LEGO SMART Play in Action: My Demo Experience at CES 2026
Earlier this week, LEGO officially announced its SMART Play system — which will kick off a trio of new Star Wars sets. Yesterday, at CES 2026, I was fortunate enough to get a closer look at these sets as well as get a demo of some of the other play possibilities that the SMART Brick will bring to LEGO.
SMART Play really consists of three parts: the SMART Brick, SMART tags, and SMART minifigs. Essentially, the brick itself is capable of making sounds, displaying colors, and holding other magical powers while the tags tell the brick what certain items are. Similarly, the SMART minifigs (which can be identified by a marking on their back) also communicate with the brick and tags so that they can act accordingly.
Before we got to the Star Wars section of our demo, a team member from LEGO, who helped develop SMART Play showed us some other possible scenarios. After some basic demos of the tags and brick (such as a helicopter that makes different noises as kids "fly" it), they walked us through some storytelling possibilities. For example, they set up a scenario with a police car, policeman, and a robber. When the robber approached the car, an alarm would sound. Once he ran away and the cop returned, the alarm would stop. Then, when the officer took a nap in the backseat, you could hear him snoring... only for the robber to awake him by trying again to steal the vehicle.
In another scenario, a flock of ducks were goofing off when their mother's back was to them, but straightened up their act when she turned around. Elsewhere, a T-Rex was celebrating his birthday and was surprised by a cake. Putting it all together, when the T-Rex joined the ducks, they joined the birthday party.
Keep in mind that these scenarios were programmed for demos and are not part of sets that LEGO is releasing at this time. Still, they showed the potential that the SMART Play system could have in the future.
As for Star Wars, we got a chance to see how the new X-Wing set includes heroic music for Luke Skywalker, reactions from R2-D2 during flight, and more. Even better, though, the ship can be used alongside a TIE fighter set to have a galactic battle. But perhaps my favorite part is when, upon returning to bae, players could repair damage taken in battle and refuel their ship (both of which were represented with lights and sounds).
Another upcoming set features a Throne Room Duel. Basically, you can take two minifigs (such as Luke and Darth Vader) and have them engage in a legendary lightsaber battle, complete with sounds.
From our demo, it's clear that LEGO is now one step closer to bringing its sets to life in the hands of children. Moreover, as they showed us some of the other tricks the SMART Brick packs in, I can envision a whole new ecosystem that can emerge in the years ahead. Think interactive minigames, character development, and a whole world of "mash-ups" that can react to any scenario a child can imagine. We may not be there quite yet, but that's what LEGO is working towards as SMART Play hits the market this March.