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$3,950 will get you a life-size BB-8 that doesn't move
If you've been wanting a life-sized replica of Star Wars' BB-8, Sideshow Collectibles will soon have you covered. The company just announced its BB-8 Life-Size Figure, a 37-inch tall replica of the adorable droid that appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It's designed to look as similar to the film's version as possible, complete with a paint job that makes it appear as weathered and worn as the one from the big screen.
'Uncharted' creative director Amy Hennig is going indie
Amy Hennig, former writer and creative director of the Uncharted series for PlayStation's Naughty Dog studio, is striking out on her own. After EA shut down Visceral Games she left the company in January to start her "own little independent studio," according to GamesIndustry.biz. "I would love to have a little company of about six to eight people, 15 at the most, and then do smaller projects," she told journalists gathered at Barcelona's Gamelab.
'Solo' is Star Wars’ toothless confrontation of robot rights
Major spoilers for Solo ahead. The most interesting character in Solo is a robot. L3-37, voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), is a free-thinking, loudmouthed droid who introduces an entirely new concept into the Star Wars universe: robot rights. From the beginning, droids like R2-D2 and C-3PO were presented as beings with thoughts and personalities of their own. But they also served masters and faced blatant anti-droid sentiment, such as from the barkeep who refused to serve their kind in Episode IV. And they were forced to obey humans through restraining bolts, which limited their cognitive functions. We've been empathizing with Star Wars' droids for decades, but the films haven't asked us to consider their place in the world until Solo.
Boba Fett 'Star Wars' movie is in the works
Just as the latest Star Wars Anthology movie, Solo, hits theaters, The Hollywood Reporter says that a movie featuring Boba Fett is in development. James Mangold, who directed The Wolverine before serving as writer and director on Logan will write and direct this movie, while both THR and Deadline report that Logan producer Simon Kinberg is still linked to the project. Fett's character became a fan favorite after briefly appearing in Empire Strikes Back with his jetpack, blaster rifle, grappling rope and distinctive armor before more of his story was revealed during the prequel trilogy. In case it's unclear -- the parade of Star Wars content will not stop. In addition to at least one TV show headed for Disney's upcoming streaming platform, the company also has other movies in the works outside of the main series including one about Obi-Wan Kenobi and a film series planned with the team from Game of Thrones.
Of course Snapchat jumped on the Star Wars Day hype
You're either cringing at everyone saying "May the 4th be with you" today or you're the one causing the cringing, but either way, Snapchat is here to help you celebrate Star Wars Day. A slew of Lenses, Stickers and Filters are available on Snapchat today to get you, your selfies and your Actionmoji all decked out in Star Wars gear.
Challenge your friends to lightsaber duels in 'Star Wars: Jedi Challenges'
Last November, Disney and Lenovo partnered up to release Star Wars: Jedi Challenges, an augmented reality experience that combines video games with a lightweight AR headset and a matching lightsaber. With the headset on, you can play Holochess, command field troops on Hoth and, of course, have duels with bad guys like Kylo Ren. Today, Disney is releasing yet another update to the game with a hotly requested feature: local multiplayer, so you can duel your friends in the same room.
Amazon is keeping select Star Wars and Marvel discs as Prime exclusives
For Star Wars and Marvel fans who still prefer DVDs and Blu-Rays over digital, you might not be able to shop at Amazon for your physical media needs. Unless, of course, you're a Prime member. That's because the online giant has made a number of recent Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe DVD and Blu-Ray titles to be Prime exclusives.
'Star Wars Battlefront II' revives microtransactions for cosmetics
Star Wars Battlefront II's pay-to-win loot crate fiasco more or less ended when Electronic Arts made it so the game's Star Card power ups could only be earned through gameplay. A month later, the company is cautiously reintroducing the buy-with-real-money Crystal currency, but you can only use it to snag cosmetic upgrades. Oh, and there's a new stormtroopers-versus-ewoks mode that will be available on April 18th for a limited time.
Xbox One X enhancements come to 'Red Dead Redemption' and 'Portal 2'
Red Dead Redemption 2 might not launch for several months, but Microsoft is giving you the next best thing. The company has added Xbox One X visual enhancements to six classic Xbox 360 games, including the original Red Dead Redemption. If you've wanted to revisit John Marston's saga on your 4K TV, this is likely as good as it gets until the sequel arrives. Not that the other games are obscure -- Darksiders, Gears of War 2, Portal 2, Sonic Generations (the first time it's available on Xbox One, in fact) and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed are making the leap as well.
littleBits adds coding and customization to its Star Wars Droid kit
Last year, littleBits introduced a Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit, which allows kids to build their own Droid. The kit came with everything kids needed to accomplish the task, and an app provided how-to videos and instructions. Now, littleBits is adding more functionality to these Droid kits: Kids can use coding to customize their Droids. This feature is available at no additional cost to those who own Droid Inventor Kits.
