About a month ago at IFA 2017, Sphero unveiled two new Star Wars droids in celebration of the upcoming film The Last Jedi. Turns out, there was still more intergalactic fun on the way. Today, ahead of Comic Con, Sphero is releasing its R2-Q5 droid. Essentially an evil R2-D2, this tricked out unit features augmented reality capabilities and has a few special tricks up its sleeve when placed near other Sphero droids.
Keen eyes and true fans will recall that R2-Q5 made his first appearance back in Return of the Jedi, and was subsequently responsible for storing the Emperor’s strategy against the Rebel Alliance. Its unique role in the anthology of Star Wars is sure to make this new release from Sphero a fan-favorite. That is, if you’re able to get your hands on one.
From what we can tell, this is going to be a while supplies last type of release. Sphero is bringing it to Comic Con this week in New York. Following its showcase there, R2-Q5 will be a Best Buy exclusive in the coming months with a $199.99 price tag. The listing is already live online, but is not yet available for purchase. It does curiously hold a December 31 ship-date. Our best guess is that the arrival will slide to before the holidays as the time draws nearer.
Sphero’s latest Star Wars creation will offer many of the same features that we’ve seen from its other droids, like R2-D2 and BB-8. There will be smartphone control and the ability to cue up those fun sound effects when needed. But my favorite feature is when you queue up a Star Wars film with R2-Q5 nearby. It will actually listen for certain events in the movie and react to notable scenes throughout. For Star Wars fans, that seems like a must-have. As well, this R2 unit is programmed to interact with other Sphero droids when placed in the same room. There isn’t much detail available on this feature at this time, but imagining R2-Q2 and BB-9E scheme up plans is pretty much perfect.
As we stated earlier, Sphero’s latest creation will be available at Comic Con in New York this week for purchase and is currently up for pre-order at Best Buy. If you’re interested in securing a unit, you’ll want to put your money up today as there’s no telling how long this limited edition droid will be available.
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