LEGO SMART Play unveiled!

Well, I’m gonna be saving money on LEGO this year.

Ugly Bugly

Pointless gimmick that will be dropped inside a year.

And I'm out!

Those mad people finally did it... they found a way to make LEGO more expensive.

That X-Wing is hideous, and the other two sets don't look much better.

Oh man, they're going back to 2005 with that throne room duel lol

I wonder how much money TLG will lose on this.

Can't wait to start charging my minifigure! On a more serious note, there is no mention of AI - that's a good first sign! This just seems like the Mario system in brick and minifigure form.

@jmupton2000 said:
"Pointless gimmick that will be dropped inside a year."

Just like those Mario sets...oh wait. Look, this isn't for me but no one here is the target demo for this. So cool your jets before putting it in the ground.

And... here we go again.
Well, LEGO keeps trying... and so far, it never really worked. I have to give them props to keep trying to innovate though. This time they were smart enough to ditch "screen play".

I hope for them it works out this time. But I remain sceptical. And seeing these sets so far, will not convince me to give it a try just yet.

I’ve read it several times and I still don’t know what it actually is. I’m in my 40s, it’s unlikely to be for me, but they could at least make it clear what they mean. It’s interactive, it’s unique, it pushes boundaries… what? What does?!?

I like the potential the tech can have for MOCs, but potential doesn’t mean much if people can’t afford the technology the sets are in.

I think I would have liked if they sold individual ships rather than have the entire builds around them. Show a Tie Fighter with just the sounds that ship makes, maybe dialogue for the pilot, something like that.

Nobody asked for this. The gimmick seems relatively shallow. SMART minifigures, if they have good designs, are ruined by being electronic and partially stuck together. This makes LEGO even more absurdly expensive in a time where people are dropping out of most luxuries because the basics of life are not easily affordable.

What can possibly go right?

Is it just a way for mini figures to talk and have light sabre sounds, there is sooo much spiel!

I don't see the smart brick lasting too long. Interesting gimmick but the fact that they make sets pricier and smaller is not great. Some interesting builds but I don't like how they are smaller.

Did anyone notice that the entire announcemnt really fails to say exactly what the Smart Brick and Smart Figures actually do?

You know what else can make sounds? Me. I can. I can make sounds with my mouth, and I can also say the iconic lines from the films.

These smart bricks seem to be a pointless feature.

Once again I must say there's a lot of fluffy words just for the point to be that the brick makes sounds. Context appropriate sounds, but it just does sounds. Seemingly it can't activate or move parts electronically like Power Functions can, which could inspire new play if that system was better proliferated than it is now.

So it's a fancy sound brick, and I imagine it won't be the most fun when it gets its wires crossed and plays the incorrect sound, or the same sound over and over.

I'd certainly be more on-board if it had Power Functions in a smaller form factor, able to be used without direct touch or a screen, but this is a lot of smoke for something that in practice doesn't seem to do much.

Future fights at homes between those who want to charge their phone wirelessly vs. their Luke Skywalker Lego minifigure.

The game designer in me is interested and want to mess with it. The Lego child in me is less interested as I would rather make up my own voice if I am going to play. And the Lego collector in me
is not interested in paying more for a set for a feature they don't need.

Those are Jack Stone level ugly... no, beyond that. If this continues stuff into other themes I care for (such as City), I will stop buying the little amount of set i do buy, and just fully do MOCs. I feel LEGO is going to be regretting this decision, as they have with all the other interactive toys they've done before!

Alternatively, you can use... imagination!

Lol. Lmao, even.

Seriously though, did they learn nothing from Dimensions, Hidden Side, or Vidiyo? Integrating technology goes against the spirit of LEGO. You know, using your imagination. This screams middle management trying to justify their roles and trying to connect with the youths.

Also the prices on these are insane. Who is buying an ugly, stumpy X-Wing for $100?

Just when you thought SW prices couldn’t get any worse….

LEGO: “hold my brick.”

Hiddeous, pointless and expensive "smart" crap.

At least it's not ai lego

No app or smartphone required - this could actually be fun for kids! Unfortunately, there seems to be a pretty steep smart brick tax on these sets which will make most parents prefer the regular sets over the smart sets.

So TLG wants the kids to stop making «whoosh» sounds when playing with their bricks?
Apart from the speaker which allows the models & figures to make sounds (which every human can, too, with their own integrated speaker aka mouth), this *smart* thing does not do much it seems.
But yeah, at least no mobile app, assuming that the SMART brick can not be updated...

Two consecutive Star Wars waves I can skip? I really do appreciate LEGO looking out for their broke customers.

''With this exciting innovation, builders can bring their LEGO creations to life in ways they’ve never imagined!'' until Lego drop it when it doesn't make enough money, just like they did with Dimensions...

I might have been interested in seeing what this does, and how it works, but the opaque marketing drivel has provoked an allergic reaction and now I need to lie down...

Makes me want to buy LESS Lego. Terrible, terrible.

You and I waste money buy buying a takeaway coffee on the way to work.

Billionaire corporations waste money by “team building activities in remote locations where there is no network signal to gauge public interest before its to late and you have already committed so you pass “it” of as revolution until the next Swiss alps “work” retreat….. and repeat

"Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn't stop to think if they should!"

- Dr. Ian Malcolm

The tech is neat, but I don't see this staying around. Most Lego fans don't even spend the minor sum for light kits, I don't see electronic bricks that make sound on behalf of the user as being a significant innovation enough to survive with currently-high prices. On the plus side, smart bricks should endure the app's inevitable shutdown better than previous gimmicks.

Might grab the TIE Advanced on a sale - it's not quite as horrifically priced like the others, for what you get.

Such an intriguing technology, but with these sets looking like they're straight out of the 4+ beginner's line, it's a non-starter.

When the Mario interactive sets came out, they had two things working for them: The power of a beloved Nintendo license and new, never-before-seen Mario content in LEGO form. By launching in a Star Wars format, they're competing with allllllllllll the other similar sets and minifigures they've been releasing for the past 25 years. The IP isn't new. The set designs aren't that impressive. I'm not saying outright this will fail, but this intro with Star Wars puts a big uphill battle in front of it.

On the plus side, looking at comps in the Star Wars license (similar piece count and minifigure count), it doesn't appear that the smart brick stuff is inflating the price any. Whether that will continue to be the case further into adoption, we'll have to wait and see.

These are going to rot on shelves. People like lego to set away from tech + they are already expensive as is. Will probably pick these up with the inevitable 80% off sale.

