For the first time in Star Wars: Jedi Challenges, Star Wars fans can engage in lightsaber battles against each other using the local multiplayer mode—the newest expansion for the smartphone-powered augmented reality (AR) experience from Lenovo and Disney.
The feature update, titled Lightsaber Versus Mode, is the second free update since the product launched in November 2017. Lightsaber Versus Mode is available now in the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges app, which is free to download on the App Store and Google Play.
At its launch, Star Wars: Jedi Challenges allowed fans to train like a Jedi, battling against legendary dark side villains like Kylo Ren and Darth Vader in AR.
Driven by overwhelming fan demand, the new multiplayer mode allows two players—each equipped with the smartphone-powered Lenovo Mirage AR headset, Lightsaber Controller, Tracking Beacon and a compatible smartphone—to face off in AR lightsaber battles while in the same room.
This is the first time two players can play together and see the other player’s lightsaber in AR. The smartphones are sold separately.
“Innovating and iterating based on customer feedback is a big part of what makes Lenovo products different and better,” senior vice president and general manager for Lenovo Consumer PCs and Smart Devices Jeff Meredith said. “One of the most popular fan requests since the launch was to enable a one-on-one local multiplayer mode for fans to duel one another in lightsaber battles. We’re excited to continue collaborating with Disney to fulfill fans’ wishes by testing the frontiers of augmented reality.”
In Lightsaber Versus Mode, players are guided by visual cues indicating when and where to block, dodge, and strike. As players face off, the battle increases in difficulty until one player claims victory. Each player must download the latest version of the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges app on compatible smartphones, with access to the same Wi-Fi connection.
“Our goal here is to extend Star Wars experiences in completely new and different ways for fans—Star Wars: Jedi Challenges does exactly that,” said Kyle Laughlin, Senior Vice President, Games and Interactive Experiences, Disney Parks, Experiences & Consumer Products. “The product’s global success has encouraged us to give players even more authentic Star Wars moments, and we look forward to continuing to improve and expand the gameplay.”
Star Wars: Jedi Challenges
Star Wars: Jedi Challenges brings iconic Star Wars experiences to life with the Lenovo Mirage AR headset, a lightsaber controller modelled after Rey’s lightsaber in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a tracking beacon, and a compatible smartphone.
This ngaming system offers over 30 hours of multi-level, immersive content in three gameplay modes that players must master on their journey to becoming a Jedi:
- Lightsaber Battles: Perfect your lightsaber skills by taking on some of the most menacing villains the dark side has to offer—from Kylo Ren to Darth Vader—or a friend, in Lightsaber Versus Mode.
- Strategic Combat: Command forces against enemies in large-scale legendary ground wars.
- Holochess: Outwit your opponents in the ultimate game of concentration and strategy in the beloved Star Wars board game that first appeared in Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope.
Multiplayer mode is the second expansion to the original experience and offers endless hours of dynamic one-on-one gameplay.
It also features an earlier content expansion, inspired by Star Wars: The Last Jedi, including a lightsaber duel against two Praetorian Guards in Lightsaber Battles, three additional levels of Strategic Combat set on the mineral planet Crait, Porgs and more.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Star Wars: Jedi Challenges is available on www.jedichallenges.com and select local retailers:
- Villman
- Silicon Valley
- Gigahertz
- DS Gadgets
- Select PC Express branches
It is priced at P14,995.
