The Verge Awards at CES 2026

Every January, the world of consumer electronics heads to Las Vegas to spend the first full week of the year in the desert presenting, prodding, and gawking at all the new gadgets and gear debuting at CES. The show has once again delivered an avalanche of products, both innovative and vaporous, that will shape the industry in 2026.

The Verge’s team has been working around the clock to share the experience. Some of it wowed us while some of it weirded us out, but that’s part of the fun of CES.

After taking it all in over the past week, there are some gadgets that stood out from the rest. They innovated on an existing product, entirely rethought a category, or delivered something so delightful or dumb that we just had to share. These are the things that deserve to be recognized — our best of CES 2026.

Samsung screens have dominated The Verge Awards at CES four years in a row, but it’s LG Display’s time to shine again.

Both companies have finally managed to produce gorgeous high-refresh-rate OLED panels whose pixels contain the proper number of linearly repeating red, green, and blue components to clearly render text — addressing the annoying color fringing that can sometimes make text hard to read on previous-gen OLED screens.

But after looking at LG Display’s and Samsung Display’s screens in back-to-back appointments, Verge display expert John Higgins and I had to give LG Display the edge. With 4K resolution at 27 inches, text and gaming graphics were both incredibly sharp and easy on the eyes. It’s also a dual-mode 4K 240Hz or 1080p 480Hz panel, so you can switch to an even higher refresh rate.

It’s not the brightest or highest-resolution screen we saw at CES, where brilliant 5K 1,500-nit monitors were also on display — this one has 1,000-nit peaks — but it’s the one I’d pick for work and play. Asus might be one of the first to use it in the ROG Swift OLED PG27UCWM, which’ll have DisplayPort 2.1a, HDMI 2.1, and a 90W USB-C port so you can dock and charge a laptop, but it didn’t share price or availability. — Sean Hollister, senior editor

There are always a lot of cool keyboards at CES. This year might be one of the best, if only because among all of the new, interesting models was Corsair’s $350 Galleon 100 SD that’ll be available later this month. It’s a full-size wired mechanical keyboard that just so happens to have a Stream Deck built in. Its greatest feat is that it manages to not look like a botched experiment.

While part of the Stream Deck’s appeal comes from the fact that it’s typically sold as a peripheral, set off to the side on your desk where you can easily reach it to mute your mic, launch an app, or configure your smart lights, it looks and feels right at home fused into this keyboard. This particular hardware is closest to a Stream Deck Plus, with a screen, two rotary knobs, and 12 buttons, each of which can be customized however you’d like via Elgato’s vast marketplace of app plug-ins, icons, sounds, and more.

The Galleon looks cutting-edge, although the keyboard aspect doesn’t necessarily stand out compared to many models already available. It has Corsair’s own mechanical switches, a hot-swappable PCB, up to 8,000Hz polling rate, and it can be configured in the company’s browser-based utility, negating the need for a software download. I’m actually using the Galleon to type this, and I don’t have much to complain about so far. — Cameron Faulkner, commerce editor

TCL made a bold move for CES 2026. Instead of focusing mainly on RGB LEDs like its competitors, it instead went all in on its new X11L SQD-Mini LED TV, which uses blue LEDs like the mini-LED TVs we’re familiar with. But there are two major improvements TCL made that set it apart, and that you won’t find on any other TV this year.

The X11L uses reformulated quantum dots that provide more color and an upgraded color filter TCL calls UltraColor Filter that delivers more accurate color. The two combine to cover 100 percent of the BT.2020 color space. It’s an innovation that I expect will eventually filter into other, more affordable models — both from TCL and other manufacturers. In addition to the vibrant colors, the X11L is capable of reaching 10,000 nits of peak brightness and has up to 20,000 dimming zones.

The innovation doesn’t come cheap, with the smallest X11L at 75 inches going for $6,999.99, but by the end of the year, it will very possibly be almost half that price. — John Higgins, senior TVs and audio reviewer

Asus is back for round two with its ROG Zephyrus Duo dual-screen gaming laptop, and I think this one could be a real knockout. The new Duo has two matching edge-to-edge 16-inch OLED displays, up to RTX 5090 graphics, an Intel Panther Lake processor, and a removable wireless keyboard / trackpad deck. It’s a clamshell laptop, a top-and-bottom or side-by-side multiscreen setup, and even a tented convertible all-in-one machine. Dual-screen laptops are nerdy fun, but I’ve seen firsthand how handy they are for productivity in my time testing the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i. Taking that power-user formula to a gaming laptop seems like a recipe for success in my book.