Yep, that X-wing is just as ugly as I thought it would be. And for $100? You've got to be kidding me.

Looks interesting. Here is a tip for Lego: make sets Smart Brick Ready and sell the brick separately.

AFOLs will hate on this until the cows come home, but I'm certain kids will love it. Admit it, everyone thought lights and sounds were cool when they were younger.

This press release does a great job of informing me all about the Smart Brick system!

I learned:

A) They're expensive (relatively)
B) They charge wirelessly
C) ...oh wait, that's the only thing we learned.

Do they really need the words 'Building Set' in every product name?

The turret in 75423 (Luke’s Red Five X-Wing building set) looks like one of those rides for small children outside the supermarket.

Summary of the comments on this post: I can't believe Lego has designed something for children to play with instead of prioritising adult Brickset readers

@ToxicAtom said:
"AFOLs will hate on this until the cows come home, but I'm certain kids will love it. Admit it, everyone thought lights and sounds were cool when they were younger. "

The issue isn't if kids will like it imo. Kids aren't the one paying a $50 upcharge on a tiny x-wing.

Approaching 20 cents per piece. Pathetic.

As expected, the afol reactions are all exaggeratedly negative. People need to remember that these sets aren't for you, they're for children (you know, the ACTUAL primary demographic of a toy?). It's important to note that all of these sets are Starter sets, more sets will be compatible with Smart Bricks but won't include them and will likely be much much cheaper.

Also I don't think these sets are as ugly as people are saying, again... it's a toy. I'm quite interested in that X-Wing canopy, looks to be a new interesting shape.

@GirlWoman said:
"Can't wait to start charging my minifigure! Ona more serious note, there is no mention of AI - that's a good first sign! This just seems like the Mario system in brick and minifigure form."

I believe the Minifigure doesn't have a battery and stuff, might be wrong. I think they're functionally similar to the 2x2 Tile tags and simply modify how the Smart Brick behaves and give it different commands (in the pilot test, there was an outhouse that would make pooping sounds when a minifigure interacted with the brick in that spot).

Of course it will bump the prices of sets with this feature. I love the fact it doesn't use a phone/app/screen. Let's find out more about it rather than immediately whinging about it, despite it clearly not being aimed at AFOLs

I think the interactive Mario system is brilliant, so I very much look forward to trying out this more evolved and generalised system, thought Star Wars ain't for me so guess I'll have to wait for, say, City.

The big question for me thought is longevity. Can the Smart Bricks really survive play? Will their batteries, or wtv they're using, still perform well years later? Without exploding or leaking or wtv? Time will tell.

I do appreciate that LEGO are trying out this crazy stuff. They're probably the only ones who can, and it's better than just pilling up money, or wtv they're doing with their immense profits.

Do I need to buy the yellow charging station separately? Why is the SMART brick in those product images always lying to the side? I thought it would be integrated into the build? So the brick makes the X-Wing sound but it is outside the X-Wing? Whut?

Reminds me of Vidiyo and how quickly that was thrown to the bin because nobody needed the interactive crap. Kids can make their own sounds when they swoosh around. Now if this was rather a Dimensions 2.0 coupled with a video game, I would be all in for the fun.

P.S. Don't want to know how much it cost to make that SW Smart Brick commercial shown at CES.

I actually kind of wish/hope they'd launch a new Mario line with this. I think it would achieve all the same play functions they created with the current Mario system, but with the ability to downsize it all into Minifigure scale.

@lee_fett1980 said:
"I’ve read it several times and I still don’t know what it actually is. I’m in my 40s, it’s unlikely to be for me, but they could at least make it clear what they mean. It’s interactive, it’s unique, it pushes boundaries… what? What does?!?"

Could not agree more. I watched the video multiple times, as well as read the follow-up article. All I'm really gathering is that it's "groundbreaking technology" that interacts with the environment in "lots of ways".

“And there was much rejoicing…”

*crickets*

Also, did they mention how they plan to handle battery replacement? Every battery eventually wears out. If these are rechargeable, you can’t just buy new button cells because you never want to put non-rechargeable batteries in a device that’s designed to recharge its own batteries.

Nobody asked

This is gonna die off instantly, just like Fusion, Ultra Agents, Hidden Side, Stories, and every other electronic tie-in theme.

@GirlWoman said:
"Do I need to buy the yellow charging station separately? Why is the SMART brick in those product images always lying to the side? I thought it would be integrated into the build? So the brick makes the X-Wing sound but it is outside the X-Wing? Whut?"
I suspect there's RFID chips in the minifigures, vehicles etc that activate a light/sound brick/unit when they come within a certain distance of each other. Whether or not the light/sound brick/unit will be integrated into builds remains to be seen.

@GirlWoman said:
"Do I need to buy the yellow charging station separately? Why is the SMART brick in those product images always lying to the side? I thought it would be integrated into the build? So the brick makes the X-Wing sound but it is outside the X-Wing? Whut?"

The wireless charging pad is included in these sets.
I'm pretty sure the brick is placed in a non-loadbearing location so it can be removed and replaced in these spots with ease. The brick relies on Tags to define what it needs to do; you place it over the X-Wing tag and it'll know to make flying noises and stuff, place it over that hologram tag and use a smart fig and there'll probably be some mumbling or something.

@darthnorman said:
"Looks interesting. Here is a tip for Lego: make sets Smart Brick Ready and sell the brick separately."

These are the Starter sets, there will be Smart Brick Ready sets available as well... not sure why they aren't in this press release but there's an AT-ST, Landspeeder, and Cantina set (and maybe a Falcon).

@omnius said:
"I wonder how much money TLG will lose on this."

More than Vidyo and Hidden Side, less than Nexo Knights.

What a piece of junk.

@ToxicAtom said:
"AFOLs will hate on this until the cows come home, but I'm certain kids will love it. Admit it, everyone thought lights and sounds were cool when they were younger. "

The Star Wars Ep3 sets had light up lightsabers, we've had Vidiyo and Hidden Side. They all retired within 2 years...

Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing here? In the X-Wing photo, Artoo's head is turned to an angle; I've never known a Lego astromech minifigure able to do that, since they usually attach by all four studs at the top of the torso, but on this Artoo his stud notches are apparently empty. Is this a new design feature, or is it just a standard Astro figure and the photo is misleadingly edited?

For as much as Lego is trying to hype this as a revolutionary innovation, it feels like a return of the light & sound pieces we had in the 90's.

