SMART Play fact sheet

Neat

I was hoping for a second post, so we can spreed the moaning around a bit!

The tech is really cool, but I don't think the price increase it induces is worth their release.

There are no pre-recorded clips? What does that mean? Surely they'd want them to make the right sounds? Like Star wars quotes or music?

I'll stick to analogue.

Countdown to the next Lego/technology failure being discontinued in a year or two starts today.

«Battery designed to support real play patterns; will still perform after years of inactivity.»
Perfect!

Of course there's an app.
Which could be a cool thing, too, if you can upload your own sound files.

So seemingly you can't really make anything "new" with these, only work within the confines of what Lego has released. You can't change, say, what behavior it exhibits when it detects that it's running around in circles. You're beholden to the tiles and functions that Lego implements and nothing more. I know Lego has done programming gimmicks before (Mindstorms, Boost, etc), so this seems like a missed opportunity in that field, to me.

I just don't get why they keep attempting technology integration. The best part about Lego has always been the lack of technology integration.

Maybe I'm too old, but all these mean more expensive sets that already are expensive. Sigh...

Yup. Not buying any of these tiny overpriced sets.

I'm sure this will have its fans, but I don't think it's for me.

Though I do wonder if the smart bricks and tags may be easy to replace with regular 2x4 and 2x2 pieces for those wanting the models but not the SMART features. We shall see.

I volunteer: "Who asked for this?"
Maybe kids like it, Mario lego still sells it seems

My heart jumped when I saw the words "smart brick". I thought yes, we are getting Mindstorms back! But nooo :(

It does sound interesting though. I will probably get one of the starter sets just to see exactly what is possible with the "smart brick" and whether it will be possible to program it or control it in any way.

Cool idea but not interesting to me. I'll spend my money elsewhere.

@Wikimemia said:
"So seemingly you can't really make anything "new" with these, only work within the confines of what Lego has released. You can't change, say, what behavior it exhibits when it detects that it's running around in circles. You're beholden to the tiles and functions that Lego implements and nothing more. I know Lego has done programming gimmicks before (Mindstorms, Boost, etc), so this seems like a missed opportunity in that field, to me. "

I'm guessing we'll see some more generic tags similar to the Pilot Test a year ago: a helicopter, boat, plane, toilet, etc. It is a bit odd that they led in with Star Wars, but Pokemon playsets are the real use-case for Smart Bricks and we'll see those announced next month. I imagine the City compatible sets will follow in the Summer wave.

I'm most interested to see if people figure out a way to intercept the programming from the app and add custom overrides.

I can see the potential this brings, especially incorporating light and sound. City Builds and things with power functions like trains could have some really cool things built into them.

There was an article posted on Jay's Bricks talking about past technology failures and what this new one might be. He also brought up a good point about how the Lego Mario figures that are 5 years old now are still running strong, so if these new ones have similar quality and last as long, we could see some really creative uses come out of it.

The initial sets are atrocious, but if the "actions" of the bricks can be customized, we could see a lot if cool uses from them.

@watcher21 said:
"I volunteer: "Who asked for this?"
Maybe kids like it, Mario lego still sells it seems"

Yeah it's clearly for kids, which is fine but I suspect the price tags will make it just be for rich kids. Lego can get pretty pricey already, and this certainly won't make it any cheaper ( until these go on sale, which isn't that unlikely with the smallish target demo)

I'm looking forward to the first Smart Brick Advent Calendar.

Day 1: Smart Brick.
Days 2-24: single 2x2 smart Brick tiles.

What I wouldn't mind seeing is Lego making some open tools, and letting the community work on them. Sensors and basic computation can go a long way if you let people mess with it! People have built working calculators and other tools in Minecraft, I'd bet Lego nerds would get super into it IF, and this is a big one, Lego lets go of control of the whole system. Free the software!

I'll give them this: Even though they partnered with an "AI" company (self-described) to develop this, they aren't marketing it as AI or using AI at all. Hopefully that's a forward thinking approach and even though I'm not a fan or interested in this at all I respect that they're not throwing around AI as a term to generate interest in this.

The technology in these bricks sounds impressive! What sets this apart from other LEGO tech experiments to me is that it’s integrated into the system in a way we haven’t seen before.

Other electronic play sets have been app-based gimmicks like Hidden Side or an entirely new experience like Mario. This reminds me more of the App Bricks from Ultra Agents but way more complex and sophisticated. I can’t wait to see some reviews to see if the bricks are as cool as the press release sounds…

There's some interesting possibilities with what they talk about. It'll be interesting to see how many things are actually utilized vs how much is just adspeak.

One thing that really catches my attention is the claim that the smart bricks don't include recorded sounds. This suggests that the smart figures themselves contain the code of not just what to play, but how to generate the sound. How much information can they transmit? Can people generate their own codes to load onto a smart chip, and have the brick then read it?

It will be interesting to see how open Lego is about all this. Will any of it be open source? Will it be closed, but accessible to those who know where to look? Or will it be fully locked down and require some exploit to crack?

It's also rather interesting that the bricks can detect the relative distance and angle to each other. But how do they know what to do with that information?

As far as I can tell from these press releases, each smart brick is identical. It doesn't appear that any of them are programmed differently. This would mean that you won't have to do software updates, but it puts a large burden on the minifigs to be able to tell the bricks how to react. That feels like quite a bottleneck.

Alternatively, if each brick is programmed uniquely, then it is going to be a bit awkward to make sure that you don't get them mixed up. It also really limits future expansion and backwards compatibility.

