We can't say with a straight face that the capital of Azerbaijan is high on our list of places to vacation at, but for Star Wars fanatics, the case could be different. Reportedly, Heerim Architects has dreamt up a couple of "lunar inspired" projects for the Asian country, one of which (Full Moon Bay) looks an awful lot like the Death Star. Granted, the building looks entirely different from varying angles, but we're choosing to focus on the one that brings back fond memories of light sabers blazing and wookiees waltzing. Truth be told, we've no idea if these facilities will ever break ground, but we're absolutely certain the powers in Dubai are already planning to recreate the entire Star Wars universe if this thing goes forward.

[Via Inhabitat]

Remember that R2-D2 projector that's been taunting you for months? Of course, how could you forget? Apparently, these critters are getting set to roll off the assembly line (seen above, if you couldn't piece it together) and into eager hands everywhere. The R2-D2 DVD Projector is up for pre-order right now for a stiff €2,799 ($4,114), and while that's most definitely more than we'd like to pay, it's probably better than waiting for all 4,000 to run out and being forced to pay "market price."

Yeah, just about anything gets ratcheted up a couple levels on the fantasmical scale if Darth Vader makes a cameo, but seriously, $15,000 for a Dark Side Wii? To be frank, this auction has spoof written all over it, but whatever the case, redferndesign is offering up a "limited edition" (one of four, supposedly) Wii system with a red CD input LED, an all black motif, Darth Vader imprinted on the side and a pair of black Wiimotes / nunchucks. Also of note, the Wiimote pictured must be one of the rarest ever, particularly when you consider the previously nonexistent "x" and "y" buttons and the rectangular power switch. Even if the console (alone) is indeed modded up, there's no way anyone in their right mind will cough up that much coin, but why not hit the read link and have a laugh at his / her expense?

Update: Just as we suspected, this one's a fake -- but humorous, nonetheless.

[Via Technabob]

There are mods, and then there are works of art. Without question, the item you see above falls squarely into the latter category, and it's likely to give any devout Star Wars fan a chance at fainting upon first glance. The AT-AT Gamecube mod (also referred to as the AT-GC in some circles) was built a few years back, but now the proud creator has decided to cash out and let the highest bidder take ownership. This beast maintains the original heatsink and cooling fans, and comes with the AT-AT pilot, four Wavebird controllers and a pair of memory cards. Check out a few more detailed shots and a video in the read link below, and go ahead and throw your bid in while you're at it -- resistance is futile, you know?

The force is strong with these ones, although the drivers probably aren't. Available in December for $40, bigger pic after the break...

[Via TechDigest]

If you've been looking to jump into PSP land for personal reasons, perhaps are looking to upgrade to a new PSP-2000 "slim," consider yourself a Star Wars fanboy, or maybe just like white things, the new Darth Vader PSP could be just the ticket. The limited edition unit should be on store shelves today, but only comes as part of a $199 bundle which includes the new Star Wars Battlefront game. Of course, we're guessing most people willing to track down a PSP with Darth Vader's likeness silkscreened on the back aren't going to balk at playing a little bit of Battlefront now and then. And if paying money for things isn't really your style, you can always try your luck over at our sister site Joystiq, since they're giving away five of these bundles to some lucky readers.

Read - Playstation Blog's announcement
Read - Joystiq's giveaway

According to recent news out of NASA, the next time the Discovery crew take their ship into orbit, the "force" will be with them -- because they're taking Luke Skywalker's lightsaber along for the ride. That's right, for the film's 30th anniversary, the original lightsaber prop from the first Star Wars film is taking a ride into actual space... but that's not all. Apparently, Chewbacca will be on hand to pass the saber to officials from the Houston Space Center, and then together with Jango and Boba Fett, he will help push a plane back on the tarmac (for reasons unknown to us). But wait, there's more. When the Discovery lands in Houston returns after its space travels, the crew will be greeted by a group of Stormtroopers and other "Star Wars notables," including the much-loved R2-D2, who will then deliver the lightsaber to a waiting line of Hummers. Afterwards, there will be a party at the Mos Eisley Cantina, where Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes will play a set of their greatest hits.

