The Consumer Electronics Show has taken over Las Vegas this week, which means a flood of flashy — and usually expensive — tech-show announcements from the likes of Nvidia, Sony, Anker and more. One brand I didn’t have on my bingo card is one you’ve definitely heard of: Lego. The Danish company announced Lego Smart Play, which includes its first Smart Brick, a piece with a tiny chip, smaller than a Lego stud, that allows the brick (and its built-in micro-speaker, accelerometer and LED array) to react as you play with it.
Thanks to all of that injected tech, it can tell when it’s being moved, which way it’s facing, even how close it is to other Smart Bricks as you build. The speaker and LEDs then play sounds and light up based on how you’re actually using the set — much more than your standard canned sound effects. The Smart Brick is only one piece of the Smart Play system. It also includes Smart Minifigures and Smart Tags — the latter is basically a tiled piece — that can recognize and respond as well.
Lego
A pleasant surprise is the price of some of these sets. The current non-smart 625-piece Lego Star Wars TIE Bomber Model Building Kit has an MSRP of $65 (though it is on sale right now for $52), while this 473-piece Smart Play version is only $5 more.
You’ll be able to order the Smart Play on Friday, Jan. 9.
It’s 2026, so surely these must require an app for any of this to work, right? Nope. Lego built a wireless system called BrickNet that allows the Smart Bricks to communicate directly with each other using Bluetooth-based technology. There’s no app to download, no Wi-Fi to set up and no phone required — you just open the box and start building, the way Lego has always worked. And to power up these bricks, all you have to do is charge them on an included wireless charging pad.
Remember when you had to make those shooting sound effects while you played with your Lego back in the day? Now, these Smart Play sets will do that for you … and then some. (Lego) (Lego)
The first of the Smart Play offerings are three all-in-one Star Wars sets, not the 10,000-piece varieties aimed at adults, but smaller sets that kids can enjoy. And while they’re definitely pricier than standard, non-smart sets, the price jump thankfully isn’t insane. Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter costs $70, Luke’s Red Five X-Wing Set comes in at $90, and the bigger Throne Room Duel & A-Wing combo hits a steep $160.
Pre-orders for all three sets open this Friday, January 9, while the full Smart Play launch is scheduled for March 1st.
Lego
This 584-piece set includes two Smart Minifigures (Luke and Leia, of course), as well as one Smart Brick and five Smart Tags.
Lego
This is the largest (and most expensive) of the three sets that are available for pre-order this week. At 962 pieces, it plays iconic Return of the Jedi sound effects, including Lightsaber hums and the engine of the included A-wing. It’ll even play “The Imperial March” while Emperor Palpatine is sitting on his throne.
