Thanks to the great lockdown of 2020, most pets are blissfully enjoying their humans being home with them all the time, but when that comes to an end, both humans and their pets may need help adjusting. Petcube Play 2 and Bites 2 fill that need nicely by allowing you to see, talk, monitor, and even dispense treats to your pets from your phone. The Petcube Play 2 even lets you play with your cat by casting a moving laser around the room.
Set up
Setup was over practically in the blink of an eye. Just download the app, sign-in and follow the prompts which involve connecting the respective Petcube devices. From there, you are ready to get playing. The Petcube Play 2 records 1080p HD video with night vision support and pretty decent zoom. The picture quality is great, so great that I could see every aspect of my living room clearly, both during the day and at night. 30-second clips are stored in your account if you want to access them. I had fun downloading some of these clips to my phone to share with friends.
Design and placement
The Petcube Bites 2 comes with wall mounting brackets, while the Petcube Play 2 is really meant to be placed on a shelf or a desk. Bites 2 is smartly designed to be placed high up on a shelf or wall where you can both get a good camera angle where your pet can’t easily get to it. Smart dogs will eventually figure out where the treats are coming from and go straight for it, so a secure mounting is highly recommended. In any case, Bites 2 looks very nice on my fireplace mantle with its brushed aluminum and black look. The Play 2 is also quite cute, being a little square that sits unobtrusively on your desk or bedside table.
Do pets actually like it and use it?
Let’s just say that our pets were unsuspecting yet pleasantly surprised – especially with the PetCube Bites 2. The Petcube Bites 2 lets you fling a preloaded treat into the room. You can do a soft short flick of the finger to get a short throw, or a long one to get it to go further. It’s just plain good fun. With a delay of a couple seconds, you flick and then watch it go out and your dog reacts. You can use the microphone to prep the dog first or just go ahead and chuck one out.
First I tried it while in the room with my pup. Then, I hid around the corner and verbally announced a treat and then flicked one out. My dog bolted to investigate what happened, then trepidatiously worked her way back to the treat, sniffed it, and snapped it up and ran. She then peeked back around to see if it would happen again. The second time around she was more prepared for it. My dogs seemed to think it was more a blessing that suddenly appears out of mid-air, rather than figuring out it was coming from the device. You can also put the treat dispenser on an auto timer if you like. Since dogs are creatures of habit, they would come to love and expect it.
I had a similarly positive experience with my dogs and the Play 2. With the Play 2, I can verbally reassure them when I’m not home or in the room, check-in on the video to make sure they are ok. I did try using the laser pointer feature, but it seems only cats care about that. To that effect, I think I had more fun pointing the laser around the room on my iPhone screen then she had chasing it. That said, I imagine that this could be hours of fun for both me and a cat, if I actually had a cat.
Bottom line
We loved everything about the Petcube experience. Petcube Bites 2 alleviates the pain of missing your pet and them missing you, by being able to see them, treat them, and verbally reassure them. It’s easy to use, offers great video quality, and blends in nicely with most decors. The Petcube Play 2 lets you bond with your cat by talking to them and engaging in laser games via your phone. Both Petcube devices were easy to set up and use. Even better – they are both Alexa compatible and work as a smart speaker too (Pro-tip, scientists say dogs like Reggae more than other music).
The Petcube Play 2 retails for $179 and the Petcube Bites 2 retails for $199 at Amazon.