[Via Slashdot]

The night-vision thing has definitely been done a time or two before, but DARPA's latest initiative is looking beyond the darkness as it hopes to create a set of binoculars that can actually detect threats and warn soldiers of impending death. Taking a note from Star Wars, the jokingly dubbed "Luke's Devices" is actually considered a "cognitive technology threat warning system," and utilizes brain monitoring to bring attention to spikes in activity before the person can actually realize he / she has noticed something awry. Among the gizmos that'll bring this all together are "neurally-based target detection signatures, ultra-low power analog / digital hybrid signal processing electronics, wide-angle optics, large pixel-count digital imagers, and cognitive visual processing algorithms." Yeah, sounds pretty complicated to us too, but unlike snazzy concepts we've seen before, the gurus behind these goggles reportedly hope to have prototypes ready for battle in just a few years.

[Via Wired]

So it seems pretty obvious when you think about it: if you're gonna go out and spend $1000+ on a projector / DVD player / iPod dock shaped like R2D2 from those Star Wars movies, you can't really hook it up to just any old speakers, now can you? Sure, some nice tower speakers from Energy or Boston Acoustics would sound pretty great, but if you want your home theater to have that authentic Jedi feel to it, it would seem that something more thematic / tacky is in order. Well, projector (and matching R2 Skype webcam) manufacturer Nikko has apparently come to this realization as well, and probably due to the unexpected popularity of its products tucked into a corner of South Hall at CES, has come up with a 2.1 speaker system shaped like a pair of Tie-Fighters. Scheduled to launch at CeBIT, not much is known about this unique setup other than the fact that bass comes courtesy of a dedicated subwoofer emblazoned with the classic Star Wars logo. Check out a few different angles in the gallery below, and stay tuned as we attempt to once again track down Nikko's booth for more in-depth coverage of what will likely be the sleeper hit of this year's show.

Who knew the United States Postal Service could feel the Force? In honor of Star Wars' 30th anniversary, these kick-ass R2D2-wrapped mailboxes will be replacing the old boring ones in post offices across the nation. Star Wars lovers / haters can say whatever they like -- we're just glad this has nothing to do with Jar Jar Binks.

[Via Boing Boing]

This could be reaching out to our geek audience a bit too much, but the combo media dock-cum-projector housed in the Nikko Electronics R2D2's guts has to get at least a look. Besides the fact that it's the iconic little droid, the projector's remote is housed in a Millennium Falcon Hyperdrive, adding to the geek cred. Granted, the $2,500 price tag could be a bit prohibitive for your 12-year-old Star Wars obsessed nephew, but maybe he could give the wireless R2D2 webcam, or the Anakin Skywalker Lightsabre Skype phone a go. Regardless, check out the gallery below and the video after the break (or get your download on, if that's your thing).

[MP4] Download the video

It's hard to tell if this is some sort of elaborate hoax or just hasn't hit the wires yet, but a certain nikkor2d2.com purports to detail some rather decked RC R2-D2 bots, and who are we to stand in the way of awesome? Both bots look to be fully capable of rolling themselves around, and even feature edge detection sensors a la Roomba to keep from any nasty falls. But that's par for the course for RC-centric Nikko, what's much more interesting is the Skype and webcam functionality built into the R2-D2 C.S, thanks to a handy lightsaber remote that plugs into your PC and allows for wireless bot operation. The lightsaber seems to double as the Skype handset, and of course lightsaber sound effects are a given. R2-D2 M.E.S takes the Star Wars geekery to a whole new level, featuring a projector for repeat viewings of cute princesses in dire straits (you know, "help me Obi Whosit, you're my only yada yada"). R2 can even tilt back for ceiling projection, if that's more your style. In lieu of a lightsaber, you get an odd Millenium Falcon remote, and M.E.S Artoo houses a memory card slot, USB plug and iPod dock in addition to the usual DVD slot and video inputs that you'd expect for your video playback experience. We're completely in the dark when it comes to price and availability on these things, but perhaps we'll be spotting 'em this upcoming week in Vegas.

[Thanks, Erwin]

Designer flash drive company (really) Mimoco has brought a more familiar face to its line of Mimobot flash drives, announcing a Darth Vader USB stick -- with more Star Wars characters to follow -- each limited to 2,500 to 3,500 units. Darth here's available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB varieties, ranging in price from $79.95 to $169.95 -- a bit of a premium over your standard flash drive, sure, but what price can you put on having the dark side of the force guarding your data? (Yeah, we know -- sorry about that one.) While the remaining three Star Wars characters have yet to be announced, Mimoco's giving you a chance to win 'em all if you can guess them correctly, though we somehow doubt that our favorite fish-faced leader Admiral Ackbar will be among them.