Force Friday is just around the corner and Lenovo is helping to spread Star Wars mania with a new augmented reality experience shown off at IFA 2017.
No, it’s not another Window 10 Mixed Reality headset, but Star Wars: Jedi Challenges: a completely separate experience that combines an AR headset with a lightsaber controller.
The Lenovo Mirage AR headset is similar to the Google DayDream View and Samsung Gear VR in that you slip your phone inside to power the experience.
But rather than being fully immersed in a virtual experience, the phone projects digital characters onto your field of vision using a one way mirror.
From there, you plop down an augmented reality anchor onto the floor and wield the lightsaber in your hands to play. As childish as it might seem, a few of our editors got way too into a lightsaber duel with Kylo Ren that involved slashes, blocks and deflecting laser fire.
In case lightsaber duels aren’t your thing (which is weird), Jedi Challenges includes a few other games.
Holochess was one of the most iconic board games to appear in the movies – basically chess with holographic monsters for readers young enough to have never seen Episode IV – and you’ll be able to play a fully realized version of the game with the AR headset.
Alternatively, players could turn their living room into a giant strategy game between the Republic, Rebel Alliance, the Resistance, the Separatists, the Empire and the First Order.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Given a smartphone app powers all the games, we may see more experiences come through if Star Wars: Jedi Challenges is updated through the years.
You’ll be able to buy the whole experience – including the Lenovo Mirage AR headset, Lightsaber Controller, Tracking Beacon and the app itself – for $199 (about £150, AU$250) starting this November.
- IFA 2017 is Europe's biggest tech show. The TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new phones, watches and other tech as they're announced.