I'm curious to know more. As it is, it feels like they are using 2026 microprocessor technology to recreate a couple LEDs and a sound buzzer.

@SolidState said:
"I'll give them this: Even though they partnered with an "AI" company (self-described) to develop this, they aren't marketing it as AI or using AI at all. Hopefully that's a forward thinking approach and even though I'm not a fan or interested in this at all I respect that they're not throwing around AI as a term to generate interest in this."

I mean, that's the difference between trying to get VC money and announcing a project to the public. If you want VC money or hype up your weirdo investors you play up the AI stuff. If you want people to actually buy your product, AI is a counter productive point.

Looking forward to the reviews!

The general reaction here might be jumping the gun on this one. It seems pretty clear that the target audience is not for AFOLs. It’s for kids, and kids often like gimmicky things. They’re toys after all; these particular sets aren’t designed to be display worthy for your best shelf. Maybe this’ll go somewhere. Will just have to sit back and see, or maybe go ask the nearest child to see if it sounds cool.

@GoldenNinja3000 said:
"The technology in these bricks sounds impressive! What sets this apart from other LEGO tech experiments to me is that it’s integrated into the system in a way we haven’t seen before.

Other electronic play sets have been app-based gimmicks like Hidden Side or an entirely new experience like Mario. This reminds me more of the App Bricks from Ultra Agents but way more complex and sophisticated. I can’t wait to see some reviews to see if the bricks are as cool as the press release sounds…"

Yeah, this seems like basically the modern equivalent of, say, the old Light & Sound system. Not a different thing to do with your bricks, but more of an added flourish to the thing you were already doing.

@jarchitecture said:
"The general reaction here might be jumping the gun on this one. It seems pretty clear that the target audience is not for AFOLs. It’s for kids, and kids often like gimmicky things. They’re toys after all; these particular sets aren’t designed to be display worthy for your best shelf. Maybe this’ll go somewhere. Will just have to sit back and see, or maybe go ask the nearest child to see if it sounds cool. "

The pricing clearly targets an 18+ adult audience, but the execution feels aimed at much younger children. The builds are tightly scripted, offer little real customization, and sidestep the core appeal that draws adult fans to LEGO in the first place. Visually, the sets struggle as well. The proportions look off, the silhouettes feel awkward, and the overall presentation comes across as being more on the toy-like end of the spectrum rather than as well-considered display models.

This also fits an all-too-familiar pattern. LEGO has repeatedly pushed tech-forward “innovations” only to abandon them once the novelty fades. Power Functions gave way to Control+ with fragmented compatibility. BOOST was discontinued. Life of George vanished quickly. Hidden Side and Vidiyo were short-lived. Dimensions was shut down. Mindstorms was retired despite a dedicated education and enthusiast base. Each cycle brings higher prices, heavier reliance on electronics and apps, and systems that age poorly. With that history, skepticism is not cynicism. It is simply recognizing the pattern.

Okay, great, looks legit, it's the wave of the future. Buzz buzz buzz, hype hype.

Now show it to Miyamoto so we can finally get Mario-minifigures.

@watcher21 said:
"I volunteer: "Who asked for this?"
Maybe kids like it, Mario lego still sells it seems"

Mario sells well because there aren't alternative non-Smart Mario sets (except the few display sets).

TBH my interest as a child and an adult haven't changed much. Would I want for £280 these three sets with limited figures and a novelty play feature or a much better set with a bigger variety of minifigures to act out scenes etc?

I do get a bit tired with this opinion that children are stupid and throw on a couple of lights and SFX and they're sold. Children are much more discerning consumers.

The marketing is aimed at parents and AFOLs to buy for their children. And I think there is too much competition within Lego that there are much better alternatives.

@King_J said:
"I just don't get why they keep attempting technology integration. The best part about Lego has always been the lack of technology integration."

I don't think that's entirely true. They've had some cool light and sound options in the past. It makes for cool play features and it can bring displays to life.

@Critical_ said:
"The pricing clearly targets an 18+ adult audience, but the execution feels aimed at much younger children."

Pricing has absolutely nothing to do with the age of the target audience.

@King_J said:
"I just don't get why they keep attempting technology integration. The best part about Lego has always been the lack of technology integration."

The read/write RFID tags that came with Dimensions were useful for electronics hobbyists. And best of all, so cheap as nobody wanted them. I bought a few hundred at 5p each. This system sounds a bit like what you can do with an arduino or other small board plus sensors.

@Critical_ said:
" @jarchitecture said:
"The general reaction here might be jumping the gun on this one. It seems pretty clear that the target audience is not for AFOLs. It’s for kids, and kids often like gimmicky things. They’re toys after all; these particular sets aren’t designed to be display worthy for your best shelf. Maybe this’ll go somewhere. Will just have to sit back and see, or maybe go ask the nearest child to see if it sounds cool. "

The pricing clearly targets an 18+ adult audience, but the execution feels aimed at much younger children. The builds are tightly scripted, offer little real customization, and sidestep the core appeal that draws adult fans to LEGO in the first place. Visually, the sets struggle as well. The proportions look off, the silhouettes feel awkward, and the overall presentation comes across as being more on the toy-like end of the spectrum rather than as well-considered display models.

This also fits an all-too-familiar pattern. LEGO has repeatedly pushed tech-forward “innovations” only to abandon them once the novelty fades. Power Functions gave way to Control+ with fragmented compatibility. BOOST was discontinued. Life of George vanished quickly. Hidden Side and Vidiyo were short-lived. Dimensions was shut down. Mindstorms was retired despite a dedicated education and enthusiast base. Each cycle brings higher prices, heavier reliance on electronics and apps, and systems that age poorly. With that history, skepticism is not cynicism. It is simply recognizing the pattern."

