The new AR tech companion app brings an entirely new level to play time with these plastic building blocks.
Lego has fully embraced augmented reality technology with the development of its new Fusion sets, some of which are already available on store shelves and more of which are likely to create quite a splash during the holiday shopping season.
There are already three Lego Fusion sets that are available, with at least one more that is on the way.
The new augmented reality experience allows children of all ages to build using the traditional plastic bricks, which are now marked with AR marker patterns. Once the construction is complete, the app can be launched in a smartphone or tablet and then aimed at the masterpiece. From there, the toy will take off in a digital experience that is nothing like what Lego has ever had to offer.
The three Lego Fusion augmented reality sets currently available are a town, a medieval tower, and a race car.
So far, these AR toys have received a great deal of positive attention, and the reviews of the experience itself, through the companion app, have been primarily positive. This could help top draw attention to a traditional toy within a generation of children who have grown up with mobile devices that are always within reach.
The app allows the creations that have been constructed within the real world using the specially marked Fusion blocks to be added to a digital universe with which the player can interact. Various situations may be created within the app to which the user will be able to respond. For example, a fire in one of the buildings could prompt the user to create a fire hall, so that the firefighter can be directed to the location and put out the blaze (with the help of the player, of course).
Overall, it seems as though Lego Fusion has managed to invent a truly creative and interactive experience that brings the real and digital worlds together and that breathes a fresh new high tech life into a toy that has already been around for many decades.