Star Wars AR headset will make HoloChess a reality

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas created the best board game that was never to exist – Holochess, the Millennium Falcon's holographic monster battler. Now, thanks to a partnership with Lenovo and through the power of augmented reality, Chewbacca's favorite game will now (in some form) come to life.

Announced at the D23 Disney fan event (along with a load of Disney gaming and movie news) Lenovo is building a Star Wars-specific augmented reality headline.

Clouded, the future specs for this headset are, with Lenovo yet to reveal full details of the hardware. But we do know what it's going to be powering: an AR experience called 'Star Wars: Jedi Challenges'.

Forceful fun

Lenovo and Disney are keeping quiet on specific details, and have yet to show off exactly what the AR games will look like. But conceptually, it's teased a real-time ground combat game, a lightsaber battle, and (yes!) HoloChess, for anyone that likes their checkmate with a side of arm-from-socket ripping. 

Here's a video teaser, and a glimpse at what looks like a transparent front face plate, allowing for digital objects to be mapped on your real-world surroundings:

Visit the Lenovo page to sign up for more details about Jedi Challenges. We'll keep you posted on any further updates on the headset and games as they're announced.

Gerald Lynch

Gerald is Editor-in-Chief of iMore.com. Previously he was the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site's home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output. He loves gaming, but don't expect him to play with you unless your console is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system. Before TechRadar, Gerald was Editor of Gizmodo UK. He is also the author of 'Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future', published by Aurum Press.