I don’t think the pricing necessarily targets 18+. These days, it’s not uncommon at all to see plenty of sets for children to be within the $50-$200 range. I agree about the set designs; they’re very clearly not for presentation as AFOLs would like, rather they’re more toyish and aim to be more playable and thus result in a more awkward look. I think it’s too early to tell how constricted the customization will be as well.

You’re correct with the pattern; we’ve seen the many attempts Lego has gone through as you mentioned. There is definitely a pattern. However, let’s not doom something right off the bat just because of a pattern. Conceptually speaking, there is always a chance something comes along and breaks the pattern, or mold (pun intended). Patterns don’t condemn new attempts to failure; at the very least they get points for being persistent and not giving up on new avenues. Maybe I’m more optimistic about it, but I think this may have potential to it, especially in the case of TOYS. Lego does indeed still make toys for kids.

It will be fun to see what AFOLs manage to do with these at conventions. I'm imagining multiple trains on large layouts where each locomotive makes its own unique sound as it goes by, using the accelerometer to make a progressive tone change from idling up to full speed. We'll see!

@ninjabiomech said:
"Seems cool that it will just work without a device it seems. More shelf life this way lol

Don't know who was asking for this though"

In a 1950s world of wooden toys, no-one was asking for interlocking plastic bricks, but aren't you glad that people didn't just stick to what they were doing?

@Paperballpark said:
" @ninjabiomech said:
"Seems cool that it will just work without a device it seems. More shelf life this way lol

Don't know who was asking for this though"

In a 1950s world of wooden toys, no-one was asking for interlocking plastic bricks, but aren't you glad that people didn't just stick to what they were doing?"

Meanwhile in far-flung future of 2026, we've had way too many attempts at reinventing those interlocking plastic bricks. Maybe don't try to fix what isn't broken.

Everyone is so negative! The tech they've described, accelerometers, speakers, position detection, proprietary bluetooth system... to fit all of that into a minifig or 2x2 tile is just mind-boggling.

It's one of those things that you occasionally ponder all this new technology and wonder why Lego kept on going with stuff like Control+ and Powered Up, which was clearly out of date when it was released. And then this comes along and you realise that they have finally realised the potential of all this technology.

Hopefully anyway...!

I'm always intrigued by the extremely selective memories of AFOLs who are purportedly my age or older. I had 7722 as a kid, and to hear some of you talk, that's impossible four times over: it has stickers, it uses electronics and highly specialized gimmicky pieces to accomplish stuff I could have done just fine with my imagination, it retailed for way more than a kid could normally be expected to afford, and mine had a QC issue.

@Crux said:
" @Paperballpark said:
" @ninjabiomech said:
"Seems cool that it will just work without a device it seems. More shelf life this way lol

Don't know who was asking for this though"

In a 1950s world of wooden toys, no-one was asking for interlocking plastic bricks, but aren't you glad that people didn't just stick to what they were doing?"

Meanwhile in far-flung future of 2026, we've had way too many attempts at reinventing those interlocking plastic bricks. Maybe don't try to fix what isn't broken."

You sound like a grumbling grandparent in the 50's - 'don't try to fix what isn't broken! What's wrong with your wooden toys anyway? In my day all we had to play with was a few wooden sticks and a ball...' ;)

@DekoPuma said:
"There's some interesting possibilities with what they talk about. It'll be interesting to see how many things are actually utilized vs how much is just adspeak.

One thing that really catches my attention is the claim that the smart bricks don't include recorded sounds. This suggests that the smart figures themselves contain the code of not just what to play, but how to generate the sound. How much information can they transmit? Can people generate their own codes to load onto a smart chip, and have the brick then read it?

It will be interesting to see how open Lego is about all this. Will any of it be open source? Will it be closed, but accessible to those who know where to look? Or will it be fully locked down and require some exploit to crack?

It's also rather interesting that the bricks can detect the relative distance and angle to each other. But how do they know what to do with that information?

As far as I can tell from these press releases, each smart brick is identical. It doesn't appear that any of them are programmed differently. This would mean that you won't have to do software updates, but it puts a large burden on the minifigs to be able to tell the bricks how to react. That feels like quite a bottleneck.

Alternatively, if each brick is programmed uniquely, then it is going to be a bit awkward to make sure that you don't get them mixed up. It also really limits future expansion and backwards compatibility.

I'm curious to know more. As it is, it feels like they are using 2026 microprocessor technology to recreate a couple LEDs and a sound buzzer."

The digital ID described, I hope its as simple as just unique to that part and not some additionally complex encrypted key exchange which could make each non-brick part distinct and unique to each individually manufactured part. That would make re-use and re-purposing of the eco-system near impossible for the open-source community to work with. There is an app mentioned, so we will see how closed the system is soon.

Ah, non replaceable batteries...Yay.I think I'd like it better without a non replaceable battery.

Can't wait to hack the BrickNet. Hopefully it doesn't become self-aware...

@Paperballpark said:
" @Crux said:
" @Paperballpark said:
" @ninjabiomech said:
"Seems cool that it will just work without a device it seems. More shelf life this way lol

Don't know who was asking for this though"

In a 1950s world of wooden toys, no-one was asking for interlocking plastic bricks, but aren't you glad that people didn't just stick to what they were doing?"

