Erlich Bachman today announced in Squaw Valley, California the much anticipated GoPro Karma drone. It is much larger than others out there and quite frankly a disappointment. Karma is very much yesterday’s drone. Two years ago it would have been revolutionary. Now it’s just what everyone else has.

There were high fives and stirring music but they couldn’t hide the fact that it is just another folding 4K quad.

Shot 100% on GoPro, including HERO5, HERO5 Session and Karma

HERO5 Black is the most powerful and easy-to-use GoPro ever, thanks to its 4K video, voice control, one-button simplicity, touch display and waterproof design. Add video stabilisation, stereo audio, GPS and auto-uploading of your photos and videos to the cloud and you’ve got a ton of GoPro for $399.

HERO5 Session shares the convenient size and one button simplicity of the original HERO Session, but with massive performance gains like 4K video, 10MP photos, video stabilisation, improved low light performance and voice control. It’s waterproof without a housing to 30 feet and can auto-upload your photos and videos to the cloud. HERO5 Session may be the ultimate combination of performance and small size.

Karma is so much more than a drone. It captures amazingly smooth GoPro footage in the air, handheld, and mounted to your favourite gear. Compact and ultra portable, the Karma Drone folds to fit into its own lightweight case. The game-style controller with an integrated touch display makes Karma easy and fun to fly. The included camera stabiliser can be removed from the drone and attached to the included Karma Grip for ultra steady professional-looking handheld and gear-mounted footage. Hollywood-caliber stabilisation in a backpack you can wear during almost any activity…for $799.

The price options, $799 for just the Karma, $999 with a Hero 5 session and $1099 with Hero 5 Black.

Coming in the included backpack a flight controller that plainly enjoys 3DR DNA. Created no doubt by the team that was hastily formed from ex 3DR engineers. Maybe it’s even running some form of Ardupilot code on its flight controller.

I do like that they have included a stabiliser stick for your GoPro of choice.

How GoPro will cope with support for end users that fly Karma into stuff having never read the manual remains to be seen.

Before launch I said DJI would drop prices to compete, I’m not sure they need to now.