Lenovo And Disney Channel The Force In Star Wars: Jedi Challenges Augmented Reality Game

Lenovo and Disney have announced that they are rolling out a new Star Wars product that sounds very cool and uses augmented reality to bring parts of the Star Wars universe to life in a way we've never seen before. The new product is called Star Wars: Jedi Challenges and the system includes a Lenovo Mirage AR Headset, a sweet Lightsaber Controller, Tracking Beacon, and hour of Star Wars gameplay.

Lenovo says that the Jedi Challenges system will be available this holiday season and is up for pre-order now at Best Buy and Lenovo online for $199. The system is compatible with both Android phones and iPhone devices. The system presents players with Star Wars themed augmented reality experience with multiple levels of gameplay. The gameplay is guided by a new Star Wars character called the Archivist.

Using Jedi Holocrons, the Archivist instructs players in the way of the Jedi allowing them to perfect lightsaber skills by fighting Star Wars villains like Kylo Ren and Darth Vader. Gameplay also features the ability to command armies in combat missions and to play Holochess without a Wookie ripping your arm out of socket if you win.

"With Star Wars: Jedi Challenges, Lenovo and Disney are bringing Star Wars to fans in ways they could previously only imagine," says Jeff Meredith, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Consumer Business Segment, Lenovo PCs and Smart Devices. "Augmented reality has always been an important part of Star Wars, and it’s exciting to bring these key moments to life with this product."

In the strategic combat mode, the player will lead the forces of the Republic, Rebel Alliance, and the Resistance against the Separatists, Empire, and First Order in battles involving X-wings, AT-ATs, battle droids, and heroes from the Star Wars universe. The lightsaber controller is modeled after the one used by Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, and Rey. It acts as a controller and a pointer with commands activated by a two button layout. Users will see a beam above the controller hilt while playing the game. The device will be in physical Best Buy stores starting in November. Lenovo and Disney teased Jedi Challenges back in July.

"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," said Kyle Laughlin, Senior Vice President, Games and Interactive Experiences, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. "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’sever wanted to wield a lightsaber or take on empire forces on the battlefield."