A New Kind of LEGO Video Game

[Hapori Tohu]

Nope, this is not news about another license themed game. Instead, Sony and LEGO are teaming up to design a new generation of interactive toys. A team at the Sony Computer Science Laboratories in Tokyo has created a game where they can use a PlayStation controller to move around motorized LEGO models. You can read more about this new mix between video games and LEGO Bricks here.View the full article

[ToaKapura1234]

The URL doesn't work.

[Van Hohenheim]

Links, BZPower. you're doin it wrong.

(joking)

here's a link for the article

I dunno, this seems amazing. it's like a lego video game for real life

[Madara: Mangekyou Master]

This is actually very cool. Thanks for the link Strack.

[Underscore]

I agree with Madara. (And I second his thanks to Strack.) The way there using controllers to move around minifigures and other lego pieces is very intereting.

[Makuta Almanax]

I personally find it to be incredibly dumb. Yes, fine, it looks 'interesting', but there is no practical use whatsoever. They say this is because LEGO are afraid of losing younger consumers to video games, but this makes no difference whatsoever. Also, video games have been around (and popular) for quite some time. It seems odd they'd say it's a problem now. In any case, I see no use for this other than using up money that could be better spent on something else. Besides, if they wanted to blur block and video game boundaries, there's plenty of more diabolical ways they could do so...and already do; think of the hero cores you get in all the sets which have redeemable codes for the games.

[Tabby: Toa of Cats]

As someone who works on a robotics team and has seen plenty of robots coded to work on xbox and playstation controllers, the ability to control lego bricks this way is not particularly impressive. The real challenge with robotics is getting the robot built. The same is true here. Lego is taking steps that could lead to miniaturized and cheaper versions of Lego MINDSTORMS, or bricks with inbuilt circuitry. Running lego bricks like video games is not particularly exciting, but the steps that could come out of the small scale motors and electronics could be. Image if most lego sets let kids further their skills in engineering and creativity by introducing them to electronics early on. The creative potential for motorized sets is also a tremendous boost if lego can develop very small-scale motors successfully.

 

I could see this as a next step in LEGO's partnership with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology.) FIRST is an organization that runs robotics teams for all ages to encourage kids in STEM education and change America's culture, in hopes of recognizing scientists and engineers at the same level as pro athletes and celebrities.

 

Lego bricks with inbuilt circuitry like this could be useful as an assist for the Jr. FLL (Junior FIRST Lego League, grades K-3) to further expand their knowledge. FLL (grades 4-8) already uses MINDSTORMS, so this development is not likely to affect them so much.

[Underscore]

I personally find it to be incredibly dumb. Yes, fine, it looks 'interesting', but there is no practical use whatsoever. They say this is because LEGO are afraid of losing younger consumers to video games, but this makes no difference whatsoever. Also, video games have been around (and popular) for quite some time. It seems odd they'd say it's a problem now. In any case, I see no use for this other than using up money that could be better spent on something else. Besides, if they wanted to blur block and video game boundaries, there's plenty of more diabolical ways they could do so...and already do; think of the hero cores you get in all the sets which have redeemable codes for the games.

 

I wouldn't say there's no use. It makes it possible for playing with legos like playing video games. It makes it so you can play with legos in more than one way.

[Hitoshura]

Even if you can play in more than one way, it wouldn't feel the same as real Lego bricks. Like just moving your fingers around is different than experimenting with different pieces with your own hands, and "playing" around with them as well. That's my honest opinion on this, and I won't be very interested in this, but it certainly seems interesting to some people.

[Underscore]

I suppose not, dragonstar, in the building case at least. After you build something, you put it in the "platform" with a little robotic platform and it moves. So it's not more the building but the pretending, it you fallow me there.

[Toa Zaz]

Honest to God, it kind of lacks both the appeal of regular Lego Bricks and Video Games. I guess the plus side to this is that now Lego might finally branch out from their now-exhausted video game formula...

[Aanchir]

Honest to God, it kind of lacks both the appeal of regular Lego Bricks and Video Games. I guess the plus side to this is that now Lego might finally branch out from their now-exhausted video game formula...

Not necessarily, considering that this is not something The LEGO Group themselves sponsored. Besides, I like the formula of the LEGO video games by TT Games. Sure, it's formulaic, but like the Mario games or even Tetris, it's fun enough that it doesn't need any major changes. Adding more of a building component could be good, but not at the expense of the gameplay that made the brand's video games so successful.

[Mr. Cup of Fail]

This do not sound like it's going to work because it sound like it's going to be like Movie License videogame like green lantern and thor but that just me.

Edited June 18, 2013 by ShadowWolfHount

[Lyichir]

This do not sound like it's going to work because it sound like it's going to be like Movie License videogame like green lantern and thor but that just me.

...What? Could you possibly rephrase? I couldn't make out what you were trying to say. This partnership seems to be attempting to make a game that interacts with physical bricks, not anything to do with a license. To tell you the truth, it sounds almost like something Lego has already done before, that being their Spybotics theme: motorized sets that interact with the physical world on one level and a digitized, gameified representation of it on another level.

[Taka Nuvia]

I think the concept is quite cool, actually. Unless you're in possession of a Playstation, that is. :/

 

Not sure whether it will work out, though. I fear it might be oneof those things that are incredible when you first try them out, and then lose the "new" appeal quite quickly... then again, I'll just wait and see how the final thing turns out. ^^