The Most Incredible Toys of 2012

PopSci's top picks of Toy Fair 2012 (or why you need an iPhone to have any fun anymore)

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As one commenter for last year’s annual Toy Fair wrap-up pointed out, there was once a time when Lincoln Logs were considered a cutting-edge toy. It was never so clear as it is now, though, that the heyday of the analog toy has long-since passed. 2012 shall be the year of the app-enabled toy.

Half of the playthings that caught our attention require an iOS or Android device to do, well, anything. But, in adapting an already-powerful handset as the brains behind anything from a toy gun to a board game, today’s crop of high-tech toys are able to become more capable and more immersive than anything that’s come before.

That said, special props go to the three toys in our list that require no batteries at all.