Lenovo Star Wars Jedi Challenges
AS CLOSE AS YOU’RE GOING TO GET TO BEING ONE WITH THE FORCE.
BETWEEN THE FILMS, countless videogames and even Monopoly boards, we’re still searching for the ultimate simulation of being a Jedi. No, nominating your religion as ‘Jedi’ on your census form isn’t going to cut it either. Lenovo’s AR headset does an admirable job of putting you in the shoes of a Jedi replete with lightsaber, and has you fending off life-sized battle droids, Stormtroopers and Darth Maul, while also indulging in a mini real-time strategy game and Holochess.
The draw here is the Jedi lightsaber battles, where you wield your laser sword and deftly cut down advancing enemies, from within the comfort of your lounge room. Getting to that point takes a lot of setting up, and a lot of devices to charge. The main part of the package is the headset itself, which is designed to fit smartphones up to 6 inches in screen size. A cradle keeps your phone in place, and a trio of USB cables are included to suit phones with lightning, micro USB or USB-C connections. Lenovo has a list of phones it says are compatible with the headset, which includes iPhones 6–8, Samsung Galaxy S7 and S8, Google Pixel and XL, and the LG G6. Don’t fret if your phone isn’t on that list, as we used a Huawei P10+ with no issues.
Getting the phone paired with the lightsaber hilt took us a few tries, and after restarting our test phone and turning off all other Bluetooth connections, the ‘saber happily talked to the controller. That lightsaber, like the headset, is recharged via a micro USB cable. Finally, there’s a soft, glowing orb that sits on the floor and acts as an anchor point, and runs on AA batteries.
You’ll also need Bluetooth headphones to hear the music and sound effects, as no matter how good your phone’s speakers are, the phone itself is going to be stuffed inside a headset. Routing a headphone cable from
the phone to your ears will either be tricky and clumsy or downright impossible depending on where the headphone jack is located. Despite good ventilation, your phone is also going to run hot, as the screen of your handset is the display that’s reflected onto your eyes.
The headset visor is see-through, and while the display it projects incorporates part of your environment, it’s not smart enough to recognise walls or other objects. You’ll need a good amount of space to walk around in, with nothing within arm’s reach — we’d suggest at least 1.8m by 1.8m. That way, you won’t accidentally over flick a vase or TV when you’re deflecting incoming blaster fire.
Once you’re all set up, the effect is at times completely absorbing, and other times lacking. As mentioned, the front visor is transparent, and you have plenty of peripheral vision below and to your sides. Depending on how well-lit your room is, you might get a bit of light reflecting off the inside of the headset, which can be distracting.
While the selection of games on offer is a little slim at the moment, the presentation is perfectly suited to the format, despite some shortcomings. Those Jedi saber duels require a lot of movement, and the hilt itself is beautifully weighted, vibrating when you strike an enemy — or get hit yourself. Imperfect AR tracking will sometimes result in a bendy lightsaber, which can be mitigated by slower movements. Probably not something Luke Skywalker would recommend you do.
The challenge grows as the levels progress, though you’re basically doing the same things over and over, and the play area means you’ll be kept within a confined space. While peripheral vision is good, you might sometimes feel that you’re looking through a Ned Kelly-esque slit to the world, and need to take a step back from the action to get the full view of any advancing baddies. It’s an annoying limitation, but one that’s not uncommon to AR headsets.
Of course, there’s the strategy game, and holochess, which is a charming recreation of the game originally depicted in Star Wars: A New Hope (minus the quaint but janky animation). Anyone who’s played a Command & Conquer, Starcraft or even a tower defence game will get to grips with the strategy rounds quickly and easily. A round usually gift you with a team of replenishing soldiers, who will automatically spew out of a hut and fire on the advancing troops, and you’re able to place laser turrets, rockets and ships to repel the attack. Obi Wan Kenobi can be temporarily plopped onto the battlefield, and is far stronger than your usual supply of grunts.
This can be a lot of fun and offers a good challenge. Your eyes act as the cursor, and a button on the lightsaber issues the command — it’s immediately intuitive. The same can be said about holochess, which isn’t really chess but an action boardgame that’s more appealing than the label suggests. Anyone who pores over Star Wars lore will love being able to send their creatures into battle, and even if you can’t tell a Monnok apart from a Ng’ok, you’ll still have fun.
Rounds of all three games are brief, over in less than five minutes, which sounds shortlived but works out well. That’s partly because, while you have freedom to move around, you’ll probably be shuffling about in the same place from where you started, and the headset gets quite heavy — children might find it tricky to keep the thing on their head — so taking a brief break is a good idea. Plus, these are the only the three genres available at the moment, with a Lenovo rep telling us that other games from third parties may be coming, but nothing’s been decided.
As a proof of concept, the Lenovo Star Wars Jedi Challenges is great. The unit’s wireless, the effect in the right light is absorbing, and despite the weight of the headset, it’s comfortable to use. However, the initial hassle in setting it up will try your patience, and it’s anyone’s guess as to whether more games and apps will be made available for it. What’s there at the moment is faithful to the Star Wars universe, which is probably enough for superfans of the movies.