As a kid I had 6456 Mission Control and believe me I tried to fit that electronic rocket piece into every build I could. If they've managed to take that technology, improve the quality and miniaturise it to fit more seemlessly within builds, then fair play to them. It might not be for me as an adult, but I'm sure some kids will love it.

@emQ said:
" @omnius said:
"I wonder how much money TLG will lose on this."

More than Vidyo and Hidden Side, less than Nexo Knights."

Hey don't bad mouth Nexo Knights! ;) Those were some cool sets!

@CDM said:
" @jmupton2000 said:
"Pointless gimmick that will be dropped inside a year."

Just like those Mario sets...oh wait. Look, this isn't for me but no one here is the target demo for this. So cool your jets before putting it in the ground."

They're leaning this tech on surefire IPs that make more money than God. Mario, Star Wars, Pokemon. These themes are set to print money regardless of what's in the box. These will sell because they're Star Wars, not because they have smart bricks and Lego knows that which is why they didn't start these off in Ninjago and Friends.

@monty_bricks said:
"Summary of the comments on this post: I can't believe Lego has designed something for children to play with instead of prioritising adult Brickset readers"

that's the comments on _most_ posts to be fair

@SinKiller_Nick said:
" @emQ said:
" @omnius said:
"I wonder how much money TLG will lose on this."

More than Vidyo and Hidden Side, less than Nexo Knights."

Hey don't bad mouth Nexo Knights! ;) Those were some cool sets! "

They sure were. Just didn't need the existence of the "app" dragging them down. Hidden Side was one of my favorite lines they ever did, but it had huge app costs that tanked it.

@omnius said:
"I wonder how much money TLG will lose on this."

Not enough to learn the lesson. Again.

@lee_fett1980 said:
"I’ve read it several times and I still don’t know what it actually is. I’m in my 40s, it’s unlikely to be for me, but they could at least make it clear what they mean. It’s interactive, it’s unique, it pushes boundaries… what? What does?!?"

I was wondering if it was just me not being able to understand what it actually does.

Me 2011: "Ninjago is gonna flop big time! 10€ for a minifigure and a spinner? HAHAHA!"

Me 2020: "LEGO Mario is not going to be profitable, this figure just looks ugly and is way overpriced!"

Me 2026: "This might be... working well....?"

Man at least this does not appear to require a phone to work.

Not for me at all. Maybe kids would like it but at these price points it will be a non starter for most parents.

I feel like if Lego want to innovate then look into adding lights to adult oriented sets like other alternate brick brands are doing.

Time for the AFOL pastime of complaining about a product that is designed for children because the toy company should only listen to the adult collectors and completely ignore children!

@SinKiller_Nick said:
"Did anyone notice that the entire announcemnt really fails to say exactly what the Smart Brick and Smart Figures actually do?"

Given how much we’ve seen, the logical explanation is that you have a minifig or brick with an RFID chip embedded in it, and you get it near a large rechargeable block tub at reads the chip when it’s close enough, and plays some sort of programmed sound byte in response. The last time they made electronic minifigs, they had permanent batteries embedded inside, so the minifigs frequently ran out of juice from people trying them out through the demo window before anyone even bought the set. And after that, they were just really fugly minifigs because they had arms that were fused to lightsaber hilts and wrists that couldn’t rotate. Putting all the powered electronics in a separate brick would mean you couldn’t see a difference between a Smart Luke and a regular Luke that just had the same deco, unless you got it near a Smart Brick that was powered on. Once the Smart Brick dies or gets lost, there would be nothing about the minifig that inhibits regular play like any other standard minifig.

The sad thing is, they said this took 20 patents to accomplish, when Hasbro did basically the same thing a quarter century ago with the Ep1 action figures. They all came with stands that had the character’s image inside a little window, and an RFID chip embedded in the base of the stand. Press the stand against a reader device and it would read the chip and play back sound bites that were stored on the chip. The thing is, you only had to buy _one_ reader. Sure it looked like it was built to shave the legs of Futurama Amazonians, but it used standard batteries (use rechargeables if you wish, but it would also work with alkalines). And the chips were embedded in action figure stands, so you could at least use those to keep your action figures from tipping over while being displayed, even if you never used the playback function. The added expense of putting those chips in the stands wasn’t going to really influence the overall retail price if all you were buying was the carded action figures. Here, the first problem is it looks like you’re starting out with a 4+ set, and those are always more expensive than normal. Then it appears they might force you to buy a new Smart Brick in every set, which is going to be the most expensive part of the system.

I can see it being a success with the same people who buy 4+ sets, so parents who don’t pay attention to cost, and minifig/theme completists. I long ago gave up on a complete SW collection, so I can happily skip those, but if the system lasts long enough, it might infect some themes I’m more concerned about.

"The first LEGO SMART Play-enabled sets will be part of the LEGO Star Wars programme, meaning that a galaxy far, far away…. can now play back!"

I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of AFOLs suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

So the SMART Brick is basically a glorified sound brick, if I am understanding this correctly?

I don't want to sound overly negative here. I think kids will still like these sets (provided they can afford them), but I really don't think this new technology will be much of a draw.

At least LEGO Mario functions as a type of mini-game, where you collect coins and avoid obstacles--there's also the fact that Mario's (or Luigi's or Peach's) expression will change based on how you play with them. It feels like the features on these new Star Wars sets might be a step back, as far as play possibilities go.

Excellent... Been waiting 60 years for an upgrade to 445-2!

So much negativity here, from people who haven't tried it and mostly don't really understand exactly what it is!

From what I can see, building 'mario-esk' features into normal bricks and minifigs is an interesting development, and could well take off.

It feels a bit like they've done their research with this, rather than fiddle around the edges like they did with Vidiyo and Dimensions. Possibly analogous with how they did Friends in comparison with previous efforts like Scala and Belville. I seem to remember everyone panning Friends when it was unveiled.

If it's done well, there's no reason why Smart Minifigs could become the norm, with normal minifigs being seen in 10 years time as outdated.

Done badly, it could of course flop. I could be proven wrong, but I have a feeling this won't be a flop.

I read like 50% of the article and have zero understanding with this is. A brick that...makes sound? Or what?

@CDM said:
" @jmupton2000 said:
"Pointless gimmick that will be dropped inside a year."

Just like those Mario sets...oh wait. Look, this isn't for me but no one here is the target demo for this. So cool your jets before putting it in the ground."

Actually, I am the target audience, as I'm the one paying for my kid's toys.

smart bricks? more like stupid bricks

What I think?
I think LEGO can go brick itself with this dumb idea and predatory prices.
The sets look like trash, are ridiculously overpriced and no one asked for this pointless gimmick.

