The Huupe Mini 2 attempts to merge indoor basketball with smart home entertainment, mounting a 19-inch LCD screen and basketball hoop directly over a door frame. Retailing for $499 but often found discounted to $429 on Amazon and other shops, the pint-sized indoor hoop lets users play various digital basketball modes, stream video content, and challenge global players on leaderboards. After weeks of testing, however, the device proves that packing a television, camera, and shot-tracking sensors into a backboard can sometimes overreach its core purpose.
Setup requires securing the backboard with four screws and connecting to Wi-Fi through a traditional remote control, as the device operates entirely web-based without a dedicated mobile app. Compared to the original Huupe Mini, this second-generation hardware introduces behind-the-scenes upgrades including a faster CPU, a larger battery rated for four hours of life, improved display quality, and enhanced shot tracking. The unit comes bundled with a 5-inch inflatable rubber basketball, a small hand pump with a needle, a remote control, and a long USB-C cable for recharging.
Key takeaways
- The Huupe Mini 2 retails for $499, with discounts bringing the price down to $429.
- Hardware features include a 19-inch diagonal LCD screen, stereo speakers, a tracking camera, and a 25-inch total backboard size.
- Upgrades over the previous model include a faster CPU, a four-hour battery, and better shot tracking.
- Built-in streaming platforms include YouTube, HBO Max, ESPN, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, and Spotify, though Netflix is missing.
Entertainment and software features
Once connected to the internet, users can navigate various games and media apps via home screen tiles. Basic modes like Just Huupe track shots and shooting percentages in untimed sessions, while Huupe Live and the Daily Prize Challenge offer competitive multiplayer formats against global users for small rewards like ten dollars or a cozy sweatsuit. Other available options include family-oriented modes and timed challenges such as scoring the most three-pointers in 90 seconds. Many of these modes require online friends who also own a Huupe Mini to play properly.
The system also functions as a media streaming platform with native apps for YouTube, HBO Max, ESPN, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, and Spotify. Notably, Netflix is missing from the lineup. Audio performance from the built-in speakers is described as weak, remaining nearly inaudible on certain applications while sounding acceptable on others. Meanwhile, gesture-based games like Huupe Flyers—which lets users play a Flappy Bird style game by waving their arms in front of the camera—failed calibration entirely during testing.
Performance, hardware quirks, and verdict
Shot detection for made baskets proves reliable during extended use, never registering a made basket as a miss or vice versa. However, the distance-tracking sensor used to calculate point values shows erratic behavior, occasionally counting shots from across the room as one point while awarding three points for shots taken only a few feet away. Physical play is similarly challenging, as the hard included ball bounces wildly off the springy backboard and creates loud impacts on every shot. Testers found a workaround by substituting a 5-inch foam basketball from Amazon to lower noise levels.
Battery management presents another hurdle, as the unit continues draining power even in standby mode and requires the battery to charge to about 5 percent before running while plugged in. Additionally, the remote control's power button failed to function during testing, forcing manual operation via the physical button located on the bottom of the backboard. Ultimately, the Huupe Mini 2 remains a niche gadget best suited for dedicated basketball enthusiasts willing to navigate its hardware quirks and software bugs.
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