Fans divided as Lego launches biggest advance in 50 years, interactive bricks that can ‘play back’

Lego has unveiled its most significant evolution in nearly 50 years, an update that provides for tech-powered interactive play but without the need for a screen.

Its new patented Smart Brick is the same size as a normal Lego brick but comes with the ability to “play back” by connecting with compatible smart Minifigures and Smart Tags.

For the first time Lego builds will be able to respond to how they are played with.

The world’s largest toymaker announced its Smart Play system at the Consumer Electronics Show in Los Angeles, sending a wave of excitement through the Lego loving community.

At the launch, chief product officer Julia Goldin said the new brick was “one of the most significant evolutions in the Lego system since the introduction of the minifigure in 1978”.

“The Smart Brick is just a simple two by four brick which will click seamlessly with (other) bricks,” she said.

“But it’s very different, it has a tremendous intelligence technology which is packed into a tiny silicon chip that’s actually smaller than one of the (brick’s) studs.

“It unlocks an opportunity for interactivity, new dimensions of responsiveness, more social play and more storytelling”.

The Smart Brick is translucent and has an embedded smart chip smaller than a Lego stud that powers responsive lights, a color-recognition scanner to sense its surroundings, a sound synthesiser that plays almost any sound, and a built-in accelerometer that can detect the way a Lego is twisted, turned and tapped during play.

“When placed on top of or close to a Smart Tag, the Smart Brick becomes whatever the Smart Tag tells it to. Meaning it can be a helicopter one second and a car the next,” an explanation on Lego’s website reads.

“But it also can sense the presence of Smart Minifigures to help bring your stories to life in ways never seen before. The Smart Brick reveals each Smart Minifigure’s unique sounds, moods and reactions.”

A promotional video shows the Smart Brick can even make a Minifigure burp and a helicopter make chopper sounds among many other things.

“The launch of Lego Smart Play brings creativity, technology, and storytelling together to make building worlds and stories even more engaging, and all without a screen,” Tom Donaldson, Lego Senior Vice President said.

“We truly believe we are setting a new standard for interactive, imaginative experiences and can’t wait to see this innovation in the hands of kids when we launch this year.”

While many excited Lego lovers welcomed the announcement, others were not so pleased.

One commenter on X posted, ”I’m not a Lego collector but smartbricks are in the long tradition of unsuccessful gimmicky sound chip extras. No kid likes them as part of the fun of play is making your own noises and scenarios, never mind playing a premium for the pleasure!”

Another wrote “I didn’t think LEGO could get more expensive but... now we have ‘Smart Bricks’.”

The first Smart Play building sets will be Star Wars themed and these are expected to launch on March 1, pre-orders open in three days.