But apparently the flop of every. single. other. attempt at this didn't send a clear message.

Pray tell: what do you call someone who makes a mistake and then keeps repeating the same mistake over and over and over and over and over and over again?
Other than "Hollywood" that is.

@JustinPepsiman said:
"Half the comments are negative like Lego is forcing you to buy these sets. There are better things to complain about instead of this"

Well, sure - if you add the current world financial struggles and that Denmark could be fighting over Greenland and Billund might get bombed - Lego means nothing. But in the context of this website, this is what we talk about and what matters most.

It's nice to see some negative comments for a change - and not taking everything they throw at you without asking question. Do you prefer a comment section full of "Amazing, Day 1!" ? It's a press release asking you to give them money in exchange for a product and it's OK to not want to do so.

Not interested.

Another expensive paperweight that makes sets more unaffordable for young builders.

@Paperballpark said:
"So much negativity here, from people who haven't tried it and mostly don't really understand exactly what it is!"
Despite reading the 500 word press release. Twice. Much blah-blah about nothing.

Can we retire “adults complaining about something not targeted to them” please? We’re talking about a children’s toy that didn’t even cater to adjust until very recently. We all got into this hobby thanks to sets aimed at kids. So yeah, kids toys are targeted towards adults.

I don’t just buy the “Adults Welcome” sets. AFOL men also buy Friends sets.

Jebus christ, you guys are just a bunch of whiny grown butt men.

Like my gosh, just effing shut up, it's obviously not ment for you but for kids (and to people who still have a inner child who still like to play), why everything new must to be so bad moutly by all grown up afols? It's getting unsufferable and on very high level of toxicity.
You all make me lose any interest in new exciting stuff. This happened with the last holiday train, I was excited for the announcement and found that set very toy like and good but after reading all the stupid and hateful comments all over the internet that I lost all interest in a nano-second and don't want it anymore.

"Lego should listen to me and make what I want" it's the perfect sum up of all your comments, which is just bs.

"Vidyio, Hidden Side, Nexo Knight, and now this. Lego should stop making bad stuff with mixing bricks and technology", and I'm 100% sure that if you had 8 years you would have a blast with all of these themes. I never understood the hate and never will because all those theme had great sets and minifigures (I still find the Hidden Side gimmick/game so cool and well made).

"Lego need to make new original IPs, but at the same time I want more famous IPs as Lego sets", this it's not correlated with this, but I'm just pissed and I'm throwing that in too because F it! I'm so sick of the stupid and nonsensical complaining.

Just grow up. Log off, turn off your internet and go outside and touch some grass... You desperately needed it...

Not worth price when imagination costs far less.

For all the hubbub here about "another failed LEGO electronic gimmick" the Mario line has been going strong since 2020 and this appears to be entirely iterating on that tech, with improvements I can clock just from the photos and basic description: no smartphone interaction required, smaller form factor that fits into builds much more easily and doesn't look demonic when it's powered off, minifigure compatibility. Starting it off in remakes of incredibly common Star Wars sets is a clever move as well, number of adult fans who want a Luke's X-Wing and don't have one can't be all that high... I'll be interested to see some video reviews of these for sure.

@Huw @CapnRex101 etc. I'd love to hear your opinions on this!

Sorry, couldn't be bothered to read every previous comment, but my two cents appear to coincide with the majority opinion in that this is a totally superfluous system that is guaranteed to tank big time.

But at all who think we shouldn't criticize because "it's not for us, it's for kids": no, just no.
Kids don't need stuff like this. Kids have imagination and can play with LEGO even without any electronics. Kids who love electronics have a Switch or PlayStation or whatever proper electronic play system.
Combining LEGO and electronics of the day has never worked and likely never will. And if the Super Mario sets are supposedly so successful, why are they always reduced to bargain basement / clearance prices yet still don't seem to sell at all?

@ALEXDTI said:
"Jebus christ, you guys are just a bunch of whiny grown butt men."

WTF are butt men?

@lee_fett1980 said:
"I’ve read it several times and I still don’t know what it actually is. I’m in my 40s, it’s unlikely to be for me, but they could at least make it clear what they mean. It’s interactive, it’s unique, it pushes boundaries… what? What does?!?"

I felt the same thing.

They're using a lot of words, here, but it's all marketing buzz-words and nonsense, because they're telling very little real information about the product. And that's a red flag, to me. It's also really annoying.

@ALEXDTI said:
"Jebus christ, you guys are just a bunch of whiny grown butt men.

Like my gosh, just effing shut up, it's obviously not ment for you but for kids (and to people who still have a inner child who still like to play), why everything new must to be so bad moutly by all grown up afols? It's getting unsufferable and on very high level of toxicity.
You all make me lose any interest in new exciting stuff. This happened with the last holiday train, I was excited for the announcement and found that set very toy like and good but after reading all the stupid and hateful comments all over the internet that I lost all interest in a nano-second and don't want it anymore.

"Lego should listen to me and make what I want" it's the perfect sum up of all your comments, which is just bs.

"Vidyio, Hidden Side, Nexo Knight, and now this. Lego should stop making bad stuff with mixing bricks and technology", and I'm 100% sure that if you had 8 years you would have a blast with all of these themes. I never understood the hate and never will because all those theme had great sets and minifigures (I still find the Hidden Side gimmick/game so cool and well made).

"Lego need to make new original IPs, but at the same time I want more famous IPs as Lego sets", this it's not correlated with this, but I'm just pissed and I'm throwing that in too because F it! I'm so sick of the stupid and nonsensical complaining.

Just grow up. Log off, turn off your internet and go outside and touch some grass... You desperately needed it..."

But your whining about other people’s whining is fine?

Why would other people’s opinion on sets make you not want them? Must not have been too interested in the first place. I can’t count the number of sets I got day one despite the general consensus here that it was awful.

I’m slightly confused with all the complaining on here. Shortly into the release it says “Designed to inspire children”. At that point surely everyone realised this wasn’t aimed at them, so wasn’t worth getting upset about?

80s kids - did you all throw your toys out of the pram when 9V light and sound bricks came with sets? This is actually way less bad than I expected. It's a cool gimmick that actually requires playing with physical toys rather than picking up a phone.

Also I don't care what anyone else says, I bloody love that squidgy X-wing and I want it to go with my Y-wing from the Yavin Base set.

