The Star Wars: Jedi Challenges trailer invites fans to awaken their inner Jedi with a unique augmented reality lightsaber gaming experience. The coupling of a headset and a lightsaber instantly draws to mind images of Obi-Wan Kenobi teaching Luke Skywalker the ways of the blade - but instead of wearing a dusty old helmet and stumbling around in the Millennium Falcon, you can enjoy this experience in the comfort of your own home.
This is one of many recent retail reveals from Disney’s Star Wars camp. In the last couple of days, thanks to Force Friday II, fans have clapped eyed Luke’s X-Wing from Star Wars: The Last Jedi (thanks to some new Topps Cards), Supreme Leader Snoke’s Mega Star Destroyer (via Sphero’s new remote control app), and a whole range of Star Wars Funko Pop figures. LEGO and Hasbro have also announced bucketloads of new Star Wars goodies.
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However, the grand unveiling of Jedi Challenges has to be one of the most exciting additions to the ever-growing range of Star Wars products. Disney has paired up with Lenovo to bring lightsaber training into fans’ homes with the magic of AR. And, as you can see in the trailer above, this AR experience is a lot more visually impressive than the likes of Pokémon Go.
CNBC has some insider info. Their report explains that Jedi Challenges will allow fans to “hone their Jedi talents across a variety of augmented reality-based experiences, each offering multiple levels of deep and immersive gameplay”. To master this range of AR challenges, players will have to “perfect their lightsaber skills by taking on some of the most menacing villains the dark side has to offer, command armies in combat missions to defeat the Empire, and outwit their opponents in Holochess”. There’s more than one game mode, then, making this seem like more than a one-trick pony or an unimaginative gimmick.
However, if you want to try Jedi Challenges for yourself, you’ll have to invest a fair bit of cash. The game requires a Lenovo Mirage AR headset, a tracking sensor that detects your position, and a lightsaber controller. You will also need to download the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges app on your smart phone, and slot said phone into the AR headset. The pre-order price on the Lenovo website is $199.99. Regardless of the triple-figure price tag, this is bound to be a massive hit.
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Star Wars: Jedi Challenges launches in November.
Source: Lenovo