We sadly still don’t know the price of the new Zephyrus Duo — just that it’s due out in Q2 2026. Dual-screen laptops will always be a pricier niche, and I’m afraid it’s gonna be really up there; especially with two large OLEDs and the ongoing RAM shortage. Here’s to hoping the premium over the Zephyrus G16 it’s based on isn’t astronomical, because it looks awesome. I can’t wait to review it and see how I can simultaneously mix work and play on its lovely dual displays. — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, laptop reviewer

Smart locks were once again the smart home stars of the show, with companies launching models featuring palm- and facial-recognition unlocking, as well as a new type of wireless charging.

But the standout was the Aqara Smart Lock U400 — not because of any particular innovation on Aqara’s part. It’s a fairly standard-looking smart lock. Rather, it represents how open standards, interoperability, and some genuinely cool technology are making the smart home smarter and easier to use.

The first smart lock to support Apple’s hands-free Home Key unlocking using ultra-wideband technology, the U400 can securely unlock as you approach with your phone in your pocket or your Apple Watch on your wrist. As a Matter-over-Thread device, it can work with any Matter-compatible smart home platform, including Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Home Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings.

While this magical hands-free unlocking experience (I tested the lock ahead of CES and it works very well) is currently limited to Apple, the U400 is Aliro-ready. Aliro is a smart lock standard developed by Apple, Samsung, Google, and lock and chip makers that will bring Home Key-style hands-free unlocking — along with NFC tap-to-unlock — to Android phones and watches. That’s a meaningful step toward solving the fragmentation and ecosystem lock-in that has long plagued the smart home. — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, senior smart home reviewer

My pick for best car at CES was kind of a no-brainer, because it was the only thing real enough for us to test ourselves. That would be Mercedes’ Drive Assist Pro, which is a Level 2 partially autonomous driver assist feature for city driving as well as highways.

The system is powered by five radar sensors, 10 cameras, and 12 ultrasonic sensors. And all that sensor data is shoveled into a supercomputer from Nvidia that is capable of running up to 508 trillion operations a second.

I went on a test ride through San Francisco and was pretty impressed with how the system handled all the chaos of a crowded city. There were bike messengers, double-parked cars, delivery trucks, and people pushing baby strollers, and the Mercedes navigated all of it pretty effortlessly. It’s not a fully autonomous system yet, and the driver still needs to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. But you can see how those restrictions could eventually be lifted if Mercedes decides it’s safe enough to do so.

Think of it as Mercedes’ answer to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving, but arguably a lot more robust thanks to all those extra sensors. In my opinion it beats Tesla’s camera-only approach just in terms of redundancy. Also it’s backed by Nvidia’s safety-certified silicon chips and AI software, all of which are going into a lot more cars in the years to come. — Andrew J. Hawkins, transportation editor

This year’s show was all about longevity tech, and some pretty cursed ways to tackle that concept. Mostly involving several bodily fluids and inconvenient tests. The Withings Body Scan 2, however, is a scale, and everyone knows how to use a scale.

The interesting thing: Withings is positioning this device less as a scale and more as a “longevity station.” It measures over 60 biomarkers, concentrating on cardiovascular and non-invasive metabolic health. It does the latter by measuring minuscule amounts of foot sweat. (And while technically foot sweat is a bodily fluid, I’ll take that over urine or blood.)

More so than the fancy metrics, what I like here is the concept of decentering weight from the entire purpose of a scale. It’s encouraging users to view their weight as one part of their health — not the entire measure. My only gripe is that the scale will cost a whopping $600, but hopefully the price for this kind of tech comes down over time. — Victoria Song, senior reviewer

This was a ho-hum year for wearables at the show, so I was pleasantly surprised by L’Oréal’s take on an LED face mask — a product category I generally hate. It’s conceptually based on a sheet mask, meaning it’s much easier to wear than the typical, Jason Voorhees-esque LED masks you’ll find on the show floor. It’s made of a flexible, silicone-esque material, and the light sits much closer to your skin. There’s also a smaller version that fits just under the eyes. The flexible material also means that, down the line, you could see this technology applied to other body parts, such as the neck or decolletage. Plus, you only have to wear it for five to 10 minutes.

