Lenovo - Star Wars™: Jedi Challenges - AR Headset with Lightsaber Controller and Tracking Beacon - Black

this really cool so much fun to play but let me put in some pro and cons. Pros : 1. The fact its fun to play and what is great that it gets you off the couch, its great for exercise, after my first battle i felt a little worked. 2. The graphics are very cool to see that in front of you and the characters do speak to you which is pretty cool, not only that but augmented reality is great so you can see whats around you, so you dont get hurt or knock something over. 3. you can choose your own destiny which you can play mission over again to get better or you stay at the level you want not only that you dont have go mastery level you can play FOREVER its really up to you. 4. its pretty easy to operate not to confusing once you understand how it works your good to go ( if your younger or not sure have someone help you so it doesn't get damaged ) 5. you get have that feel that your actually a Jedi, to know that experience to feel as if your part of the saga. Cons : 1. I hope they can figure out how to keep the phone cool when it gets to hot it tells you you need to shut down but that this a great idea however for one that wants to play longer, the fact is its limited play until that message shows up maybe the best way to cool it is by putting in cooling packets in some compartment not sure ? 2. could be a little bit more comfortable after some time my cheeks start to hurt ( probably could loosen it a bit but dont want it to fall off LOL ) also forehead was sweating, maybe extra pading 3. its using a small cored to plug in from phone to head set i mean that is ok, however its not Bluetooth from head set to phone just phone to light saber, would like to see it that happen or like the Samsung VR. ( maybe this more of a suggestion ) 4. it can be heavy for someone that is younger so i am hoping for that next one that comes out like a Version 2 that there is some way to counter balance the weight. Suggestions : 1. More Bluetooth capability 2. More of a story line its ok now but would like to see characters interact more ( like star wars online game but not online but you answer question along the way and choose weather you are dark-side or light-side ) 3. two player would be very cool to battle your friend would be awesome. 4. sell to more than one store best buy is good but people dont always have that store close to them. 5. counter balance, more comfort 6. cool the phone reason for rating: 5 out 5 its because this is very cool when the pros are better than the cons in any gamer product it wins, i just like to be picky lol, I hope this helps

Being in the emerging technologies field, I have had the opportunity to test many different systems involving Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). The Star Wars Challenges VR system is a great introduction to AR for those who don't want to sink $1,000+ in a VR system and a high-end PC. This phone-based system takes the concept introduced to the public by the likes of Google Cardboard to the next level with the addition of a tracking beacon that orients the in-game graphics and your visual space to the real world, giving you a motion-sickness free experience that you soon lose yourself in. The three different types of games you can play provide hours of entertainment, which include a chess-type game, a battle strategy game, and the one you will purchase this for, the light saber battles. They are all designed to cater to your activity level, allowing you to pull up a seat in the middle of the floor for a thinking game of Holochess, get down on the floor to move your live-action battle, or break into a sweat fighting the likes of two Crimson Guards as you slash, block, duck right, slide left and duck under their onslaught, as well as many other enemies including Droid Troops, Grand Inquisitors, and the dreaded Darth Vader. In all, the cost of the system is worth the amount of entertainment you will receive, especially with some of the sales Best Buy has on the systems (I purchased mine at 50% off). At the discounted rates, and the recent release of a multi-player battle mode, It may be worth picking up two systems. PROS: - A wide variety of game play - Very stable, so no worry about motion sickness - The "hologram"-type graphics fit well to the plot, so you don't notice the resolution - Portable; You could play it outside on a nice clear night! - The developers are continually improving the gameplay - Setup is easy no matter what phone you use CONS: - The AR headgear is front-heavy, reducing the play length of any one session - Tested on seven different adults, and four children, and all wished the strap near the back of the head could be lower to help with the balance, but the design stops the strap at the top of the ears. - While the battery life of the lightsaber and tracking beacon are long, the app puts high-demand on your phone, which causes much heat and will have your phone battery running low before anything else. - There is no easy way to clear alerts or messages you may get on your phone during the game, so you have to disassemble the headgear to clear an alert. (I find putting it in airplane mode before playing reduces some of it, but the low-battery alert still has to be dealt with)

This thing is pretty cool but it has some issues you should consider before you fork over 100 bucks. First off, since it runs on your phone, it's really only practical if you have an old iPhone sitting around that you can permanently keep in the headset. Using your primary phone is really annoying since you have to take it out of the protective case, insert into a little tray that then inserts into the headset, and then connect it via a small wire. If you need to use your phone mid-gaming session for any reason whatsoever, you need to reverse the whole process and it gets frustrating quickly. Second, the app is very processor intensive -- on a fully 100% charged iPhone, a 30 minute session zapped about half my battery life. Again, another reason why this isn't ideal for your primary phone. Second, there are 3 pieces that either need batteries or need to be charged (not including your phone) -- the saber, the headset, and the receiver thing. If you're like me and hate charging things and buying batteries, this is a nightmare. The game itself is cool but gets repetitive quickly -- basically you have mini-stages where you are confronted by stormtroopers and have to block their blaster bolts -- fun for about 10 minutes, then predictable and tedious -- especially when you realize you can just sit there and wave your lightsaber to get to the next stage. You then advance to a boss in a light saber battle. The light saber battles are very well done and exciting but they use a 'on rails' approach where you really don't use the saber as you want but follow instructions from the game -- e.g., it tells you where to hold the saber to block and where to swing. That's not how a Jedi fights! All in all, you don't feel like you accomplished anything when you beat a boss other than memorizing a pattern. I wish they would have let us be a little more creative in our duels. That said, being able to virtually feel what it's like to use a lightsaber is awesome -- you truly feel like you have an actual lightsaber in your hands. It's worth trying for that sensation alone. If you're a hard code Star Wars fan, this is a must. Otherwise, I'd find a friend who has one, play it a couple times, and save 100 bucks :)