Meanwhile in far-flung future of 2026, we've had way too many attempts at reinventing those interlocking plastic bricks. Maybe don't try to fix what isn't broken."

You sound like a grumbling grandparent in the 50's - 'don't try to fix what isn't broken! What's wrong with your wooden toys anyway? In my day all we had to play with was a few wooden sticks and a ball...' ;)"

Get off my baseplate.

@megafig said:
""Battery designed to support real play patterns; will still perform after years of inactivity."

Sounds like battery cannot be charged or replaced. So bricks eventually die and contribute to ewaste.

This is is up there with Legos other dumb ideas that get scrapped after a year or so "

The batteries are wirelessly recharged.

I look forward to writing programs to hijack the speakers so Lego Figures can complain about what tiles they are carrying.
"I don't need a map! Give me that banana piece"

It sounds as if this was a very expensive R&D project if the scale of the technology created is truly as described. All for what essentially seems little more than a gimmick, the same as all the other failed technology LEGO has tried to introduce over the years. I hope they can make a large return from other companies using their patents. This is exactly why LEGO sets are so ridiculously expensive, because they waste hundreds of millions on this sort of nonsense. Why can't they just be content with the core business?

@Paperballpark said:
"Everyone is so negative! The tech they've described, accelerometers, speakers, position detection, proprietary bluetooth system... to fit all of that into a minifig or 2x2 tile is just mind-boggling.

It's one of those things that you occasionally ponder all this new technology and wonder why Lego kept on going with stuff like Control+ and Powered Up, which was clearly out of date when it was released. And then this comes along and you realise that they have finally realised the potential of all this technology.

Hopefully anyway...!"

My father in law had hearing aids with BT, a speaker, accelerometer, gyroscope, etc. and those were smaller than a minifig. The tech has been small for some time now.

From Beyond the Brick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-VbC_sites

“The platform features more than 20 patented world-firsts.” Wonderful. But are they water-resistant? Impact-resistant? Do they take a while to charge? Those are the things that actually matter when tech ends up in kids’ hands.

Personally, I don't think it's fair or helpful to hold a firmly negative/critical opinion about this based merely on the fact that it's an integration of new tech into the (*mostly) analog System. I share all the same groans and apprehensions about the topic when it comes to sets/themes/concepts that require apps and screens to use, and I like many value LEGO in large part precisely because it provides a tactile break from those things in the modern age.

But the truth is that TLG has always been experimental and progress-oriented about the possibilities of integrating tech, and doing that within the System has always provided opportunities for that which are unique, whether or not they are successful. Lights and motors have been put into brick form since the early 60s, so this is hardly a new phenomenon (…and yeah, definitely longer ago than I thought, but check out the Samsonite-era 245 Lighting Device Pack from ’61.) Mindstorms is an obvious and major example; but it’s worth noting that sensor bricks and programable systems too have been around way longer than we might think or remember, the first to my knowledge being released for the 4.5V system in the 80s (see 1090 Technic Control 1, 1092 Technic Control II). There’ve been plenty of weird ones over the years as well, like the short-lived barcode system (the “Code Pilot” with sound effects, etc. found in 8479 Barcode Multi-Set).

But whether this new development proves out to be something that flashes in the pan and then fizzles away like the latter example, or perhaps inspires an entire new subculture and building style within the community like trains and Mindstorms have, it’s far too early to cast judgement, and simply being a tech-based development is really no reason to. It’s nothing whatsoever unusual for TLG to do this, and sometimes it leads to great things.

So to me what’s most significant about this announcement is that it shows TLG is putting a ton of R&D resources in exactly the right direction when it comes to tech innovation and integration with the System: developing products that use new tech to do something unique and specifically non-screen/app/device dependent. This is a clear sign they are thinking in the right way about the possibilities of digital tech while also recognizing the core value of LEGO’s analog ecosystem.

Maybe I'm dumb, but that whole article / press release didn't tell me anything at all about how this will be used. It all sounded like the pitch they must have gave the investors.

That's just a corporate word salad saying nothimg.

I'd advise everyone to take a look at the demo from CES.

It's easy to be negative (as I initially was) when all you have to go off of is obtuse PR drivel and some rather dubious-looking Star Wars sets. Seeing the demo has made me a lot more positive about this new tech and I'm curious to see how they plan to use it going forward.

I see lots of comments saying this is for the children, and not to be negative as it's not for AFOLs. Well, I have friends with children who loved Dimensions, and were devastated when it was discontinued. The parents were then upset that they had spent so much money on a dead end. The tech itself is not the issue I have (as long as it does something fun) but what happens when Lego inevitably loses interest and discontinues it. They do not have a good track record in this space...

I hope it's fun, and I hope it works out, but I won't be holding my breath!

Sounds like a huge amount of money and resources went into developing this product, yet where is the USP?

What is it actually good for? What problem does it solve?

Why does a building block toy system need something like this at all?

Were there loads of kids thinking "my God, this brick building stuff is boring. I wish there were bricks that could somehow communicate with each other and make tinny unrealistic sounds like my dad's Light&Sound stuff from the Eighties and Nineties"?

And the most important question for me: why doesn't TLG rather spend that kind of money and effort on solving the important issues they have, like the quality problems they have with stuff like colour consistency, print quality, etc.
I mean, they develop something like this and expect us to rejoice, while at the same time they can't properly print light colours on dark surfaces, or R2-D2 heads without lines being askew.
Ridiculous.

Sounds dreadful.

