Lego has unveiled new electronic bricks and minifigures, that make lights and sound as you play with a new range of Star Wars sets.
Lego bricks have been around since the 1950s and while it may seem like they haven’t changed much over the years, the company has always been experimenting with new technologies. That’s included things like the Hidden Side theme, which made use of mobile phones and AR, and the interactive Bluetooth minifigures of the Super Mario line.
The Mario toys have been very popular, with the oversize minifigures able to interact with special Lego tiles to produce appropriate sounds when you move them or when you put them near a tile – so you get the boing sound when Mario jumps and he can chat with other characters.
That concept has now been expanded with the new Smart brick concept, with normal-sized minifigures and special light-up bricks that can be made for any kind of Lego set… starting with Star Wars.
Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the new tech is described as the biggest evolution for Lego since the introduction of the minifigure in 1978.
Sets with ‘Smart Play’ have three elements: the Lego Smart brick, Smart tags, and Smart minifigures. Apart from speakers on the back, the minifigures look just the same as regular ones, while the tags are similar to the special QR style tiles used in the Super Mario sets.
The Smart brick doesn’t just detect the tags though, it also has various sensors and an accelerometer, so it knows when and how it’s being moved and can detect changes in light and sound. So, if you build it as part of a spaceship, for example, it knows how much it’s being moved and in what direction and can make sounds and lights to show lasers firing and vehicles turning and banking.
For Star Wars, this is most authentic when you create the official builds with the Smart brick, but since it’s Lego you can make whatever you want – from a car that makes TIE Fighter noises to a flying dragon that shoots laser bolts.
The computer chip inside the Lego bricks is custom-made and smaller than a Lego stud, so the Smart brick can afford to be the same size as any other normal Lego element. More importantly, that means it works with all existing Lego bricks, so you can use it any way you like.
Although lots of different sets will feature Smart Play elements in the future, including both licensed and standard Lego sets, the initial set of three Star Wars sets will arrive on March 1, this year.
Since the Smart Brick elements can be used with any Lego that means you can also add them to pre-existing Star Wars sets, including larger and more detailed models.
However, the initial range favours simpler builds, in order to keep the costs down, while including multiple minifigures and a Smart Brick and charger. None of the sets are on the Lego website yet, but there is a general info page for Smart Play here.
Luke’s Red Five X-Wing – £79.99
One of the most famous spaceships in Star Wars comes with Smart minifigures of Luke Skywalker, in his pilot suit, and Princess Leia. There’s also normal, non-Smart, minifigures of R2-D2, a Stormtrooper, and a rebel crew member.
As well as the X-wing itself, the set also allows you to make an Imperial laser turret, a Rebel transporter, and a command centre for Princess Leia. There are 584 Lego elements in total, including five Smart tags.
Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter – £59.99
The cheapest of the three sets includes the personal fighter craft of the galaxy’s greatest villain, as well as a Rebel outpost and an Imperial refuelling station. You also get a standard Rebel Fleet Trooper minifigure and a Smart minifigure of Darth Vader himself, in this 473 piece set.
Throne Room Duel & A-Wing – £139.99
The biggest of the Star Wars sets, at 962 pieces, lets you recreate the epic finale of Return of the Jedi, including the throne room battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, as well as the space battle featuring a Rebel A-wing fighter.
The 962 piece set includes three Smart minifigures, for Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Luke Skywalker in his Jedi outfit. You also get normal minifigures for the A-wing pilot and two royal guards.
Naturally, the Smart minifigures make the hum of a lightsaber when you play with them, while The Imperial March music plays when you sit the Emperor on his throne, and the A-wing engines hum and whine as you swoosh it.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE: 15 games that definitely aren’t out in 2026 but are still coming
MORE: Price of old Star Wars game soars on eBay because of PS5 jailbreak exploit
MORE: All 2026 video game release dates: GTA 6, Tomb Raider, 007 First Light, and more
#Lego #Smart #bricks #youre #playing #range #Star #Wars #sets
