TheForceAwakens
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Playdate: Giving away the Force
It's been a long wait, but today's the day: Star Wars is back in theaters. We've seen it. No, we're not going to talk about it (well, not much. Spoilers, you know) -- but we are celebrating its release by playing our favorite games from the series now-defunct expanded universe. We're closing out our Star Wars week with games from the Dark Forces and Jedi Knight franchises, the Star Wars: Force Unleashed games as well as the past and present of Star Wars: Battlefront.
Playdate: 'Star Wars' week celebration, episode one!
Get ready for a week almost 40 years in the making: over the next five days, Engadget Playdate is all about Star Wars. The movies, the toys and, most of all, the video games. Join us as we trip over our nostalgia in preparation for The Force Awakens. We'll be revisiting the best of Star Wars gaming in chronological order, starting with the prequel trilogy's Republic Commando and Star Wars: Starfighter
Over a million Brits have reserved seats for 'Star Wars'
If you hadn't noticed already, the world is riding a megatsunami of hype over the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- or every nook and cranny of the internet is, at least. The movie has just premiered in the States, and will be debuting in the UK this Thursday to a record-breaking audience. Last week, cinema chain Vue said it'd already sold 290,000 tickets for the flick, but new figures from The Hollywood Reporter now put that total at over 355,000. Odeon has also fielded around 500,000 bookings, according to the UK Cinema Association, and taking other theatres into account the new Star Wars has definitely smashed the UK pre-sales record with "way beyond 1 million" reserved cinema seats.
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' is breaking UK pre-booking records
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is still a little over a week away from premiering in cinemas, but already the movie has broken some UK ticket sales records. Theatre chain Vue announced today that the film has now sold 290,000 tickets at its UK venues alone, overtaking the previous record of 284,850 tickets held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, which hit screens back in 2010.
'Star Wars' characters are teaching kids to code
Code.org has teamed up with Disney for a Star Wars-themed 'Hour of Code' project to teach kids computer programming. Given the hype around The Force Awakens, that's quite a coup for the organization and is a good way for Disney to remind kids that the film industry employs a lot of coders (and sell them merchandise, of course). "Hundreds of computer engineers work together to make film like The Force Awakens," said Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy. As such, Lucasfilm and Disney loaned its characters to the effort, produced several short video tutorials and also donated $100,000 to help Code.org expand to more US schools.
Japanese 'Star Wars' trailer has new 'Force Awakens' footage
Well this is a surprise. A trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens has just popped on Disney Japan's YouTube account, and it's full of unseen footage. Without spoiling too many surprises, you'll see Rey and Finn first introducing themselves, BB-8 watching an explosion, Han leading the heroes into a new location, a possibly important new line of dialog, and a shot with Rey and Kylo Ren. Enjoy!
Netflix will stream the new 'Star Wars' in 2016, but only in Canada
If you're determined to save money by watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens at home through a streaming service... well, you'd better live in the True North Strong and Free. Netflix tells Variety that the timing of its Disney deals will only let it stream the new Star Wars flick in Canada, starting eight months after it leaves theaters. You see, the service's Canadian Disney agreement covers movies released in 2015 onward, which includes The Force Awakens -- in the US, you're stuck with movies debuting in 2016 or later. We certainly wouldn't expect UK availability via Disney's own streaming service, but The Force Awakens will hit Sky as soon as it's finished airing in cinemas.
Sky to show 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' first after UK cinemas
Sky knows that more and more UK families are shying away from building costly DVD and Blu-ray collections and embracing on-demand services like Sky Movies and Now TV. To be the best, you need the best streaming catalog though, which is why the company is extending its current deal with Disney. The new multi-year agreement means that Disney flicks will continue to premiere on Sky Movies and Now TV's Sky Movies Pass in the "first pay TV window" -- before streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, in other words. It'll cover family-favourite Inside Out and, perhaps more importantly, the next instalment in the Star Wars franchise. So once the lightsaber mayhem has left UK cinemas, that means Sky will be one of the first places to let you watch it all again at home. We suspect most fans will make an exception and buy a physical copy of The Force Awakens, but if you're a parent or a casual movie fan, it's good to know Sky's got you covered.
'Star Wars' BB-8 toy torn apart to see how it works
If your social feeds are anything like mine, they're full of folks squeeing with delight over their new BB-8 droid today. The folks at uBreakiFix got one too, but instead of playing with Star Wars: The Force Awakens' charmer, they cut it apart to see what makes the toy tick. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the little rascal operates on a gyroscope, pair of wheels and sizable counterweight to keep everything balanced inside its plastic case. Meanwhile, a magnet keeps the adorable android's head attached to the spherical body. The video below is brief, but that won't make it easier to watch for anyone who's lusting after the $150 tie-in (and either can't afford or find one) from a galaxy far, far away. I'm truly sorry.
Where to buy Sphero's BB-8 'Star Wars' toy in the UK
The Force Awakens is still a few months away, but already Star Wars fans have fallen in love with one of the film's supporting characters: BB-8. The rolling droid is a spiritual successor to R2-D2 and now, thanks to Sphero, you can buy your own miniaturised version. It connects to iOS and Android devices and, using the companion app, you can switch it between three different behavioural modes: Driving, Holographic Messaging and Patrol. But where can you buy this little curiosity on "Force Friday?" We've got you covered.
Disney is selling a Millennium Falcon drone starting tomorrow
Star Wars merchandise is big business. So big, in fact, that the films' stewards are streaming an unboxing marathon for all of the Force Awakens toys coming out on "Force Friday" tomorrow. We weren't going to pay much interest, but two items in particular have grabbed our attention: a remote-controlled Millennium Falcon and X-Wing starfighter. With minimal assembly, you'll be able to launch and fly both of these legendary spacecraft in your living room, pestering family members or reliving the final battle from Return of the Jedi. The Millennium Falcon is basically a quadcopter drone -- it has four tiny propellors built into the body, and is built from a "high density foam" to ensure it can take the odd knock and TIE fighter attack. Both the X-Wing fighter and Millennium Falcon are being manufactured by Air Hogs, a company with plenty of experience in remote controlled vehicles -- when we hear anything concrete around pricing and stockists, we'll be sure to let you know.
It took two days before someone built their own BB-8 ball droid
The first proper trailer may have stolen the show at Star Wars Celebration, but the revelation that spherical droid BB-8 was a physical prop came a very close second. Like a lot of people, when industrial designer Christian Poulsen saw the adorable sentient ball roll onto stage, he decided he had to build one of his own. Unlike plenty of others, however, the BYU student was able to design and build a working copy the following day. Turns out that you can too, as long as you've got a Sphero and a CNC machine lying around the place.
