Sega Toys Homestar Matataki Review

Specs

  • Brand: Sega Toys
  • Lighting: white LED with a power of 3 Watt
  • 3 discs with up to 60,000+ stars inclusive
  • instruction in German and English
  • Projection screen: circle about 8.8 ft
  • Guarantee: 2 years
  • suitable from the age of 6 years

 

Review

The Homestar Matataki is one of the latest developments from Sega Toys. Unlike other home planetariums from the brand, such as the Homestar Flux, the device aims for the highest possible entertainment value rather than the best representation of the starry sky. Accordingly, the Flux remains the top model.

The Matataki, on the other hand, is supposed to impress with a sparkling starry sky and relaxing sounds. I would like to tell you in this review to what extent it succeeds. For this purpose, I held the home planetarium in my hands and tested it in detail.

First of all: I received the product free of charge from the manufacturer for testing purposes. Of course, I still made my evaluation as objectively as possible.

 

Scope of delivery

The Sega Toys Homestar Matataki comes in a rather colorfully designed box. In turn, it contains everything that is needed for use. In addition to the planetarium, three star discs, a power supply, a charging cable, and an instruction manual are included.

I find it very good that a cover for the projector’s lens is included. This protects it from dust and scratches.

It is also useful that the power adapter and charging cable are not permanently connected. Thus, you can remove the power adapter and also use a USB-C port for power supply, for example, via a power bank or on a laptop.

 

 

 

Start-up

The start-up is very easy and can be realized within 2 to 3 minutes without any problems. All you have to do is follow these steps:

  1. Connect the home planetarium to a power source using the power supply and cable.
  2. The desired star disc is inserted on the front side. To do this, show the corresponding slot, insert the disc, and push the whole thing back into the home planetarium.
  3. After removing the protective cap and switching on the device, one only has to align and focus the projection. That’s how quickly you can enjoy the starry sky on your ceiling!

 

Functionality

The main function of a home planetarium is, of course, projection. The Sega Toys Homestar Matataki has three different discs available for this. One of them is the standard disc, which is already known from the other models. This includes 60,000 stars that are projected onto the ceiling. However, since “only” a 3-watt LED is used in the Matataki, the projection does not look as good as in the Flux, but is similar to that of the Original.

The other two discs included are best used in combination. One of them contains 10,000 stars. This can also be used separately, but the one with 60,000 stars is better). However, in combination with the second disc, there is a sparkle effect when you turn on the rotation to it.

This effect is unique, and I like it very much. If you look at the “stars” with this effect, it actually reminds you of the real starry sky. Still, I think the projection would improve with a stronger (5W) LED.

Another special feature of the Homestar Matataki is that it can play different sounds. It is possible to choose between the sound of waves, nature sounds, and a river. All these sounds sound very pleasant and relaxing. The volume can also be adjusted very well via a rotary control.

The rest of the buttons are arranged the same way as in the other home planetariums from Sega Toys. The functions are also identical. So the Matataki has the following additional features:

There is a timer. With this, you can set the planetarium to turn off automatically after 30, or 60 minutes. Thus, you can also watch the starry sky from bed while falling asleep.

Another button can be used to rotate the starry sky to the north or south. The motor’s background noise is only minimally noticeable as with the other models.

A shooting star function is also available. This has been somewhat improved and now looks more realistic. All buttons are illuminated to see which function is active, even in the dark.

 

 

 

Quality

The Homestar Matataki has very high quality, which does not differ greatly from the Homestar Flux or Homestar Original from the same manufacturer. The home planetarium from Sega Toys is mainly made of plastic. Nevertheless, it makes a valuable, stable impression. The material is not too thin so it won’t break too easily. The Matataki also stands securely due to its heavier weight.

I can’t say anything negative about the workmanship, either. All edges are cleanly processed. Accordingly, I could not detect any sharp edges or large gaps.

 

Service / Support

The manufacturer can be contacted either via an e-mail address or by phone. I have already been in contact with Sega Toys several times. I always received a quick answer that helped me with my questions.

If you order the device online, you usually get a 14-day return policy. In addition, the manufacturer gives a 2-year warranty on the planetarium. However, in my experience, you will not usually need this.

 

Price Performance

As mentioned at the beginning, I was given the Homestar Matataki free of charge for this test. If I had bought it myself from Sega Toys, the price at the time of the test (2023/07/03) would have been $249.00 when ordered in the USA.

In terms of price, the model is thus between the Homestar Flux and the Homestar Original. Accordingly, it is not particularly cheap. Nevertheless, I would describe the price-performance ratio as fair. This is due to the sparkle function and the possibility of playing sounds. If these features didn’t exist, I wouldn’t pay more than for the original. For displaying stars, the Flux remains the best device of the brand anyway.

 

Pros

  • up to 60,000 stars per disc, far more than competing devices
  • unique twinkling function, makes the stars look real
  • easy to use
  • enormously large projection area
  • very high material quality
  • reasonable relation between price and performance
  • easy to operate in the dark
  • easy to understand manual
  • sufficient warranty period (2 years)
  • various power sources can be used (socket, power bank, etc.)
  • many different projections are possible by purchasing additional discs

Cons

  • no disc with star images included
  • comparatively high price
  • rather weak 3 Watt LED

 

Conclosure – Sega Toys Homestar Matataki Review

The Homestar Matataki from Sega Toys is not meant to replace the top model, the Homestar Flux. It doesn’t manage that either. The built-in LED lacks power, as my test showed. Instead, the Sega Toys Matataki should rather serve entertainment. In my opinion, this succeeds very well.

There are several reasons for this. On the one hand, the sparkle of the projection plays an important role. This ensures that the stars look realistic. The playable nature sounds also create a relaxed atmosphere. The whole thing combines a simple operation and many other functions (e.g., a sleep timer), so I can recommend the Homestar Matataki despite the rather high price!

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