After debuting at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) back in January, Sphero’s Force Band wearable used for controlling a tiny version of the BB-8 droid from Star Wars: The Force Awakens has impressed a lot of fans of Star Wars and cool gadgets in general. Unfortunately for them, this awesome little invention was still a prototype in early 2016 and Sphero stated that they’re working hard on turning it into a commercially available product. No release dates were given but the US firm did assert that it’s hoping for a release this fall. Well, fall just rolled in, and as it turns out, so has Sphero’s Force Band-controlled BB-8 droid.
The toy and its wearable controller are now available for purchase on Amazon. The product is officially named as Sphero Special Edition BB-8 App-Enabled Droid with Force Band and is priced at $199.95. In case you already own the regular version of the BB-8 droid which debuted last October, the Force Band is also available for purchase separately and will set you back $79.99. Fortunately enough, the original toy is compatible with this latest wearable as well and is only aesthetically different to the special edition version. While this new iteration packed with the Force Band is yet to debut on all of Amazon’s online stores worldwide, it’s currently stocked and available for shipping in the US and Canada. In addition to that, MobileSyrup reports that the Canadian branch of Best Buy is also keeping the toy in stock at the moment.
Apart from controlling the tiny spherical droid, the Force Band also features a so-called Force Awakens mode which vibrates when you get near digital “Holcrons” which you can then catch by doing some cool air gestures with your hand. Comparing this feature to that of Pokemon GO Plus watch wouldn’t be unfair though the Force Band obviously offers some additional functionality such as, you know, turning you into a Jedi master.
The people behind this wearable have also been responsible for developing another spherical robot simply called Sphero. That one launched in 2010 and served as a basis for the new BB-8 droid. In other words, despite not exactly being the cheapest Star Wars-themed gadget on the market, this tiny robot and its accompanying Force Band are a premium quality gift with years of research and development behind it, i.e. something a Star Wars fan will surely appreciate.
Buy the Sphero BB-8 & Force Band