On developing technology to create a more immersive way to play: caught up with Hasbro’s Michael Ballog, senior director, global brand strategy and marketing, Star Wars, for some master-like wisdom on the making of the innovative toy.

Star Wars Lightsaber Academy ($49.99) arrives on Triple Force Friday, October 4, and it sounds like a wonderful evolution of what lightsaber toys can be. There’s even a two-player component for when two friends decide to go the Obi-Wan/Anakin route and battle it out. The experience includes character voices, sound effects, and each Star Wars Lightsaber Academy lightsaber includes a kyber crystal at its core. The app syncs via Bluetooth to Hasbro’s new line of lightsabers thanks to Smart-Hilt technology, which tracks the lightsabers’ movements to evaluate skill, scores, and progression. Here’s how it will work: download the official Lightsaber Academy App, choose from one of five of the best masters in the galaxy (Jedi or Sith, depending on which side of the Force you lean toward), and begin your journey to becoming a lightsaber expert.

Last week, Hasbro unveiled Star Wars Lightsaber Academy, an innovative app-and-lightsaber-toy combo that will teach aspiring Jedi how to wield the most elegant of weapons. It’s time for younglings of all ages to take their first steps into a larger world.

Jedi academy black lightsaber mod