Snap users may have to say goodbye to aerial selfies soon. The development of Snapchat's first drone selfie camera, Pixy, has been halted less than four months after its launch.The Wall Street Journal reported that CEO Evan Spiegel said during a staff meeting that Snap will sunset Pixy, which was announced during a partner summit in late April.
It's part of a broader reprioritization of company resources in light of the recession that's stopping the drone's production.The little photogenic drone is still available for Snapchat users who haven't tried it out yet. The U.S. and French will still be able to purchase Pixy devices from Snap's dedicated online store, a person familiar with the matter said.
In addition to the drone itself, it comes with a bumper, a carrying strap, a rechargeable battery, and a USB-C charging cable. As a result of the dual battery charger and additional batteries, the flight pack costs $250.
Each flight Pixy takes begins and ends right in your palm. Flying modes include Hover, Reveal, Follow, and Orbit. With Follow, the drone tracks your movements and trails behind you while taking pictures and videos, while Hover allows it to float in place and pan the camera to any direction you choose; Reveal lets you see what's going on in the background while Orbit takes 360-degree pictures and videos.
The images from your Pixy flight are automatically saved to Snapchat Memories when the flight ends. It is then possible to edit and share the pictures on Snapchat or another platform. There is only one caveat: the drone can only fly for five to eight flights on a fully charged battery.
A pair of AR-enabled sunglasses called Snap Spectacles was Snap's first piece of hardware, introduced in 2016. It takes 3D pictures and videos in its third version, released in 2019.Since Siegel mentioned at launch that Pixy would be sold in limited quantities, it's not entirely surprising the device was short-lived. The drone is still available if you're interested.