Obsolete in how many months?

I'm all for LEGO pushing out of their comfort zone, even with the failures noted a number of times above. This is how we got Ideas, Friends, etc. I'm just nervous about the continuing upward trend on the diminishing amount of bricks we get for the same price. I'll pay an occasional ridiculous premium like I did with the 21335 Motorized Lighthouse for $300 but I really need those to be the exceptions and not the norm.

I'm hoping that this new product will find a niche in the LEGO portfolio and not just be an excuse to hoopty up our prices.

@RoundhouseBrick said:
"«Battery designed to support real play patterns; will still perform after years of inactivity.»
Perfect!

Of course there's an app.
Which could be a cool thing, too, if you can upload your own sound files."

okay...but the Lego boost sets are completely unusable after the app got taken down...don't get your hopes up.

Sound in toys have been readily available for 25 years! And the other toy brands are able to make it not exorbitantly priced.

This is definitely some overpriced junk.

@Andrusi said:
"I'm always intrigued by the extremely selective memories of AFOLs who are purportedly my age or older. I had 7722 as a kid, and to hear some of you talk, that's impossible four times over: it has stickers, it uses electronics and highly specialized gimmicky pieces to accomplish stuff I could have done just fine with my imagination, it retailed for way more than a kid could normally be expected to afford, and mine had a QC issue."

The only thing I remember about Light & Sound sets was that they cost far more than a correspondingly-sized non-L&S set cost, resulting in my intentionally not buying any of them. It would seem my experience was typical, because L&S sets didn't last.

I foresee the same problem here. As an additional headwind, how many parents like gratuitously-noisy toys? I have personally disappeared more than a few of them in my house.

Toy trains offer more value than mere noisemaking chips, but they too struggled in the market due to their high price.

It's not as manifestly stupid as Vidiyo. But I still don't hold much hope (or desire) for success.

@560heliport said:
" @megafig said:
""Battery designed to support real play patterns; will still perform after years of inactivity."

Sounds like battery cannot be charged or replaced. So bricks eventually die and contribute to ewaste.

This is is up there with Legos other dumb ideas that get scrapped after a year or so "

The batteries are wirelessly recharged."

Yeah, the yellow pad is the charger. It has a depression that fits two Smart Bricks, which should help center them over the induction coil without having to pay Apple royalties for their magnet thingy.

@Doctor_Hugh:
You're assuming TLG is the one who owns all the patents, when it's likely that their tech partner owns some or all of them.

@Rimefang:
There aren't any screens, though. Yes, it's still an electronic toy, but so are powered LEGO trains.

@ra226:
How would you play it, though? They don't seem to have any screens. They might have lights in them, but your pixels would be 5/8" across, so you'd need a metric crapton of them if you want to combine them into a giant computer screen.

@ZeroGravitas:
You can play the Dimensions game to 100% completion, even if you can't play the story to a logical conclusion. Even if they'd gone ahead with the third year storyline, the format would have still been a dead end as the whole theme was only designed to work with one game, and they had defined conclusion planned for the story. The parts and minifigs are still compatible with everything that's come before or since, though. I still pick up the odd Dimensions minifig when I can. Just bought two Stay-Pufts in the last year alone.

@Feroz said:
"From Beyond the Brick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-VbC_sites"

Ooh, a demonstration! Thank you for posting this! The noises sound rudimentary, but the accelerometers, spatial & color awareness - I think there are a lot of possibilities with this technology, and that people are going to make really cool things. Gimmick at a glance, but "We will watch your career with great interest"

@sparkbears said:
" @Feroz said:
"From Beyond the Brick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-VbC_sites"

Ooh, a demonstration! Thank you for posting this! The noises sound rudimentary, but the accelerometers, spatial & color awareness - I think there are a lot of possibilities with this technology, and that people are going to make really cool things. Gimmick at a glance, but "We will watch your career with great interest""

I agree - I don't see anything I right now would be prepared to spend money on, but this looks like very interesting technology that could have a lot of potential, and (if I understand correctly) is less likely to be orphaned overnight by an app being discontinued or such like). I don't personally buy the Mario sets but judging by the fact they're still selling after 5 years I think it shows that Lego+tech doesn't always end in failure!

@Andrusi said:
" @AllenSmith said:
" @Andrusi said:
"I'm always intrigued by the extremely selective memories of AFOLs who are purportedly my age or older. I had 7722 as a kid, and to hear some of you talk, that's impossible four times over: it has stickers, it uses electronics and highly specialized gimmicky pieces to accomplish stuff I could have done just fine with my imagination, it retailed for way more than a kid could normally be expected to afford, and mine had a QC issue."

The only thing I remember about Light & Sound sets was that they cost far more than a correspondingly-sized non-L&S set cost, resulting in my intentionally not buying any of them. It would seem my experience was typical, because L&S sets didn't last.

I foresee the same problem here. As an additional headwind, how many parents like gratuitously-noisy toys? I have personally disappeared more than a few of them in my house.

Toy trains offer more value than mere noisemaking chips, but they too struggled in the market due to their high price.

It's not as manifestly stupid as Vidiyo. But I still don't hold much hope (or desire) for success."

Did you quote the wrong post by mistake? "

Nope. It would have read better with a prefacing sentence though, so sorry for the confusion.

You suggested that AFOLs of your age have an inflated opinion of their ability to identify the Lego ethos, and you cited an expensive set you owned, also implying a similarity between that expensive (and ostensibly sub-standard) set and new Smart Bricks.