What I appreciate about this mask is that L’Oréal has disclosed it uses 630nm and 830nm wavelengths, and that it’s going through the extra hoops of 510(k) FDA clearance. No one needs red light therapy masks, and it’s totally fine if you don’t believe it’s a useful therapy. However, the combination of a smarter design, transparent labeling, and regulatory compliance is the type of innovation I want to see in a market that’s rampant with scammy versions of the same gadget. — Victoria Song, senior reviewer

Do I need a giant hair dryer with LEDs? No. But would I use it? Absolutely.

Drying my hair is one of my least favorite activities, and I would love to veg out on the couch or play games at my computer while Dreame’s $700 standing hair dryer does all the work for me. No one even has to know that you have a hair dryer in your living room or office, either; you can just turn on the light, and it becomes a lamp — albeit an excessive one. — Emma Roth, news writer

8BitDo made a name for itself with affordable but well-featured alternatives to Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo’s often pricey controllers. The company is still very good at that, but with the new Ultimate 3E Controller for Xbox, 8BitDo demonstrates it can offer a better product than the console makers and compete with other high-end controller makers.

When it launches in Q2 of 2026 for $149.99, the Ultimate 3E will be 8BitDo’s most expensive controller to date, but it delivers plenty of features to justify that price. It’s got drift-resistant tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) joysticks with reactive LED lighting at their base, Hall effect triggers with adjustable stops, two sets of shoulder buttons, motion controls, and four haptic feedback motors. It connects to recent Xbox consoles using an included 2.4GHz dongle, and other devices using Bluetooth or a USB-C cable.

The Ultimate 3E is also extensively customizable. It works with 8BitDo’s Ultimate Software X so you can remap its controls and adjust the sensitivity of its triggers and sticks. You can swap out its standard joysticks with replacements that are taller or thicker, or upgrade its metal D-pad to one with a circular design. You can even change how the Ultimate 3E’s ABXY buttons feel. They’re all contained in interchangeable button modules featuring either squishy silicone membrane buttons or clicky micro switches. If it’s a premium Xbox controller you’re after, 8BitDo is now worth your consideration. — Andrew Liszewski, senior reporter

You know what’s better than a folding phone? A folding phone that folds again. Yes, it’s almost certainly going to be outrageously expensive. Yes, Huawei already did a trifold. And yes, it’s kind of nonsense to call it a trifold when it only folds twice. But gosh dang it, it’s so cool.

Just to recap: The TriFold is on sale currently in Korea, and Samsung plans to sell it in the US later this year at a to-be-disclosed price. It folds up like a wallet, with a 6.5-inch outer screen for when you want it to be a phone and a massive 10-inch inner screen when you need a tablet. Mostly I’m just impressed that it’s really here. Samsung started hinting at its existence last January at Unpacked; just under a year later, it’s a reality that I was able to touch, hold, and flex.

And it’s all the more appealing because, in true Samsung fashion, you can do whatever the hell you want with it. Particularly with the inner screen — it functions like an Android phone by default, but you can put it into DeX mode if you want a more PC-like experience with windowing. – Allison Johnson, senior reviewer

I’ve listened to a lot of headphones throughout my career, to the point where it sometimes feels like a chore. So when I put a pair on my head and immediately enjoy what I hear, I take notice. From the moment I put the Fender Mix headphones on my head, I knew I had found something special.

The audio tuning sounded full without being overpowering. The ear cups were cushiony and the headphones had a strong amount of clamping force, but not so much that I got a headache, to keep them securely in place. And they felt well built and durable.

But the best part about them are the details. By removing one of the ear cups, you can access a door that opens to allow you to change the rechargeable battery if it ever fails. The battery gets you 100 hours of listening time (52 with ANC). And under the other ear cup is a USB-C dongle you can plug into your device to allow it to transmit an Auracast broadcast to the headphones. The headphones support low-latency, lossless, and high-res audio at 24-bit/96kHz. And if your battery runs out, you can connect a cable to the 3.5mm port and listen to them passively.

The short time I was able to spend with the Fender Mix headphones was one of the highlights of my CES. — John Higgins, senior TVs and audio reviewer

It was the year of the robot at CES, with Boston Dynamics’ Atlas and LG’s CLOiD making their Las Vegas debuts alongside hundreds of humanoid bots hanging around every booth.

