Sega Toys Homestar Matataki Review

Specs

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

Cons