When it comes to having an eye in the sky (at least, from a capable drone’s perspective), the Paris-based company Parrot is a cut above the rest. This week they set themselves even further apart from the competition with the Parrot Bebop Drone – a feather-light quadricopter that mixes exceptional in-flight footage with virtual reality.

While Parrot was previously a name mostly associated with Bluetooth audio products, in 2010 they shifted gears and made giant (air)waves with the introduction of their A.R. Drone. This first version of their ready-to-fly quadricopter was similar to other drones, except that it came with onboard cameras and could be controlled from your iPhone, iPad or Android device. Two years after that we saw an updated model, the A.R. Drone 2.0, which improved on the original design making the aircraft friendlier and more durable. Cut to Monday of this week and you have one of the neatest tech toys to be announced this year - the Parrot Bebop Drone.

For starters, this drone packs a currently unsurpassed level of image stabilization and range in its high-quality flying camera, along with GPS and loads of other options, and still manages to weigh in at just under a pound. The Bebop’s camera hosts a 14-megapixel fish-eye lens which can capture a 180-degree view of the world around it, as well as high-quality full HD 1080p video. An exclusive 3-axes stabilization system developed by engineers at Parrot allows for more control over wind or user error, creating the smoothest in-air video possible. The design was targeted to create a drone that could easily be flown both inside and out and even comes with removable Styrofoam bumpers for indoor use that shield the aircraft from wall or ceiling damage. An embedded GPS with flight map control allows you to plan flights on your smartphone or tablet by simply touching waypoints on your screen, while a Return Home safety function flies the drone safely back to the site of takeoff (I wish I had one of these installed in myself most weekends…). Plus, it can hover as well as pan and zoom the camera from a range of up to 2 kilometers when using the Skycontroller.

Yes, that’s right, I said Skycontroller. Two of the most amazing features to accompany the high flyer are actually optional add-ons. The first is the Skycontroller, a dock for your smartphone or tablet that provides dual-joystick control and adds that whopping 2-kilometer range through the use of 4 antennas and an amplified Wi-Fi radio (range without the Skycontroller is only 300 meters). The second feature, and arguably the most enticing, is what it can do when paired with an Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset. While still available only in the developer edition, the Oculus Rift has taken virtual and augmented reality to new heights in the last year, and Parrot is making use of that technology in exciting new ways. When paired with the Bebop and Skycontroller, the “pilot” can don the headset and get a drone’s-eye view of the world, streamed in real time – kind of like flying in the drone itself, but from the ground. Swiveling your head for a different view while wearing the Rift will move the camera, but not the drone itself (meaning you’d need to be pretty good with the Skycontroller already, and somewhat able to walk and chew gum at the same time).

The only downside I see to the aircraft and its capabilities so far is the battery life – a full charge provides you with only 12 minutes of flight time with a 1200mAh battery pack, which is not enough time to make the 2 kilometer trip the Skycontroller buys you. If that doesn’t deter you, the Bebop Drone is slated to ship out in the fourth quarter of the year, leaving you just enough time to add it to your Christmas Wish List.