Lenovo and Disney recently launched Star Wars: Jedi Challenges, a collection of products that allow fans to experience Star Wars in an entirely new and immersive way like never before.
Jedi Challenges feature a complete set of mobile accessories: The Lenovo Mirage Headset, Lightsaber Controller, and Tracking Beacon which are compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
The game offers a variety of augmented reality experiences:
Lightsaber battles – Take on the most menacing villains in the franchise in a one on one duel.
Strategic Combat – Rally the forces of the Republic, Rebel Alliance, and Resistance in a strategic and tactical battle against the Separatists, Empire, and the First Order, right on the floor of the living room.
Holochess – Showcased in Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope, players can direct holographic alien pieces across the board, fighting for territory and control.
“With Star Wars: Jedi Challenges, Lenovo and Disney are bringing Star Wars to fans in ways they could previously only imagine. Augmented Reality has always been an important part of Star Wars, and it’s exciting to bring these key moments to life by marrying Lenovo technology with Disney’s storytelling.” – Jeff Meredith, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Lenovo Consumer PCs & Smart Devices.
“We believe augmented reality will usher in a new era of storytelling and play an important role in the experiences we create for our fans. With Star Wars: Jedi Challenges, we’re bringing together the latest technology and one of the most recognized franchises in the galaxy to fulfill the wishes of anyone who’s ever wanted to wield a lightsaber or take on the empire forces on the battlefield.” – Kyle Laughlin, Senior Vice President, Games and Interactive Experiences, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media.
Hardware and Technology
Users can start the experience by downloading the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges app onto a compatible device, and then sliding it into the tray of the Mirage Headset.
The device is fitted with two fish eye sensors to provide inside-out positional tracking, and allows players to move around freely as they duel opponents or move pieces across the battlefield.
The headset’s sensors can lock onto the position of the Lightsaber controller, and haptic feedback is activated as players strike or block opponents, with an inertial measurement unit sending rotational information from the controller to the smartphone, to keep the beam stable mid-swing. The Lightsaber controller also acts as a pointer for navigating the user interface.
The Tracking Beacon acts as a base for the headset’s sensors for detecting any movement during gameplay.
Pricing and Availability
Star Wars: Jedi Challenges retails for PhP14,999, and is now available for pre-order at select Toy Kingdom branches. It will be available in stores by December, 2017.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