Well... Let's see how it goes. The first line-up of sets is not encouraging (but I'm only buying SW once every two years - I'm sorry for the completists)

If this thing has a proper interface - or can be easily hacked - and the user (remember that person that's supposed to have imagination) can change the sounds and/or whatever other functions this thing have, then it might be worth getting it ONCE. If it is completely locked up and you have to have many versions of the brick depending on the theme you are playing, then this is doomed from the get go - especially at the price that Lego tend to sell their electric/electronic parts - and the nonexistent support afterward.

I think, most human can say: "pew, pew, pew" and it costs nothing. For SW kids, you can use: "Dum, Dum, Dum, Dum da-Dum (or something close)" also free!

Final notes: this "announcement" announces nothing: we don't really know the capabilities or any specs. All we know is they did some work in it, there is technology in it and that's about what it says. Poor marketing mumbo-jumbo that means very little. We'll see...

Also, quick poll - how many of the people mad about a Lego X-wing that makes whoosh noises have also purchased an electronic lightsaber that makes VWOOM noises?

Couldn’t LEGO have put all that money into printing bricks instead? I reckon that would’ve made pretty much everyone happier.

My initial reaction was that this was a massive "Triple-patty play" by Lego - The burger chains wanted to sell more double-patty (i.e. more profitable) burgers, but customers were reluctant to pay the top price for the 'top-end' product. So the companies introduced triple-patty burgers as the "ultimate" option, and sales of the 2x-burgers rose disproportionately. (Of course, In-N-Out offers a 4x version, but...)

But then I realised that this was targeted at a very precise (although huge) demographic. It doesn't have to work as a long-term construct; it only has to sell sets...

And it will. By the palletload...

The average reader on this site is an AFOL - they *care* about what Lego are offering, but the sets they buy are more likely to be for themselves than their children...

Let's face it, the average full-on parent has very little, if any, time to spare looking at Brickset :-(

What if you were Lego and you wanted to maximise sales of a new idea, where would you aim it?

At kids? They have no control over the family budget. Influence, yes; control, no.

So, their parents then... Okay.

And what would convince the parents to spend more? Er, something that keeps their kids quiet for long periods of time - the longer the better, please! And the less time the parents have to spend to get it to work, the better! (and can we have more blinkenlights too? Great!)

What if it were themed for something that *you* know and love? How about if we made some Star Wars sets as the first release?

Are you *kidding* me?!?! Here's my credit card! Where do I sign!!!

To a 30-45-year-old parent, brought up on Lego Star Wars (sets and video game(s)), the fact that these sets also include new, leading-edge tech would make them absolutely irresistible!

But these products aren't aimed at you or I; we're a specialised market that is already well-catered for by the company. They know what appeals to AFOLs, what sells well to AFOLS, and, ultimately, we don't *have* to buy in to it.

We're a 1M+ brick household, heavily into lighting sets and Pybrick-controlled trains, so remote control of (Lego) functionality is a frequent topic in the household. Whilst we may not buy it on the day of release, we're totally 'on board' with the prospect of its potential.

Saying that something is crap is not an opinion

And yeh, I shouldn't let others crawl under my skin and make me change what I think, but after a constant flow of just negativity and "insults" (can't find a better word) it's very hard not to

Lol lot of negativity in here for products not even designed for us...

All the "leaked images" YouTube videos had me ready to hate on these sets, but honestly I cant. They look so cute! If I was 7 again, I would absolutely adore this. And the lights and sounds would be incredible to me. I can imagine that I would be playing with these things for hours.

@ALEXDTI said:
"Jebus christ, you guys are just a bunch of whiny grown butt men.

Like my gosh, just effing shut up, it's obviously not ment for you but for kids (and to people who still have a inner child who still like to play), why everything new must to be so bad moutly by all grown up afols? It's getting unsufferable and on very high level of toxicity.
You all make me lose any interest in new exciting stuff. This happened with the last holiday train, I was excited for the announcement and found that set very toy like and good but after reading all the stupid and hateful comments all over the internet that I lost all interest in a nano-second and don't want it anymore.

"Lego should listen to me and make what I want" it's the perfect sum up of all your comments, which is just bs.

"Vidyio, Hidden Side, Nexo Knight, and now this. Lego should stop making bad stuff with mixing bricks and technology", and I'm 100% sure that if you had 8 years you would have a blast with all of these themes. I never understood the hate and never will because all those theme had great sets and minifigures (I still find the Hidden Side gimmick/game so cool and well made).

"Lego need to make new original IPs, but at the same time I want more famous IPs as Lego sets", this it's not correlated with this, but I'm just pissed and I'm throwing that in too because F it! I'm so sick of the stupid and nonsensical complaining.

Just grow up. Log off, turn off your internet and go outside and touch some grass... You desperately needed it..."

Yes, LEGO is for kids and if I was a kid I might have fun with this. However a kid is not buying these, adults are. *Edit: When I was growing up* my parents would not be able to afford paying $100 for a $60 set with $40 worth of unnecessary technology crammed into it (or for you, 60 Euro of LEGO with 30 EURO of tech tacked on). All so the set lights up or makes noises.

Not to mention many adults like LEGO because of the lack of technology. They buy them for their children to get them away from screens or apps or whatever else. I won't be getting any of these sets for my nephews because my sister is one of those parents. So this gimmick is already alienating some of the target audience.

As for one of your other points, you said you like the Hidden Side game. I want you to go and download the Hidden Side app on your phone. Oh wait, you can't. LEGO removed the app from app stores back in 2023. The Vidiyo app was dropped in 2022. So how long will they support the LEGO SMART Assist app if this flops and they stop making it? Sure this might be better since it appears to be a fancier light brick, but still, LEGO doesn't have a good track record with this sort of thing.

And yeah, I should touch some grass. Problem is I can't. It's been buried under snow for the last 2 months and there are only 9 hours of daylight per day - almost all of it I spend working. So complaining about a brand that produces products I am a fan of that is doing something I think is a bone-headed maneuver is all I have right now.

One last thing, why did you let discourse or outcry over something you liked or were interested in push you away from buying it (ex. 10361)? Just buy it if you like it and don't if you aren't interested. It's not that hard.

@birch said:
"My initial reaction was that this was a massive "Triple-patty play" by Lego - The burger chains wanted to sell more double-patty (i.e. more profitable) burgers, but customers were reluctant to pay the top price for the 'top-end' product. So the companies introduced triple-patty burgers as the "ultimate" option, and sales of the 2x-burgers rose disproportionately. (Of course, In-N-Out offers a 4x version, but...)

But then I realised that this was targeted at a very precise (although huge) demographic. It doesn't have to work as a long-term construct; it only has to sell sets...

