As if Sphero’s BB-8 remote controlled toy isn’t cool enough, the creators have to go and make it MORE awesome. It’s already uber popular, selling out quickly when it launched on September 4th and having a tough time staying on the shelves all through the holiday season.
Yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show Sphero revealed the Force Band, a wrist band, that allows you to use gestures to control the BB-8 droid, rather than your phone. Currently, the app moves it around like a typical joystick control, but the band has a similar gyroscopic to the mechanics that actually power the BB-8 itself. Those who’ve got hands on time with the new Force Band, have said it actually feels smoother than the traditional controls.
Sadly, the rest of the world won’t get the chance to play with it later this year in the Fall, when a new version of BB-8 (featuring scuffs and scrapes from his time on Jakku) will arrive. Until then, however, the current Sphero is still a ridiculous amount of fun and worth picking up, especially since the Force Band will be sold separately and work with the original version.
All I know is that I need it and can’t wait to see how these controls work with more refinement. What do you guys think?
-Jordan
