Star Wars fans looking to share their home video viewing experience of The Force Awakens with a fellow fan now have a new option: Sphero's BB-8 will not only watch the movie with you, but it will also respond to various scenes in the film.
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens finally arriving on home video, Sphero put out an update for its smartphone app called "Watch With Me" that gives the toy new functionality that allows it to listen as the movie plays and then respond to audio cues from the film's dialogue.
Fans who have the BB-8 will need to update the app (available for both iOS and Android) before they watch the movie and then link it to the BB-8 toy, which should stay in its charging cradle for the viewing experience. Make sure that BB-8 stays pointed at the screen so that it can listen for the cues that trigger responses from the tiny robot.
You can then watch the movie with BB-8 and witness the droid cower in fear as Kylo Ren appears on screen or beep happily when Han Solo and Chewbacca turn up in the Millennium Falcon. BB-8 also gets a little excited when he sees himself, too, responding with happy beeps and chirps. He also moves his head around while he provides commentary on each scene.
This is another great example of how a toy can consistently get updated with new features, thanks to functionality through mobile apps. Sphero has consistently updated the app since the release of the BB-8, including offering a wristband earlier this year that allows owners to use gestures to control the droid.
"We think this is probably the first step for Sphero," chief creative officer Rob Maigret said to The Verge. "We think that ultimately there will be a robot in every house - that everyone will own a companion."
Sphero plans to continue adding features for the toy throughout the rest of the year, so this is just the first of many updates for its version of the cute little droid that stole the hearts of Star Wars fans.
Yes, this is the droid you're looking for.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is out on DVD and Blu-ray.