And it will. By the palletload...

The average reader on this site is an AFOL - they *care* about what Lego are offering, but the sets they buy are more likely to be for themselves than their children...

Let's face it, the average full-on parent has very little, if any, time to spare looking at Brickset :-(

What if you were Lego and you wanted to maximise sales of a new idea, where would you aim it?

At kids? They have no control over the family budget. Influence, yes; control, no.

So, their parents then... Okay.

And what would convince the parents to spend more? Er, something that keeps their kids quiet for long periods of time - the longer the better, please! And the less time the parents have to spend to get it to work, the better! (and can we have more blinkenlights too? Great!)

What if it were themed for something that *you* know and love? How about if we made some Star Wars sets as the first release?

Are you *kidding* me?!?! Here's my credit card! Where do I sign!!!

To a 30-45-year-old parent, brought up on Lego Star Wars (sets and video game(s)), the fact that these sets also include new, leading-edge tech would make them absolutely irresistible!

But these products aren't aimed at you or I; we're a specialised market that is already well-catered for by the company. They know what appeals to AFOLs, what sells well to AFOLS, and, ultimately, we don't *have* to buy in to it.

We're a 1M+ brick household, heavily into lighting sets and Pybrick-controlled trains, so remote control of (Lego) functionality is a frequent topic in the household. Whilst we may not buy it on the day of release, we're totally 'on board' with the prospect of its potential."

I understand your reasoning, however it’s important to remember that not every parent is a Lego enthusiast, or has nostalgia for Star Wars. Not every family (including mine!) sees “keeping the kids entertained for hours” as something best solved by a premium, technology-laden building toy.

The toy market today is exceptionally diverse, and parents have more choice than ever – at a time when value for money often outweighs brand loyalty.

For many families, the question isn’t “Does this excite me as someone who grew up with Lego Star Wars?” but “Is this good value compared to everything else available?” Board games, craft kits, books, outdoor toys, video games, second-hand toys - all compete for the same budget. Lego is one option among many, not the automatic choice.

This is where some of the scepticism comes from. Products that lean heavily on nostalgia, branding, and “world-first” tech risk missing parents asking practical questions: How durable is it? How long will it last? Will it still be fun in six months? Is it worth the price compared to other toys my child enjoys just as much?

You’re right that AFoL’s aren’t the primary audience, and Lego already serves that group well, but outside the AFoL bubble there is no single “average parent”. Families are diverse, priorities differ, and many are perfectly happy choosing toys that aren’t Lego or Star Wars. In that context, this may sell well early on, but it’s far from a guaranteed success across the board.

In a market defined by wide choice and tighter budgets, brand power alone doesn’t carry the weight it once did.

@ALEXDTI said:
"Jebus christ, you guys are just a bunch of whiny grown butt men.

Like my gosh, just effing shut up, it's obviously not ment for you but for kids (and to people who still have a inner child who still like to play), why everything new must to be so bad moutly by all grown up afols? It's getting unsufferable and on very high level of toxicity.
You all make me lose any interest in new exciting stuff. This happened with the last holiday train, I was excited for the announcement and found that set very toy like and good but after reading all the stupid and hateful comments all over the internet that I lost all interest in a nano-second and don't want it anymore.

"Lego should listen to me and make what I want" it's the perfect sum up of all your comments, which is just bs.

"Vidyio, Hidden Side, Nexo Knight, and now this. Lego should stop making bad stuff with mixing bricks and technology", and I'm 100% sure that if you had 8 years you would have a blast with all of these themes. I never understood the hate and never will because all those theme had great sets and minifigures (I still find the Hidden Side gimmick/game so cool and well made).

"Lego need to make new original IPs, but at the same time I want more famous IPs as Lego sets", this it's not correlated with this, but I'm just pissed and I'm throwing that in too because F it! I'm so sick of the stupid and nonsensical complaining.

Just grow up. Log off, turn off your internet and go outside and touch some grass... You desperately needed it..."

You are very easily swayed if the Brickset comments for the last Christmas set put you off of it. Are you not able to have an independent view?

Also a track history of 8 year olds with Vidiyo, Hidden Side, Nexo Knights shows that they weren't successful.

Ugh, these are going to drive up the cost on already over priced sets.

@ALEXDTI said:
"Saying that something is crap is not an opinion

And yeh, I shouldn't let others crawl under my skin and make me change what I think, but after a constant flow of just negativity and "insults" (can't find a better word) it's very hard not to"
Why? Did you design this product? Why does it get under your skin when someone utters his honest opinion that this is a stupid product? And of course it's an opinion to say that something is crap. A personal opinion. Not right, not wrong, just an opinion.

Sales figures will show whether this becomes a hit or a flop.
My anecdotal evidence (as a full time double parent who also takes a lot of time to care for his aging mother) is that I don't buy toys to "keep the kids quiet, the longer the better". I spend time with my kids and play with them if they want to. But usually they can immerse themselves in whatever kind of play activity without the need for parental intervention anyway. And they never had LEGO with electronics, nor did they ever show interest in such stuff.

And one more piece of anecdotal evidence. I know lots of kids who love Super Mario, yet none of them has LEGO Super Mario stuff.
A colleague of mine though has been trying to sell their LEGO Super Mario sets for months - without success so far.
So much for "popular" theme.

In the end, who cares. If LEGO Technic with its electronic catastrophe is any indication, this new system is in for a hard landing.

I'll hold final judgement until I see this... _thing_... applied to trains.

@StudMuffin24 said:
"NO ONE TALKING ABOUT HOW R2-D2s HEAD CAN ROTATE???"

I believe it was mentioned a number of times above, in between the agony and tears.

@ToxicAtom said:
"AFOLs will hate on this until the cows come home, but I'm certain kids will love it. Admit it, everyone thought lights and sounds were cool when they were younger. "
I didn't think the Light & Sound system was cool. I never even saw it in real life. Light & Sound sets cost twice what they would have without light and sound, and they took expensive batteries too. To me, it was a price tag, not a play feature. And that price tag was too high for my precious Lego budget. My friends must have suffered similarly; none of them had any either.

Monorail flopped for the same reason. There isn't even debate about whether monorail was cool. It was the coolest thing ever. But it was also too expensive for all but the wealthiest.

As a play feature, this new thing is not as obviously dumb as Vidiyo or Hidden Side. I could see children actually enjoying it. But does it offer enough to be commercially viable? Not so sure. And is it intellectually preferred over making pew-pew noises? Personally, I think not.