I countered that as an AFOL of approximately your age, I made the purely budgetary decision as a child to avoid a more appropriately-compared product of the same vintage, and it clearly wasn't just me, because the line was indeed a flop. I propose the economic proposition isn't substantially changed today.

Further, I pointed out that the Lego trains you had offered a more compelling value proposition that the more comparable L&S sets, but also didn't do very well. FWIW, I dearly wanted a Lego train as a child. Unlike L&S, I felt they were a compelling buy: the functionality added something substantially beyond other sets which couldn't be achieved by imagination. But my only hope of getting one was if Publishers Clearing House showed up at our door. Price matters.

Perhaps we will find that parents today are more willing to spend a bunch of extra money on mindless electronic additions to a building toy than they were 35 years ago. Perhaps we will find kids are more willing to shell out their pocket money to get a set with a much bigger price tag for fewer pieces, just because it can make noise. Perhaps we will find everybody is so much richer now that cost is no object.

Or perhaps we will find out cranky AFOLs who still post on Lego fan sites four decades later remember very well what made them fall in love with this product, and can recognize when the magic is missing.

"turning LEGO builds into interactive experiences"

And THIS is exactly where it all fails. Lego is ALREADY an interactive experience. That's the whole point of Lego.

Lego routinely show that they don't undertans their own strength: building bricks.
This will end up like all their oher bad attempts at integrating computers with the physical bricks.
They must have waisted a lot of money. .

I don't normally comment, but I work with electronics and look forward to putting a few of the bricks under the XRay machine at work, and taking the smart bricks apart. I'll likely get more enjoyment out of reverse engineering these than actually building the associated builds. I think I have an android decompiler saved somewhere for that matter from a few years back.

Though the things that piqued my interest is the synthesizer and the mention of needing privacy controls. Because I can see audiophiles using these like the old gameboys are used with electronic music. Though what is being recorded that needs privacy protection? Because if all it does is record the whoosh sounds kids make then it is very under utilized, though it would open up the possibility to tamper with a few bricks to rickroll the new owners after a yardsale. Though I do wonder if the bricks for a tie fighter could be trained to make train noises and stuck on a train and the brick would be none the wiser.

I also wonder what is the max range of the bricks' bluetooth?

Was this a good toy idea for kids? Maybe not, regardless, depending on how locked down it is and the specs and capabilities the AFOL's could have a ton of fun.

"The LEGO SMART Brick is the same area as a regular 2x4 brick"

But what about the height of the Smart Brick? In the pictures and videos, it looks taller than a standard brick and I can't tell how much. And I think they're aware of this as there is never a shot of the Smart Brick with a regular brick next to it.

There are a few things that keep making me laugh reading reactions to this line.

One is the pricing. The new BB8 75452 costs more per piece than the Smart Play Tie fighter

The Xwing is a bit cheaper than it, and the Throne Room slightly more expensive. I’m not saying BB8 is a well-priced set, but claiming these Smart Play elements are massively inflating prices is demonstrably untrue.

The other is the gleeful bashing of anything Lego electronics. What do people think all the train layouts and GBC setups run on?! I used a 9v train controller and some motors yesterday, all working fine after 30 plus years.

Or is it that the afol community see that as normal, acceptable tech because it’s from when they were kids, but anything “smart” is gimmicky modern nonsense?

I'm just happy that so many people have found an exciting new hill to die on.

Anyway, regarding the dimensions of the brick: according to the good folks over at New Elementary, the new brick is five plates high, as opposed to a regular brick being three plates high.

Five plates high. As is that hill.

I just watched the Beyond the Brick videos, and I'm speechless. Obviously, the target audience is young children and that's why I didn't want to be too harsh with the idea beforehand, but the execution itself is simply poor. It's expensive and ruins the figures and builds. I wonder how much this will appeal to children in the digital age.

The Cantina Set doesn't even play the Cantina Song? Seriously? :D

@AndyB1 said:
" @Nanenroe said:
""The LEGO SMART Brick is the same area as a regular 2x4 brick"

But what about the height of the Smart Brick? In the pictures and videos, it looks taller than a standard brick and I can't tell how much. And I think they're aware of this as there is never a shot of the Smart Brick with a regular brick next to it."

It is a brick and a plate high."

I do admire how confidently wrong you are.

Like most others, I'm not sure what this is supposed to do. ALL of my minifigures can interact with each other the models: I just have to imagine it. And my models have sound effects: "pew, pew", "woosh", "nee naw" etc.
Right now, my daughter is in the next room creating whole narrative stories and interactions between her toys. So, what do the "smart" bricks do different/extra?

Oh, and that character in the press release looks like the minifig of our future AI robot overlord.

@Feroz said:
"From Beyond the Brick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-VbC_sites "

that minifigure sound was .... yikes...

Also love how he is making it seem like the positioning feature is mindboggling super advanced hightech superduper technology...

@Crux said:
" Meanwhile in far-flung future of 2026, we've had way too many attempts at reinventing those interlocking plastic bricks. Maybe don't try to fix what isn't broken."

Licensed themes. New elements. New colors. Printed bricks. Dual molding. New concepts for sets like botanical centerpieces or wall art or standalone minifigures. Incredibly large and detailed sets intended for display. Minifigures other than standard grin. Producing sets based upon fan designs.

Should all of those fixes be scrapped as well? I think the concept is interesting, but given the popularity of a lot of those fixes, I don't think the back-to-basics product would be a successful direction for LEGO. At best I can see some limited niche and novelty appeal; nothing that would replace their current business volume.

