00:00Lego just dropped some massive news at CES 2026, a tech-enhanced Lego brick to open up a new
00:10dimension of play, according to the toy makers themselves. That's right, for the first time
00:15since the modern design was unveiled in 1958, we're seeing a big change to the iconic 2x4 brick,
00:22with a whole bunch of tech crammed into this tiny form factor. I've actually played with
00:27Lego's new smart system myself, and I've got to say, I'm impressed. Here's everything you need to
00:33know. Lego Smart Play is a new system of tech-enhanced Lego that can react in real time to
00:42child's play. But there's no need for apps, no screens, and no need for any complex setup either.
00:47Instead, Lego has crammed a litany of impressive tech inside a 2x4 Lego brick, which can detect how
00:53you're interacting with your creations, and enhance your play with sound and light, all while keeping
00:58everything pretty secure. The brick is only part of the story. In fact, the smart system currently
01:03comprises of three parts, the aforementioned Lego smart brick, as well as the smart minifigure and
01:09the smart tag. Right now, they're coming exclusively to some of the upcoming sets I'll talk about later
01:14in the video, but the long-term vision is that Smart Play will work with any Lego you have at home,
01:19with the only confines being the smart tags and minifigures in your collection.
01:26Now, my colleague Jake has written a really detailed breakdown of this tech, which you can find
01:31in the description box below. But the basic explanation is that each smart tag and minifigure
01:36has a digital ID, which the smart brick can then read via near-field magnetic communication.
01:41And that's where the magic happens. Inside the smart brick is a custom mixed signal 4.1mm ASIC chip,
01:48and the wealth of onboard sensors. From a motion sensor to an accelerometer, a gyroscope,
01:53there's even a light sensor. With these smarts, the brick can not only detect nearby smart minifigures
01:58and tags, but also understand the space around it, responding in real time with its speakers and LEDs.
02:04That's right, there's even more tech crammed in there.
02:08The bricks charge wirelessly and have about 45 minutes of battery life, according to a spokesperson
02:12at the event. I think it's going to remain to be seen when we've actually had some real hands-on time
02:17with these, just how that manifests when you're actually playing with them.
02:23While the demos we saw included everything from helicopters to ducks to birthday cakes
02:28and an enthralling game of LEGO cops and robbers, as of right now, it's just a few sets getting
02:34the smart play treatment. And they are all LEGO Star Wars sets. It's a surprising but clever move.
02:40I do love the potential for smart play in LEGO Classic or Creator, where you can really unlock your
02:44imagination. But I can also see why familiarising the concept in one of LEGO's most successful
02:49franchises, and in partnership with Disney, makes a lot of sense. There are three sets officially
02:54announced, which we've linked in the description below. Those being Luke's Red 5 X-Wing, Darth Vader's
03:00TIE Fighter, and the Throne Room Dual Set, which also comes with an A-Wing.
03:04I spent a short but sweet hour at LEGO's London demo, and I'm really excited by this new chapter.
03:13It's more for play than display, so if you're a collector who likes to keep their sets shelved,
03:18you probably won't be wowed by this announcement. However, kids and lovers of play of all ages,
03:23you're in for a treat. It's impressively reactive. A colleague and I waged an epic battle with our TIE
03:28Fighter and X-Wing soaring around to the iconic roar of the ships and pressing a trigger to fire
03:33its blasters. Plus, in true LEGO fashion, everything is laced with just the right amount of silly.
03:38Some of the sound effects would be right at home in a LEGO Star Wars game. It really was just as
03:43simple as picking up a build and rolling with it. And as of right now, its only limitation seems to be
03:48that it's new technology, meaning there won't be many smart tags and minifigures to create stories
03:52with. But it's only a matter of time, because I definitely got the sense that this is one LEGO
03:57innovation that's here to stay. If you've got any questions about the new LEGO smart system,
04:01let us know in the comments section down below. And check out the description box to links to the
04:05new sets that we've talked about today and our LEGO coverage on techradar.com.
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