Looking positive:
Good Things (confirmed)
-Stronger Metal[0]
-Stronger gears[0]
-Re-use of VEX metal is allowed[1]
-Same-scale field, so the robots aren't getting substantially larger (and the venues required aren't, either)[3]
Hopeful Things (possible based on evidence so far)
-Same battery voltage (7.2v) points to possible VEX motor re-use[2]*
-VEX sensors appear to simply output electrical signals (analog or digital) not tied to any particular controller, so if the new controller has PWMs as inputs, then re-use of those may be possible as well*
-VEX always had "just the controller" package[4], perhaps this one will too. If that is true, AND motor/sensor re-use is allowed, then existing teams may be able to just buy the controller.
*Both of these, however, would require FTC to allow motor and sensor re-use in their rules.
Sources:
0:
http://firsttechchallenge.blogspot.c...-platform.html
1: "You can keep using the metal you have from the previous kit as well." from [0]
2: "Batteries used with Vex will work" from
http://firsttechchallenge.blogspot.c...-concerns.html
3: "FTC will continue to use the 12' x 12' playing field" from
http://firsttechchallenge.blogspot.c...-concerns.html
4:
http://www.vexlabs.com/vex-robotics-...ming-kit.shtml