@yellowcastle said:
" @StudMuffin24 said:
"NO ONE TALKING ABOUT HOW R2-D2s HEAD CAN ROTATE???"

I believe it was mentioned a number of times above, in between the agony and tears."

Sorry I was too busy drowning in the weight of the things that I think (we all) need...arm printing on stormtroopers, etc.

Also - r2d2 is a smart fig so the swivel feature won't be applied to regular r2d2s - GRRRR Grådig ond virksomhed!!!!

It's funny how they proudly reference their past but then forget the most important bits. From LEGOs own website:

The toy has to be compact in its dimensions without limiting the free expression of imagination.
It has to be reasonably priced.
It has to be simple and durable and yet offer unlimited variety.
It has to be suitable for children of all ages and for both boys and girls.
It has to be classic in its presentation, i.e. a classic among toys, needing no renewal.
It has to be easily distributed.

The Smart Brick is none of the above.

@ThatBionicleGuy said:
"Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing here? In the X-Wing photo, Artoo's head is turned to an angle; I've never known a Lego astromech minifigure able to do that, since they usually attach by all four studs at the top of the torso, but on this Artoo his stud notches are apparently empty. Is this a new design feature, or is it just a standard Astro figure and the photo is misleadingly edited?"

Don't get too excited. Look at his back. It doesn't appear to be cylindrical. It looks like he has a 2x2 studded surface on the back that a chipped tile is attached to. In the X-Wing set, I can see a red 2x2 tile next to a red 2x2 plate w/ two studs on one edge behind the driver of the cart, behind the Stormtrooper on the turret, and below the computer screen. I don't see anything of the sort on the X-Wing, but I bet you one internet that there's a chipped tile on the back of the new Artoo body.

On the TIE Advanced, I can see a similar arrangement of red parts inside of the cockpit, behind where the pilot sits. And in the lightsaber duel, both control yokes have a 2x2 tile sunk between two rows of black studs, right behind the duelists.

Not smart.

"The platform is powered by the LEGO SMART Brick, which is packed with ground-breaking, world-first technologies that means LEGO builds can respond to how they are played with for the first time."

My English teachers are rolling in their fiery graves.

IMO, this is the wrong tech, at the wrong time. Parents are already having a hard time making ends meet. Lego’s skyrocketed in price these past few years. Now they want to charge double for what amounts to a glorified 4+ build with sounds and lights?

What they should’ve done is offer more robust sets, and offer the Smart Brick/Minifigs as an add-on.

@EtudeTheBadger said:
" @ALEXDTI said:
"Jebus christ, you guys are just a bunch of whiny grown butt men."

WTF are butt men?"

Let me sing you the song of my people, and it's "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot.

@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
"Does anyone know what the green hammers are for?"

You won't like Hulk when he's Worthy.

@AustinPowers said:
"And one more piece of anecdotal evidence. I know lots of kids who love Super Mario, yet none of them has LEGO Super Mario stuff.
A colleague of mine though has been trying to sell their LEGO Super Mario sets for months - without success so far.
So much for "popular" theme."

You've said yourself that Germans don't buy much actual LEGO product anymore because TLG no longer caters to German tastes. Your anecdotal evidence therefore only proves that Germans are behaving like Germans. I think I've seen only one Mario set hit clearance locally, which is more than I can say for any other theme that has run 5+ years.

@Mark_Bellis:
All batteries need to be replaced at some point, and doing so with rechargable LEGO batteries is a bit of a pain. We have a store chain called Batteries Plus that can rebuild stuff like rechargable battery packs for power tools, but only if they have the specs for the battery in their database. Someone in my LUG tried to get a LEGO rechargable pack rebuilt, and was declined because they didn't have any record of it in their database. Oh, a smart electronics person could absolutely crack the thing open and figure out exactly what type of cells they'd need to replace the originals, but that's more of a boutique experience than a store chain can provide.

I agree with you on the hacking stuff. I remember that Sony was in a constant arms race against the PSP homebrew community, and they hacked the handheld console once by going in through the rechargeable battery pack.

Remember in the early 2000s when LEGO almost when bankrupt? Amongst other follies they discovered that they were making Technic sets with complicated LED lights that cost more to manufacture than what they were selling them for. LEGO refocused on just making bricks, sticking to their core business and stop chasing high tech nonsense. Apparently LEGO doesn’t remember their own history.

@bigginsd said:
"Remember in the early 2000s when LEGO almost when bankrupt? Amongst other follies they discovered that they were making Technic sets with complicated LED lights that cost more to manufacture than what they were selling them for. LEGO refocused on just making bricks, sticking to their core business and stop chasing high tech nonsense. Apparently LEGO doesn’t remember their own history."

From how much people are complaining about the price, I'd say they learned at least one lesson.

@PurpleDave said: "I think I've seen only one Mario set hit clearance locally, which is more than I can say for any other theme that has run 5+ years."

I know the problems with anecdotal evidence, but for the last few years, Christmas in all the stores about me sees the Lego aisles picked clean ... except for the Mario sets, which still sit there, unsold, gathering dust.

Obviously somebody likes them, because if they were Vidiyo-level failure, Lego would've stopped making them. But I couldn't tell you who.

@Zordboy said:
" @PurpleDave said: "I think I've seen only one Mario set hit clearance locally, which is more than I can say for any other theme that has run 5+ years."

I know the problems with anecdotal evidence, but for the last few years, Christmas in all the stores about me sees the Lego aisles picked clean ... except for the Mario sets, which still sit there, unsold, gathering dust.

Obviously somebody likes them, because if they were Vidiyo-level failure, Lego would've stopped making them. But I couldn't tell you who. "

Maybe the reason that Mario sets are still on the shelves when other sets are gone is because they sell so well that the dusty shelfwarmers are a small percentage of the total. Without sales numbers, we can't really know.

Heaven forbid a kid makes a sound inconsistent with the underlying IP. Won't someone think of the brand synergy?!

@560heliport said:
" @Zordboy said:
" @PurpleDave said: "I think I've seen only one Mario set hit clearance locally, which is more than I can say for any other theme that has run 5+ years."

I know the problems with anecdotal evidence, but for the last few years, Christmas in all the stores about me sees the Lego aisles picked clean ... except for the Mario sets, which still sit there, unsold, gathering dust.

Obviously somebody likes them, because if they were Vidiyo-level failure, Lego would've stopped making them. But I couldn't tell you who. "

Maybe the reason that Mario sets are still on the shelves when other sets are gone is because they sell so well that the dusty shelfwarmers are a small percentage of the total. Without sales numbers, we can't really know."