@goshe7 said:
" @Crux said:
" Meanwhile in far-flung future of 2026, we've had way too many attempts at reinventing those interlocking plastic bricks. Maybe don't try to fix what isn't broken."

Licensed themes. New elements. New colors. Printed bricks. Dual molding. New concepts for sets like botanical centerpieces or wall art or standalone minifigures. Incredibly large and detailed sets intended for display. Minifigures other than standard grin. Producing sets based upon fan designs."

You'll notice though, or maybe you don't notice but you -really ought to notice-, that none of the striking innovations you've listed deviate in any way, shape or form from the core-concept of "interlocking plastic bricks". You should also notice, and I just don't think that you would, that these very succesful evolutions of this theme, are all analog.

We've had some succesful technological innovations, which you failed to list. I would've agreed with you, had you mentioned Mario, or indeed (most) of the motorised functions, especially the ones not relying on apps with finite runtimes. Hell, Technic was a pretty big risk, but it paid dividends. Why'd you skip that? Light & Sound was pretty succesful, and I can't imagine there are many people who actively malign the current sound/light-bricks. They sure can enhance a build.

Maybe it's petty of me to mention Galidor and Znap as a counterpoint to your list, but it wouldn't be unfair. So consider Galidor. Znap. Fiber-optics, sold at cost. Vidiyo. Dimensions, Year 3. The Master Builder Academy. Hidden Side's app-function. LEGO Fusion. Primo. Scala. Super Jumpers. App-based motor-functions. LEGO Mosaic. LEGO Minifigures Online. Star Wars Light-Up Lightsabre characters.

Just because I like LEGO as a product, doesn't mean I'm going to support everything TLG, and it doesn't mean I need to turn a blind eye to their glaring mistakes. This is how most people grow, you see - by observing history, and learning from those mistakes. It also means I'm not champing at the bit to try TLG's newest gimmick when the stuff you listed - y'know, the brick-building stuff, the core concept - still kind of works for me.

@Krisz said:
"I just watched the Beyond the Brick videos, and I'm speechless. Obviously, the target audience is young children and that's why I didn't want to be too harsh with the idea beforehand, but the execution itself is simply poor. It's expensive and ruins the figures and builds. I wonder how much this will appeal to children in the digital age. "

I watched that too and I couldn't believe that the sound effects they make aren't even authentic. That's not how TIE Fighters or X-Wings sound when flying and shooting. Put those in generic Space theme sets then if you want to introduce those types of features, but don't put it in Star Wars and it not even sound like Star Wars. At least authentic sounds was something the Mario sets got right.

@FlatSixLego said:
"Anybody old enough to comment here is not the target audience. So if this doesn't start to be too dominant and means we won't get any more regular Star Wars playscale sets without, I don't care for it."

Do you think that fact sheet is aimed at children?

@DekoPuma said:
" @Chemistry2101 said:
"“No pre-recorded clips” - what exactly will the smart minifigures be saying then? Clearly there will be pre-recorded clips, and TLG was in error to state this, presumably meaning something else by it."

Watch one of the videos. There is no pre-recorded clips, they just synthesize gibberish noises. Kind of like the way Sims speak, or characters in Animal Crossing."

Well that’s… weird? Surely a lot of the supposed appeal to Star Wars smart sets was having iconic lines of dialogue or iconic sound effects? But I guess Star Wars isn’t exactly known for either of those, so - oh wait. No, I don’t get it.

@goshe7 said:
" @Crux said:
" @goshe7 said:
" @Crux said:
" Meanwhile in far-flung future of 2026, we've had way too many attempts at reinventing those interlocking plastic bricks. Maybe don't try to fix what isn't broken."

Licensed themes. New elements. New colors. Printed bricks. Dual molding. New concepts for sets like botanical centerpieces or wall art or standalone minifigures. Incredibly large and detailed sets intended for display. Minifigures other than standard grin. Producing sets based upon fan designs."

You'll notice though, or maybe you don't notice but you -really ought to notice-, that none of the striking innovations you've listed deviate in any way, shape or form from the core-concept of "interlocking plastic bricks". You should also notice, and I just don't think that you would, that these very succesful evolutions of this theme, are all analog.

We've had some succesful technological innovations, which you failed to list. I would've agreed with you, had you mentioned Mario, or indeed (most) of the motorised functions, especially the ones not relying on apps with finite runtimes. Hell, Technic was a pretty big risk, but it paid dividends. Why'd you skip that? Light & Sound was pretty succesful, and I can't imagine there are many people who actively malign the current sound/light-bricks. They sure can enhance a build.

Maybe it's petty of me to mention Galidor and Znap as a counterpoint to your list, but it wouldn't be unfair. So consider Galidor. Znap. Fiber-optics, sold at cost. Vidiyo. Dimensions, Year 3. The Master Builder Academy. Hidden Side's app-function. LEGO Fusion. Primo. Scala. Super Jumpers. App-based motor-functions. LEGO Mosaic. LEGO Minifigures Online. Star Wars Light-Up Lightsabre characters.

Just because I like LEGO as a product, doesn't mean I'm going to support everything TLG, and it doesn't mean I need to turn a blind eye to their glaring mistakes. This is how most people grow, you see - by observing history, and learning from those mistakes. It also means I'm not champing at the bit to try TLG's newest gimmick when the stuff you listed - y'know, the brick-building stuff, the core concept - still kind of works for me."

