LEGO has announced the Smart Brick, a chip-powered piece due to be integrated into upcoming sets that it describes as "the next exciting chapter" of the 90-year-old toy company.
The Smart Brick contains a raft of sensors to track light, sound and movement, as well as a miniature speaker and onboard synthesizer. LEGO has said its advancement houses "more than 20 patented world-firsts" and can be wirelessly charged.
Alongside the Smart Brick, LEGO is also planning to roll out Smart Minifigures with similar functionalilty inside, all part of a new technology platform it has simply dubbed Smart Play. Fans will get a first chance to try it all out in the near future, too, via a fresh range of Smart Play-powered LEGO Star Wars sets.
"For over 90 years, the LEGO Group has sparked imagination and creativity in children around the globe," said Julia Goldin, Chief Product & Marketing Officer of the LEGO Group. "As the world evolves, so do we — innovating to meet the play needs of each new generation. LEGO Smart Play is the next exciting chapter in our LEGO System in Play and something we are super excited about being able to bring to the world at this scale."
How does it all work? For anyone familiar with LEGO's previous interactive Super Mario toy range, Smart Play looks to be an evolution of this, with the Smart Brick able to detect specific interactions with other interactive elements and Smart Tags.
The initial wave of LEGO Star Wars Smart Play sets will include the 584-piece Luke's Red Five X-Wing ($99.99), the 473-piece Darth Vader's TIE Fighter ($69.99) and the larger 962-piece Throne Room Duel & A-Wing set ($159.99).
These feature interactive elements powered by Smart Brick, Smart Figures and Smart Tags, letting you see engines light up, hear laser guns fire and lightsabers hum. The Throne Room set will even let you hear The Imperial March when Emperor Palpatine sits on his throne. Each set will be available to pre-order from January 9, and launch on March 1.
How integral will Smart Play be to LEGO's future? For now, the company is keeping coy on exactly how many sets will include the new functionality, though rumors abound that it will play a key part in the LEGO Pokémon range due to launch this year.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