After Christmas, my local Walmarts' Lego aisles are usually wastelands of empty shelves. Almost every set, even the lame ones, is just gone, like the Lego rapture happened—except for a robust selection of Mario sets on 40%+ clearance. So yeah, I too continue to be surprised by Mario's longevity. Somebody must be buying it. Somewhere.

@ToxicAtom said:
"AFOLs will hate on this until the cows come home, but I'm certain kids will love it. Admit it, everyone thought lights and sounds were cool when they were younger. "

Exactly this. A lot of AFOLs and uncs are complaining because it's not for them, but it isn't intented for them. It's for kids. Like most LEGO is. And I'm sure a good chuck of those up here dismissing SMART Play as a gimmick LOVED the Lights & Sounds functions of the City and Space sets of the 1980s. This is just the modern equivalent of that. For what it is, it actually looks like it could be fun.

@AtomJVD89 said:
"Hiddeous, pointless and expensive "smart" crap."

Is it expensive and pointless? Yes, but most toys are. Including 18+ sets. They're expensive, pointless toys to keep you occupied. Nothing wrong with that, but let's not pretend our hobby is anything more than playing with plastic bricks and little action figures. I'm sure many AFOLs spend a tonne of money on putting LED lighting in their LEGO cities. Pointless and expensive? Certainly. But does it spark joy? Absolutely! That's all that matters.

I find it funny how some adults can be so serious about this hobby that they seem to forget that they too were kids who loved lights and sounds, and all that simple fun stuff. If the target audience loves this and it makes them get into LEGO, then it's fine. Stop complaining, there are enough LEGO sets for everyone to enjoy.

Annoyance at this as an AFOL is not whether I want to buy it or not, but rather that it seems like another misadventure and (like any corporate) TLG will need to recover losses from increased prices on other sets.

@ToysFromTheAttic:
I mean, on paper I loved the idea of having laser, siren, or engine sounds at the touch of a button, but I never got any of that style. What I did get was 6909, and I hated it. The lights and sound component was half the set, needed batteries that my parents weren’t going to supply me in bulk, and wasn’t the older style of lights and sound components that I actually wanted. It was very specific to the theme, and ultimately just got abandoned in a box of parts, never to be used again.

@Frank_Brickowski said:
" @BabuBrick said:
"Well, I’m gonna be saving money on LEGO this year."

It will be really interesting to see if the Smart Brick will pave LEGO's road to new success, or if it will become their literal tombstone - because if this entire thing fails, it will be a huge financial loss for sure."

TLG once knocked Hasbro off the throne for biggest toy manufacturer, and they did it with a single product line as a privately-owned family company. Their gross income is measured in the billions of dollars. They can afford to have the occasional hard flop, as long as they have other themes that are successful. I don’t think they’re in any danger of having to file for bankruptcy, even if they don’t sell a single Smart Brick set.

I'm waiting for the poll for us to support LEGO Dumb Play.

@JpPhoto said:
"Please add a survey asking us if we want this. I wanna see that 100% ‘no’ bar"

There's no way I'd be able to, but I wanna see your face when you realize that there are, in fact, people who want this. I mean 5005738, which was just a replacement for the sticker roll in 70830 still has people who want it. Everything Lego has made interests *somebody.*

@ToxicAtom said:
"AFOLs will hate on this until the cows come home, but I'm certain kids will love it. Admit it, everyone thought lights and sounds were cool when they were younger. "

Yes but now kids have phones, a perpetual 4k screen and rich audio via headphones. Their ‘lights and sounds’ of today annihilate whatever these bricks are capable of. Playing devil’s advocate, sure kids might like them IF their parents can afford and are willing to pay for it. It may be for kids but the adults are calling the shots if its worth it, and reading the room here, it doesn’t look good.

@tomthepirate said:
"If this is similar to the Light and Sound brick from the 80's, then why not?

e.g. https://brickset.com/sets/6770-1/Lunar-Transporter-Patroller"
The funny (or sad) thing is, I saw Jang"s video on the subject that featured material from Beyond the Brick being shown the functionality. And seeing how overly complicated some things were, one wonders what the people behind the system were thinking.
I mean, look at it. To get the "smart" brick in the X-Wing to make some (very poor quality) "pew pew" sounds you need to push a button that initiates a function that pushes the brick forward into two red plates that trigger the colour sensor that in turn activates the sound.
WTF? With the Light&Sound system back in the day you simply pushed a button and the sound brick started the sound. And by turning the knob you could even change to a different sound. Granted, both of these sounds were low quality, but so is the sound in this new iteration.

And the Mos Eisley Cantina scene function demonstration was truly pathetic imho.
You have to manually shake a lever so hard it makes a racket so loud it drowns out the actual sound you intend to get from the "smart" brick in the first place?
ROFL

Before seeing this demonstration I thought this new system might actually have a merit I just fail to see. But after seeing it I am certain that this will tank even harder than I initially thought.

Watched a "hands-on" demo from CES.
It's... basically an extremely glorified light and sound brick?
I get how kids could see it as "magic" how the lights and sounds change depending on whatever's around the brick.
But at the same time... isn't it also "magic" how kids do the sounds themselves? And isn't that a lot better for them? We're just replacing kid-created magic with technology-based magic.
Am I making sense?

@Alemas said:
"Watched a "hands-on" demo from CES.
It's... basically an extremely glorified light and sound brick?
I get how kids could see it as "magic" how the lights and sounds change depending on whatever's around the brick.
But at the same time... isn't it also "magic" how kids do the sounds themselves? And isn't that a lot better for them? We're just replacing kid-created magic with technology-based magic.
Am I making sense?"
Absolutely.
The entire concept is both stupid as well as extremely limited technologically.
Kids make these sounds themselves and perform the action how they like. They can be at opposite ends of the room and have a go at each other's ships. The magic happens automatically.

Here they have to be at arm's length for the proximity sensor to even work, and the sound itself is beyond pathetic. Add to that the ugly designs of the sets and the crazy pricetags, and it should become obvious why this is doomed to fail big time.

"It's for children" is pure cope, look at those models, they look not even half finished! Not to mention the prices. Better get 75301 on the aftermarket for your kid if they want an X-Wing.

Pass. Absolutely a waste.

What crap. Lost for words here.

Technically it's pretty primitive.

Batteries are wasteful because they have no standard format so they become e-waste.

From a gameplay perspective it's limiting the mental horizon to what's given by the brick, not whan the mind can think of and incorporate into childs' play.

Crap, toxic and dumbing.