But while some of these robots gave (somewhat) impressive demos and hinted at a more compelling narrative as to how they could one day be useful in our homes, it’s clear that the Rosie the Robot-style home helper is still firmly part of science fiction.

Instead, the best robot at CES was the one that simply climbed the stairs and cleaned them.

Robot vacuum maker Roborock debuted the Saros Rover, the world’s first robot vacuum that can both climb stairs and clean them. While we’ve seen concepts from Dreame and Eufy featuring track-equipped robots that can haul a vacuum upstairs to clean multiple floors, the Rover takes it a step further.

With froglike legs on wheels, the Rover methodically tackled a flight of stairs in its CES debut, pivoting on one leg at each step as it vacuumed along the treads. The Rover is still a concept product with no price or release date, but stairs have been the final frontier for these popular home-cleaning robots — and it looks like Roborock just conquered them. — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, senior smart home reviewer

Surprise! This fairly thin, unassuming office keyboard from HP is actually a desktop computer. Inside is an AMD Ryzen AI 300-series processor, RAM, storage, a fan, stereo speakers, and mics — it’s the full package. It even comes with a pre-paired Bluetooth mouse and options for a user-replaceable battery and fingerprint reader embedded in the power button. You just need to plug into a monitor delivering power via USB-C.

It’s surprisingly fun and quirky for a device designed for dull enterprise and IT duties. It feels like a throwback to the days of the legendary Commodore 64 with Raspberry Pi 500 DNA sprinkled in, though with a number pad and much more power. A laptop probably makes more sense for most people (even office workers), but the Eliteboard G1a is much more unique. It may not be as nice to type on as the mechanical keyboards I covet so much, but for a latticeless membrane board it ain’t bad. — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, laptop reviewer

Donut Lab’s claim to have a solid-state battery ready to go into production raised more than just a few eyebrows at CES this year. After all, a battery that swaps liquid electrolytes for solid material would mean smaller, more energy-dense, more durable, longer-lasting, and less fire-prone batteries. In other words, a potential game changer in the world of electric vehicles. Of course, the landscape is littered with the corpses of companies promising solid-state breakthroughs, so Donut Lab needs to back its claims up with real proof. The company is promising production is imminent, so either way we should know soon enough. — Andrew J. Hawkins, transportation editor

Last year, for the category of “Best new Dell computer name,” we awarded no winners because of Dell’s baffling decision to kill the XPS brand in favor of generic monikers like Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Pro Max. This year, thankfully, Dell ate some humble pie and brought XPS back, even putting the XPS brand on the lid of the laptops.

Dell Pro is still around, but we can deal with that now that XPS has returned. — Jay Peters, senior reporter

There were more digital picture frames using E Ink’s advanced color e-paper screen tech debuting at CES this year, but SwitchBot finding an alternate use for the black-and-white E Ink panels typically found in e-readers impressed us more. As the name implies, the SwitchBot Weather Station focuses on providing a wealth of weather-related info for both inside and outside your home using built-in sensors and downloaded data. Its simplicity is its biggest appeal.

It’s all displayed on a 7.5-inch E Ink monochromatic screen that’s wrapped in a basic black frame you can prop up on a table or hang on a wall. Pricing and availability aren’t known yet, but the Weather Station can also display calendar data synced from various platforms, and offers limited control of your smart home through the SwitchBot Hub. As with a lot of devices announced at CES 2026, the Weather Station has some AI-powered features, too, but they’re limited to offering weather-related insights and aspirational quotes that could help get you through a dreary day. — Andrew Liszewski, senior reporter

Best thing we’d actually buy

There’s no shortage of cheap Bluetooth speakers on the market — Amazon is flooded with them — but they’re always a gamble. Will they sound okay? Will their rechargeable battery be safe? Will their wireless connection be reliable? Last November Ikea introduced a new collection of colorful Bluetooth speakers that can double as home decor, but at CES it announced a much smaller alternative that’s priced to be an impulse purchase. The next time we stop by for meatballs and cheap bookshelves, we’re probably going to be walking out of an Ikea warehouse with an armful of its new Kallsup Bluetooth speakers.

Available in white, pink, and lime green color options when it launches in April 2026, the Kallsup is a tiny $10 cube speaker with “powerful sound,” according to The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, who had a chance to try them out at the show. If one isn’t loud enough, you can pair and sync up to 100 Kallsups to fill a larger space with sound. Battery life is expected to be up to nine hours at half volume on a full charge, and the battery is user-replaceable so you’re not left with e-waste when it stops taking a charge.

