I've said it a bunch of times...I'll probably still get it as I've waited so long...
However, they can put as many cool features in it as they want but if they think they are going to gain any significant business pricing their product higher than the name brands with little to no local hobbyshop support or even availability at bigger places like amainhobbies, they are kidding themselves...
Their main distributor is selling the XERUN 2.1 for $99 but they want $240 for this upgrade...that's a bit steep. I personally think a fair price that would sell in big quantities would be around $150...
Good luck to them...worst case is they just brand label this for Orion(probably will eventually) and make their money that way.
PS-I'd like to order it but Hobbywing's suggested retailer in North America has not been informed of anything about the product...
While I mostly agree. I don't think price is the only selling point. There is a great option which is the v2.1 ESC for everyone that just wants a great budget ESC. But the v3, like the orion, LRP, and Orca are all at 200$ - 220$. I personally prefer the Orca esc to the others and there is essentially zero support in North America. Only 1 hobby shop carries them and they are located in canada. And at every race I go to there are more and more popping up. Tekin dominates the mid range here in North America, but i see every other brand there too. And for never hearing of Orca until at a big race, I purchased one just to try it out. And all I can say is it's great. Better than Blue or really anything else that i have seen. But I don't think the barrier in onroad is cost. Get a couple of v3 HW's in the hands of good drivers, then people will pay to play.
I for one am interested because I really like testing new stuff out. I also like offering support for those that need some help. So, I buy test, and move on. Unless I find something that is truly spectacular. Since HW makes ESC for others to brand I think you will see some picking this version up and rebranding. I also foresee, the Orion getting the same software at some point. Overall it is still a great value. And like everything, cost always come down after a product has gone through its initial run.