I was trying to keep it brief. The examples were not intended to be exhaustive nor unarguably good innovations. Identifying analog innovations was done mostly to point out that a discussion of innovation should not be limited to "technology" innovations.

You seemed to be suggesting LEGO should stop innovating upon what isn't broken, or at least drastically slow down the rate of attempts. My point was that, while you certainly avoid all the failed innovations, doing so would also sacrifice the successful ones. "

You're not wrong, but we cannot ignore that TLG has a very spotty track-history when it comes to innovating for fear of getting left behind (or when attempting to break new ground). I don't think it's a coincidence that the attempts to bring the toy and the company back from the brink of bankruptcy, have historically always been a return to form.

What I'm arguing here is not that LEGO as a product can't ever try anything new, or that it shouldn't ever try anything new - rather I am arguing that the prevailing identity of LEGO and the source of its success, is and has always been, a wholesome and safe way to build and (dis)play. New moulds, themes, colours, IPs and whatnot, support that identity rather than diffuse it; conversely, force-breeding it with wonky technology or branching into wildly foreign identities out of crippling FOMO feels disjointed and unwelcome to the point of causing the brand great financial harm. I'm willing to admit that Bionicle was a notable exception to the branching identity-thing; unlike Galidor, this was a succesful attempt at creating LEGO-based action-figures... mainly because unlike Galidor, Bonkle still felt like LEGO.

TL;DR: It ain't broken.

There’s so many other toys that are cheaper that can do more functions and capabilities IMO. So who are they (TLG) marketing this for??
Ignorant fools? What a joke, they make it sound (no pun intended) like they are introducing an amazing new thing!
Pure overreach, pure sabotage. Hmm, there’s a place going through this. Learn from your counterparts TLG, before throwing stuff against the wall. You ain’t all that!

@DekoPuma said:
" @Ninlego said:
"There’s so many other toys that are cheaper that can do more functions and capabilities IMO. "

Which ones? I'm curious, for comparison purposes."

>Cada has brickbuild remote cars with lights for 50$
>There are whole Brick-based Robot programing sets for 50$
>You even can get Lego Mario sets around 30 dollars

With more information available now, including details from LEGO's presence at CES, I think this new platform is just fine. It's certainly not the world-rocking revolution LEGO's ridiculous press releases make it out to be, but it's also not even in the same galaxy as their other failed endeavors.

It's just souped-up light and sound bricks.

Absolutely no appeal to AFOLs like us, but that's by design. Kids will love this. All this gnashing of teeth seems to be for naught; LEGO has indeed learned their lesson, hence no screens involved here. No internet, no tablets/phones, no apps, etc. Just bricks that notice each other and do silly things. The supposed ability to update firmware via an app gives me pause, but only a little: just don't ever use the app.

LEGO's done a terrible job of explaining what exactly is happening among smart bricks, but it really doesn't matter. Brick Do Fun Thing When Near Other Brick is all kids will care about.

My only concern is the recharging business. As far as I know, every light/sound brick has used replaceable watch batteries. Replace the batteries when they die, or remove them for long-term storage to prevent damage to the brick. The brick will then last forever, pass it down to your kids or grandkids. With rechargeable, after the tiny battery has cycled through its last charge, the brick is ... bricked. I'd love to see the Brickset review include a teardown of the brick to confirm what's inside.

The batteries will probably last just long enough for the first kids to outgrow them. LEGO will no doubt offer replacement bricks for a handsome fee, and those people with the pockets/interest to buy these sets will pay for them.

The rest of us will just carry on enjoying our smart-free bricks like we've done for decades.

@PurpleDave said:
"
@stefwaffles:
Basic motors and controls everyone is okay with (as long as they’re not app-based)"

When all we had were analogue motors and controls, Lego was up against babies who peed themselves, and action figures.

I don’t think it’s entirely unreasonable for Lego to try to move on. And yeah, maybe some of this stuff won’t last forever, but hardly anything does.

@Frobozz said:
"
Brick Do Fun Thing When Near Other Brick is all kids will care about.
"

Honestly this is about the most sensible reaction I’ve seen to this. The brick burps. Kids will love that.

@Alemas said:
"I can't bear to think how much money they invested in this.
There is a strong implication that the majority of components used, from sensors to chips, are entirely custom-made for this purpose instead of using off-the-shelf items, meaning they've sunk a fortune in R&D for this, much more than if they had used standard components.
I'm just concerned this will become a financial black hole for LEGO, given the decidedly lukewarm response it's had.
Even "play experts" have serious doubts about it."

and the worst part is, it sounds like complete sh*t! Those who are defending this system here in the comments need to watch the "Mos Eisley Cantina Band" demo video (by Beyond The Brick on Youtube) - that alone should be enough evidence to kick this system back to the hole it crawled out of.

@Spacefarer said:
" @Alemas said:
"I can't bear to think how much money they invested in this.
There is a strong implication that the majority of components used, from sensors to chips, are entirely custom-made for this purpose instead of using off-the-shelf items, meaning they've sunk a fortune in R&D for this, much more than if they had used standard components.
I'm just concerned this will become a financial black hole for LEGO, given the decidedly lukewarm response it's had.
Even "play experts" have serious doubts about it."

and the worst part is, it sounds like complete sh*t! Those who are defending this system here in the comments need to watch the "Mos Eisley Cantina Band" demo video (by Beyond The Brick on Youtube) - that alone should be enough evidence to kick this system back to the hole it crawled out of."

What I expected: Mos Eisley Cantina music.
What I got: Random sounds that might constitute as music and a whole bunch of rattling plastic.
My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.