There’s a long list of gadgets announced at CES 2026 that The Verge’s staff wants, but the Kallsup is the one device we’re probably all going to actually buy. — Andrew Liszewski, senior reporter

Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 was our best in show last year because it was a one-of-a-kind rollable laptop you’d soon be able to own. I really, really hope we’ll be able to soon say the same for Lenovo’s Legion Pro Rollable concept. It takes the rollable OLED formula and extends it horizontally instead of vertically, now attached to a beefy gaming laptop. It’s what I’ve wanted since I saw Lenovo’s first rollable proof of concept back in 2023.

What starts out as a conventional 16-inch, 16:10 gaming laptop extends to a 24-inch ultrawide, with a 21.5-inch middle-ground option for good measure. Lenovo didn’t have any games on the laptop for us to test (for shame, Lenovo), but I’ve tested the Legion Pro 7i that the rollable concept is based on, and I liked it enough to give it a nod in our gaming laptop buying guide. Lenovo just needs to make this thing a reality now. If executed well, like in the ThinkBook rollable, this could be the perfect gaming laptop. And it’d be great for multi-monitor-like productivity, too. — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, laptop reviewer

Most “of course they made that”

Have you ever looked at AI art and thought, “Boy oh boy, I wish I could frame that slop right up and stick it on the wall”?

Fraimic is just one of a few companies at CES showing off digital E Ink picture frames designed to display AI-generated art, a concept I’d never considered before this week but which is immediately, painfully obvious in retrospect. Of course someone made this.

What makes Fraimic unique in the space is the built-in microphone and voice controls, so you only need talk to the frame to tell it to generate whatever fresh slop your heart desires. It comes in two sizes, priced at either $399 or $999, which includes 100 image generations per year. You can buy more, and the company says it’s considering a $79.99-per-month subscription with unlimited generations — what a bargain.

The best thing about Fraimic, and alternatives from the likes of SwitchBot and KoKonna, is that you can ignore the AI element entirely and just display your own pictures and photos instead. At that point you’re looking at a decent-quality E Ink Spectra 6 digital picture frame that doesn’t need to be plugged in and runs for years on a single charge. That we can get behind. — Dominic Preston, news editor

Most irrationally loved product

“What else can it do?”

That was the first question Verge video producer Victoria Barrios had on seeing LilMilo in action, to which the answer is a resounding “nothing.” And yet… don’t you kind of want one anyway?

CES has been stuffed to the brim with AI companions and toys this year, and LilMilo — from robot vacuum manufacturer Ecovacs, of all companies — is one of a wave that can only do one thing, and one thing only: sit around and look cute.

But look how cute it is! While other companies have opted for cuddly aliens and Totoro-inspired critters, Ecovacs has simply done its best to make a fluffy little pup, and it’s done remarkably well. LilMilo has soft fur and little black toe beans, and thanks to a camera and microphone, it can react to your presence, maintain eye contact, and recognize its owner, supposedly developing its own unique personality over time.

I’m more comfortable with AI toys that do this little than I am with the ones that stuff ChatGPT in a teddy bear and hope for the best. But what’s really impressive about LilMilo is that it really does feel strangely alive, an effect only let down by the unsettlingly human eyes. I instinctively gave the little guy the same pets and scritches I usually do my cats, and felt an affection that I know has no rational basis whatsoever.

Ecovacs hasn’t confirmed how much LilMilo might cost if and when it launches, and you probably shouldn’t buy one either way — again, it really doesn’t actually do anything. But do you even have to when you look this stinkin’ cute? — Dominic Preston, news editor

I found my favorite thing I’ve ever tried in my four years of attending CES. For me, this year’s CES was a blur of robots that don’t work, vacuums, lawnmowers, and AI chatbots shoved into just about anything. It was a welcome surprise when I stumbled across the booth for Haply, a company that makes haptic controllers for interacting with 3D objects. Haply’s booth showed off a variety of demos, like articulated robot arms that you could control with enough precision to play a real game of Operation, physics demos where you had to push your controller through a gelatinous, spongy 3D object on a screen, and 3D modeling software where you could mold and shape clay.

