Star Wars droid hits the shelves

SOUTH African retailers have been selling the hamster-sized BB-8 droid, one of the most talked-about Star Wars toys, for R2 799.

They include the iStore, The Gadget Shop, Musica, Toyzone and BT Games.

The toy was part of the worldwide rollout last Thursday of merchandise by Disney and toy makers including Hasbro and Lego ahead of the December release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens – the first in a new Star Wars trilogy.

Altogether 13 new products were unwrapped, including an updated Millennium Falcon spacecraft.

The orange-and-white cylindrical BB-8 droid – whose astromech big brother can be seen in the movie trailer – can move, talk and be controlled through a smartphone app.

The price may be stiff for a toy, but the makers say BB-8 is more than that. It is a robot that shows a range of emotions and has an adaptive personality that changes as you play with it.

Once the companion app is downloaded to your phone, the classic Star Wars theme song “ushers you into an innovative connected play experience, merging the digital world with a self-aware droid”.

The newStar Wars movie brings back original 1977 cast members Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.

Excitement is building for its release, and DStv now has a dedicated Star Wars channel. – Reuters/Lifestyle Reporter