Lego Mindstorms EV3 (2024)

FAQs

Is Lego Mindstorms EV3 discontinued? ›

FLL has allowed for older versions to be used, and most likely won't stop that any time soon. They still allow NXT and RCX. LEGO discontinued EV3 in June 2021, so the only Mindstorms branded LEGO product at the moment is Robot Inventor which is the retail version of the Spike Prime (Spike Prime being the edu version).

That's a big development cost, because LEGO has a lot of proprietary components. The EV3 comes with quite a few electronic components— the programmable brick, 2 large motors, 1 smaller motor, infrared sensor, color sensor, touch sensor, remote control, 7 wires, and a USB cable. That adds a lot to the cost.

Overall it's a great robot for kids to learn how to program and it's a lot of fun to have. We also use this robot with our first Lego league team and it does great with the slight modification of adding a rechargeable battery pack. 5 stars but software makes it too easy to skip programming.....

The press release cites “… a number of priorities in LEGO Education and other Build & Code experiences, we have decided to focus our resources and future plans by redirecting our MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor team and their expertise into different areas of the business. ” What could these priorities be?

SPIKE Prime replaced MINDSTORMS EV3 and builds on the skills developed with MINDSTORMS EV3 and offers a more complex coding system using Icon Blocks, Word Blocks and Python coding. The SPIKE Prime hub comes with an improved 6x6 display matrix and 6 ports to connect sensors and motors.

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Set is particularly well-suited for remote control enthusiasts, featuring extension modules that support various controllers. LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 Core Set, while a robust option, may be better suited for those who relish intricate mechanical structures.

For how long will LEGO Education support the EV3 Apps? LEGO Education will continue to support the current apps for two years from Exit date.

In October 2022, The Lego Group announced that the Lego Mindstorms brand would be discontinued by the end of the year, the STEAM and Robotics Education solutions will keeping provide by LEGO Education Series.

The "EV" designation refers to the "evolution" of the Mindstorms product line. "3" refers to the fact that it is the third generation of computer modules - first was the RCX and the second is the NXT.

The LEGO Group has announced the company's 2023 results, with growth slowing and profit declining following several years of enormous increase in both. In 2023 the LEGO Group's revenue grew by 2% to 65,914 DKK, a significantly smaller percentage than in recent years.

Why is LEGO discontinued? ›

LEGO is a company that's constantly announcing and releasing new sets. And since production capabilities and retail shelf space are in limited supply, these sets can't stay available forever. That's why LEGO is also constantly retiring sets.

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® is more suited to kids age 10 and up, since it uses a more complex coding language. LEGO® BOOST doesn't have an Intelligent Brick or desktop programming software like LEGO® MINDSTORMS®. With LEGO® BOOST, it all happens on your tablet.

Why would LEGO discontinue one of their best-ever selling product lines, particularly EV3? They're focusing on Education Enterprise and the Spike Education sets are considered successors to Mindstorms EV3.

MINDSTORMS Education EV3 will no longer be available for purchase starting June 30th, 2021. LEGO Education will continue to support the current apps for two years from the exit date.

LEGO^® MINDSTORMS^® Education EV3 NXT Compatibility

EV3 uses the same RJ12 connector cables as the NXT, so all NXT sensors and motors will work with the new EV3 platform. EV3 uses the same LEGO Technic building system as NXT so you can reuse all of your bricks and other elements.