Sphero’s BB-8 toy was officially revealed this morning on the Force Friday livestream and on Good Morning America. There’s a Wall Street Journal story if you want details:
Would it be possible to make a version of the existing Sphero with a head that stayed on top as it rolled? he asked.
As it turns out, yes. I asked Sphero’s marketing senior vice president Kelly Nyland how the company managed to get the head to stay upright. “The Force,” she told me with a straight face.
And a video of BB-8 with puppies if you don’t, thanks to Vanity Fair.
There’s also a review over at Gizmodo.
If $150 is a bit steep for your blood (or you don’t want to hand kids your smartphone,) there will also be a significantly cheaper Hasbro version that comes with a controller. But who are we fooling here? We know the audience for this, and it’s totally us.
→ More hints about the Battle of Jakku and the state of the galaxy after Return of the Jedi in 
Youtubers from Disney’s Maker Studios will be unboxing The Force Awakens toys live on Force Friday. The official Star Wars Youtube stream will host the events, which will begin with Bratayley in Australia on September 3 at 7:45 a.m. local time (5:45 p.m. EDT on September 2) and finish up with Chris Pirillo in San Francisco at 8 a.m. PDT (11 a.m. EDT) on Thursday. 
