In case you hadn’t heard, Force Friday II is coming and that means you’re about to see a lot of Star Wars-themed tech, from drones and toys to TVs.
Yes, at IFA 2017 in Berlin, Toshiba has announced that it’s teamed up with Lucasfilm to create an exclusive Star Wars inspired TV.
The set doesn’t boast much in the way of specs given that it’s only offering a 24-inch HD Ready screen. It's retro alright - you'll almost feel like you've gone back to the era the films were first released. This is almost certainly a TV dedicated to Star Wars, rather than a TV dedicated to watching Star Wars.
But what it lacks in high-end tech, it makes up for in sheer Star Wars. The TV’s white frame is emblazoned with X-wing Starfighters and the Star Wars logo sits squarely in the center of the bottom frame, pushing Toshiba's own name to the top left-hand corner.
Use the remote, Luke
Just in case that wasn’t enough to make it clear this is a TV intended to take you to a galaxy far far away, it also flashes Star Wars across the screen every time you turn it on, and every time you turn it off, it shows a montage of familiar Star Wars sights and sounds, including a First Order Stormtrooper and the hum of a lightsaber. Yes, it does this every time.
The TV will support Toshiba’s Smart Portal so you’ll be able to access a variety of apps such as Netflix and YouTube and its two HDMI ports will allow you to plug in Blu-ray players and games consoles so you can watch and play all the Star Wars content you need. It also doubles up as a PC monitor, which actually appeals to us more as a suggested use.
To make it clear this is a collector’s item, the TV comes in a Star Wars themed box featuring a host of famous characters from the franchise. If nothing else, this would be a great gift for a keen Star Wars fan to open on Christmas morning.
The TV will only be launched in Europe, with European Sales and Marketing Director for Toshiba TVs, Bart Kuijten saying that the collaboration with Lucasfilm “has been the perfect way to celebrate our return to Europe’s TV market” and brings “the fun back to general TV viewing.”
At the moment exact pricing and release information isn't available but we'll update here as soon as it's confirmed.
- 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