Hasbro got 5,000 pre-orders to build a massive replica of Jabba's barge
The huge Jabba the Hutt barge replica Hasbro showed off at Toy Fair this year will soon become a real item making its way to backers' homes. That's because the toymaker's first HasLab project, a program that takes a leaf out of Indiegogo's and Kickstarter's books, is a raging success. It has raised over $2.7 million in funds from over 5,500 backers (as of this writing), eclipsing its original 5,000-pre-order goal. And it has the potential to make more: The campaign still welcomes Star Wars fans willing to shell out $500 for a four-foot-long Khetanna with impressively detailed decks until April 3rd.
'Battlefront II' will finally make in-game progression fair next week
Electronic Arts' long, awkward nightmare over Star Wars Battlefront II's multiplayer progression might finally be over. With next week's patch, dubbed the "Progression" update, EA promises that Star Cards (power-ups) or any other item that impact gameplay will only be earned through gameplay from here on out -- not via paid loot crates. Previously, EA had adjusted and removed some of the pay-to-win aspects, saying that eventually real-money transactions would return.
Movies Anywhere link unlocks a score-only 'The Last Jedi' extra
If you watched Star Wars: The Last Jedi and thought "this would be better if we just removed all the words and sound effects" then we have a treat for you John Williams fans. Now that the movie is out for home viewing on digital services (the 4K Blu-ray and other disc versions go on sale March 27th), director Rian Johnson revealed buyers have access to a silent film-style score-only version of the movie. It's not the first time we've seen something like this (having one might have improved the Tron: Legacy home release, but that movie's director made sure there was a score-only version included with his next movie, Oblivion), but there is an extra wrinkle: Movies Anywhere.
Movies Anywhere includes your FandangoNOW flicks
Movies Anywhere has strengthened its position as the go-to movie library platform by welcoming FandangoNOW into the fold. This means that Movies Anywhere users can now access the films they've purchased via iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu, Google Play and of course FandangoNOW, from one central location. It doesn't matter where or how you bought the movie, just link the account to Movies Anywhere and you'll have access to it.
Jon Favreau will write a ‘Star Wars’ live-action TV series
Disney has made it clear how important Star Wars is to its new streaming service; the company is producing a long-awaited live-action TV show set in a galaxy far far away as an exclusive. Today, Lucasfilm announced who's going to be at the show's helm. Jon Favreau, most recently known as Happy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will executive produce and write the series. We don't have any information on what the series will be about, when it will take place or a release date.
Google adds Disney parks to Street View
Last year Google revamped its Street View cameras to help us better map the real world, now it's taken the technology to a much more magical land. From today, you'll be able to explore inside 11 Disney Parks, getting an on-the-ground glimpse of all its castles, rides and attractions, including the captivating Avatar-themed world of Pandora. It'll also definitely prove popular when the Star Wars area opens up next year. Now if only the imagery was available in real time, so we'd know whether to bother lining up for Splash Mountain or not.
Hasbro's first HasLab toy is a replica of Jabba the Hutt's barge
At this year's Toy Fair in New York, Hasbro announced HasLab, a new program that aims to bring to life special creations like a massive, four-foot long recreation of Jabba the Hutt's sail barge. The company is taking inspiration from platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, too: In order for the barge to become a real for-sale production item, Hasbro wants to gather 5,000 $499 pre-orders by midnight on April 3rd.
What we're watching: 'Star Wars Rebels' and Marvel's 'Runaways'
Welcome back to IRL, our series dedicated to the things that Engadget writers have been playing, using, watching and listening to. This week is all about what we're watching and includes an explanation of why you need to give Star Wars Rebels another look and check out Marvel's new Runaways series. Finally, we'll take a look back at one of our editors' first Netflix binge-watching experiences to see if it still holds up.
'Game of Thrones’ showrunners will write a new ‘Star Wars’ series
If you were excited for Rian Johnson's upcoming trilogy of Star Wars films, there's even nerdier news incoming. Another film series in a galaxy far, far away has just been announced -- and they will be written and produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the showrunners of HBO's Game of Thrones.
'Solo: A Star Wars Story' trailer reveals Han's roots
Wondering how Lucasfilm and Disney would handle that long-in-the-making Han Solo movie? You now have an idea of what to expect. They've released the full teaser trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story... and it's definitely Han. Alden Ehrenreich may not sound that much like Harrison Ford, but the clip otherwise gives a good feel for how the iconic smuggler got started -- yes, he was always an overconfident troublemaker saved by his talent, luck and good intentions.