Star Wars fans have reasons to rejoice today after an update made the BB-8 toy much better than it was before. This is not a software update, but a new toy that is more rugged, and resembles the real version much more than the first version did.
Sphero, the company behind this toy, is calling the new BB-8 the "Battle-Worn" edition, and it was officially announced at IFA 2016. The murky appearance is great, and what the original should have looked like. As stated above, the toy now resembles the droid in Star Wars: Force Awakens.
There's more to this whole thing, from what we've come to understand. Apart from the new rolling ball, users can now control BB-8 using Sphero's Force Band. By simply waving your hands around, it's possible to have it move forward, backward, side to side and just have it go wherever.
The good thing about the Force Band is the fact that it is not exclusive to the BB-8 toy. Those who also own the SPRK+ and/or Ollie can also control them using the band. These extra two toys are part of Sphero's robot family, so it makes sense for the Force Band to support them as well.
To make things even more interesting, the Force Band has its own app. From here, users can take advantage of the training demo and also play several game modes. One particular mode will have the player collecting Holocrons, a set of digital cars with information about The Force Awakens characters.
The Force Band is capable of making sounds similar to Han Solo's DL-44 Blaster pistol and the Millennium Falcon. Fans of the Star Wars franchise will no doubt enjoy what this band has to offer, especially seeing as it can be used to control BB-8.
What about the price and availability?
Well, Sphero has no plans to sell the Battle-Worn BB-8 by its lonesome. Seeing as the Force Band is important for users to get the most out of this toy droid, the company has decided to sell them together for the cool price of $199.
The Force Band on the other hand can be bought by itself for $79.
Time will tell if this device takes off, but seeing as it has the Star Wars name attached, we see no reason why it wouldn't become an instant hit. As for availability, folks can purchase the bundle come Sept. 30, and preorders are open right now via Sphero's website.
