan 7 '13 at 12:32
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First off, there is not going to be an NXT 3.0. If there is, I would be extremely surprised.

This rumor was started back on April 1st, 2010 with a post on this blog (scroll to the bottom). Since then, many of people have been tricked. They even made another post the day afterward confessing that it was fake. Despite this, the rumor traveled to people who don't follow The NXT STEP, making its origins uncertain to them, and assumed it to have been announced by TLG.

With the Robotics Invention System, they stopped at the 2.0, and just waited some years before releasing the NeXT generation. I expect the same pattern here. So just go ahead and buy the NXT 2.0.

As for just Mindstorms set updates in general, there was once talk about expansion packs for the NXT kit that were supposed to be released by LEGO a few months later, but that discussion took place several years ago, so it is probably a no-go.

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  • I think saying "there is not going to be a NXT 3.0" is quite speculative, even if your reasoning makes a lot of sense and I admit I would tend to agree to it. That said, even if there was a NXT 3.0 coming, no-one at this point would know when and what, so waiting for it is indeed pointless. – Joubarc Oct 16 '12 at 14:48
  • @HaydenStudios - Well I was at a toy store just now, and the guy said mindstorms 3.0 will be out next year (2013). So ahm, why would you say there is not going to be an NXT 3.0 ? You might argue that you didn't know this in Nov 2011, but then you probably never had any idea about the future of this system, and maybe you shouldn't make such strong claims without backing it up with evidence / references. – user1097 Oct 17 '12 at 3:10
  • I've update the question's title to state that this question was asked on November 2011 to avoid any other confusion. I think @HaydenStudios's answer is not wrong, as that's relevant as of the date that this question was asked. – sikachu Oct 17 '12 at 14:44
  • I apologize for posting this really late, but I feel that I need to post this for posterity. Prior to January 2013, LEGO didn't specify what their next kit was, people just assumed it was an NXT 3.0 since rumors of such had been floating around the past 3 years. But it turned out that it was announcing the next generation, the EV3, not a newer version of the NXT. So my prediction was correct that the NXT 2.0 would be the last NXT kit. – HaydenStudios Jun 28 '14 at 18:24
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I was interested in Lego Mindstorm 3 too, so I asked Lego directly. This is what they replied (on 9th February, 2012):

I'm afraid that LEGO Mindstorms 3.0 you inquired about isn't available to purchase at the moment! It might be around soon, but I can't tell you about any new LEGO® toys until they're actually available for purchase!

Well, it might be around soon sounds that it is worth waiting for it and I hope that 2013 will be the new version out.

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Go ahead and buy NXT 2.0. NXT 2.0 sensors are compatible with NXT 1.0 sensors and vice versa. So, I'd expect NXT 3.0 sensors to be compatible with NXT 2.0 sensors. Buy NXT 2.0 and buy individual NXT 3.0 sensors once they come out.

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    Saying that the future version will be compatible is highly speculative (as is calling it NXT 3.0). For example, while there is some compatibility between Mindstorms RIS and Mindstorms NXT, they are quite different systems. While stepping from NXT 1.0 to NXT 2.0 was basically a refresh (using the same central brick), there is no saying at this time that it will be the case for NXT 3.0, and since the central unit will be different, all bets are off. There's not even any certainty they'll use the same cables (although that would seem a reasonable thing to do) – Joubarc Nov 26 '12 at 14:03
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    Well, apparently all elements, central unit, sensors, and motors are new, but the connectivity is the same and LEGO confirmed the old sensors would work with the new EV3. – Joubarc Jan 7 '13 at 12:33
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It's already verified that they are going to release soon. Check with any Lego store . It will be released by first quarter next year.

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  • Where has it been verified? – Ambo100♦ Nov 11 '12 at 14:27
  • Don't know. There's a photo(shopped) 3.0 box floating around (identical to the 2.0 cover with the exception of the gold version number), above the comment "The truth is – We have not heard anything from LEGO. LEGO typically announces new product releases to distributors and re-sellers months in advance.", and there's nothing on the LEGO press site yet... – Zhaph - Ben Duguid♦ Nov 12 '12 at 17:43
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    And now that it's been announced officially, we see it's not for 2013Q1 either but for "second half of the year" – Joubarc Jan 7 '13 at 12:34

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