What really surprised me was how much I could feel the objects and their textures through the screen with these controllers, especially its consumer-priced 3D haptics mouse, MinVerse. I used MinVerse briefly in a 3D software application I’ve never used before called Geomagic Freeform and instantly felt comfortable using it because of how tactile the controls were. I’ve dabbled in 3D modeling before as a hobby, but largely gave up on it because typical mice and tablet workflows made the process so cumbersome. 3D sculpting tools were the exact kind of thing I’d always wanted to try but found way too expensive to ever consider, with ranges from $3,000 to $15,000. MinVerse is priced at $1,500, and the company intends to push for further API integration with more affordable programs like Blender, ZBrush, and Maya. While it’s still a hefty cost for a hobbyist, I’m inspired to try 3D modeling again knowing that this tool is out there. — Owen Grove, video director

In between the flashy new TVs, a laptop with a rolling display, and a smartphone that folds in three ways is the Birdbuddy 2. It’s the successor to the smart bird feeder that Birdbuddy launched as part of a Kickstarter campaign in 2020, and now it’s back with a new model that builds upon all the best parts of the Birdbuddy Pro.

The Birdbuddy 2 comes with a circular camera housing in the center of the feeder, encapsulating a sensor capable of recording 2K HDR video in a wider 135-degree field of view. The device can capture your feathered visitors in both landscape and portrait mode based on the orientation you choose by physically rotating the camera. It can also record in slow motion, similar to Birdbuddy’s smart hummingbird feeder.

The company claims that the Birdbuddy 2 is supposed to start recording as soon as birds land on the feeder. That sounds like a pretty exciting improvement on its own, as I often find myself missing a bird’s initial arrival when reviewing clips from my Birdfy smart feeder. But a better camera isn’t the only upgrade coming to the Birdbuddy 2. The feeder can hold a larger six-cup capacity of bird food and even comes with roof-mounted solar panels, so you don’t have to bring it inside to charge. It’s priced at $199 and is a great upgrade from Birdbuddy’s previous feeders. — Emma Roth, news writer

Thing I want to try the most

Clicks’ keyboard cases never really appealed to me; as much as I have wanted to mess around with Clicks’ physical keys, I didn’t want to slot my phone into an extra-long case. (My phone is long enough!) But the Clicks Power Keyboard, which puts the keyboard on a magnetic power bank so I can more easily take it on and off my phone? That is something I’m willing to try.

The double-duty nature of the device? Super useful. Sliding up my phone to access the keyboard? New fidget toy. The ability to use the keyboard in portrait and landscape mode? Yes please! Bluetooth connectivity, meaning I can use the keyboard even if the bank isn’t attached to my phone? That’s handy. And because it’s a power bank, I can bring it between phones as needed instead of having to buy a whole new bespoke case.

Plus, those physical keys look so dang fun. — Jay Peters, senior reporter

I never would’ve imagined a Lego brick taking home our biggest award at the Consumer Electronics Show, and I say that as a diehard Lego fan. The toymaker hasn’t come to CES for nearly a decade, and we typically give Best in Show to a stunning new screen or chip or a technology that will impact the industry for years.

But nothing has captured attention at CES quite like the Lego Smart Brick. My colleagues agree: It’s a breath of fresh air. An AI-free product at a show filled with AI cringe. An idea that seems more compelling when you look deeper, not less. A real product with a real price coming this March, not a concept or prototype. And it was genuinely fun to play with!

When you drop one of these Smart Bricks on a Lego creation, it becomes whatever Lego’s nearby smart NFC tags and figures tell it to become. It can be a spaceship that swoops and soars and refuels and plays a blasting minigame with other ships nearby. It can be a musical instrument that plays certain tunes, a birthday cake whose candles you blow out. It can be a car that accelerates and swerves and crashes and sounds alarms if a bad guy tries to nab it. It can be a Lego creature that purrs when you stroke its back. It can simultaneously roleplay the characters that drive the cars and ships, having them react to a kid’s actions.

Kids can mix and match and combine the smarts with normal Lego bricks, repurposing the same lights and sounds and minigames the toymaker has devised for their own creations — powering up any Lego spaceship they build by using the Star Wars X-wing tag, or building a helicopter that quacks like a duck.

And it sure sounds like these Smart Bricks won’t just be for kids. The company touts them as its biggest innovation since the minifigure in 1978, and rumor has it that Lego Pokémon will be the next to feature them. — Sean Hollister, senior editor