My kids love this game. My 6 and 9 yr olds have played it. My 9 yr old does better but with the 6 yr old it involves a lot of parent assistance which drives me crazy since I’m not into playing games. The graphics are pretty neat though. It can be confusing to play with the chess like games and navigating the menu. My 9 yr old figured it out after I was just done with it. The 6 yr just wants to fight people. Lol. I wish there was just a basic play fight option rather than this real game of trying to figure things out. The 6 yr old doesn’t do well with that. They do have a lot of fun though. My only other concern is how hot my iPhone gets! It wears down the battery fast and typically when it pops up low battery on my phone, they finish, but when I take my phone out of the headset, it is really hot! I worry about long term damage to my phone.I wish there was better ventilation to the phone while it was in there. I have the iPhone 6s. It’s a pain anyways because I have to take my phone out of the case to put into the headset which worries me. My iPhone was expensive and I never like it out of it’s case. It would be better if this could use an older 4s instead since I have a spare. If you have an older smart phone that’s compatible with this, I would recommend it, but if you are using your main more expensive smartphone, I wouldn’t recommend it. You really won’t want to hassle with it. Another thing is since you are using your phone’s screen to play through the headset, any texts or alerts that pop up stay up the whole time and display on the play screen. My kids didn’t really care but that would drive me crazy. When the low battery alert pops up, it’s right in the middle of the screen which is why they stop playing. Otherwise you need to slide the cassette out of the headset which holds your phone and push the button to get rid of the alerts.

You finally get to use a light saber. It gets intense and your skills quickly get better if you want to survive and pass the levels. This is great for many ages. My three year old uses it. PRICE I own and love my oculus Rift, but to get that you need a 2,000 to 3,000 computer plus 500 for the Rift. And you really don't like just anybody use it. 200.00 you can't beat it. It has everything needed except your phone. Just make sure your phone is compatible. I love hosting parties and believe me this will be a hit and I won't have to worry too much about it. Christmas and movie are around the corner, plan for this to be sold out and people snatching them up in bundles only to sell them for more on eBay or Craigslist . Be smart get this while they are in supplies and be that awesome uncle/aunt/mom/dad/bro or sis.or grandparents. COMPONENTS. They are well made and look really good. The light saber is awesome and can be displayed when not in use. Good job

I was starting second think my preorder but after UPS delivered it and I ran the first round of the game I am amazed. I am using a iPhone 7plus. I had to remove it from its case for it to fit in the googles. Make sure the phone is charged. It is annoying when the battery warning pops up and freezes the game. The only way to clear the pop up is to remove the iPhone from the googles which is a little bit of a pain. I Recommend using the phone in airplane mode and only turn on Bluetooth for the game. The instruction booklet is physically tiny with mice print so I did not bother reading them. The app that you will need to download will guide you through the setup process. Another negative is that they only provided one charger for both the headset and the lightsaber. I have only played the lightsaber duels so far, but the gameplay is amazing. The lightsaber has some feedback and the graphics are very realistic. I recommend this purchase.

You don't have to be an avid Star Wars fan to enjoy this game, but it definitely helps. I was sooo excited to get my hands on this because I'm a huge fan! It's an incredible feeling to be able to put yourself into the Star Wars world! I have an iPhone 7 plus, and using it with the device was quite easy. Set up and instructions were clear and understandable. I noticed a reviewer raised a concern around the heat and the phone? I played for ~30 minutes and didn't notice my phone getting that hot (no more than when I'm watching Netflix and whatnot). The games are well executed -- graphics, next steps, storyline, conclusion, etc. It is so fun to play and a good arm workout (or maybe I just don't have any arm strength lol). It's nice to actually use a lightsaber, and not have to worry about hurting anyone -- really living out my childhood dreams hahaa I think this is going to be THE holiday present of the season and it comes just in time for the next movie!! I would DEFINITELY recommend this to a friend (and strangers)!

I was a little hesitant when buying because this was a new product but it was so worth the wait and the price. It does suck the life out of your battery, but we got about two hours worth of play-time before the battery hit 22%. The graphics are awesome and it's a great AR experience. I was apprehensive of the "AR" because the description said that you had to use your phone for it (VR games use a phone). This was way beyond what I thought it was going to be. The phone is not in front of your face like VR but at an angle so you can still see the room but the projection is in front of you. The equipment is well made. We had a ton of fun playing with the lightsaber and were impressed with the range of the globe. Our apartment isn't too large but it managed to scan the majority of our living room and kitchen. All in all, I'd definitely recommend getting one of these, especially if you're a Star Wars and/or AR fan.