Disney is letting people play Star Wars’ Dejarik holochess game for free on iOS in augmented reality through ARKit, via 9to5Mac. The new game actually comes as an update to last year’s Star Wars: Jedi Challenges AR game, which originally included holochess but required the purchase of hardware accessories.
Star Wars holochess comes to the iPhone with ARKit
*Pushes up glasses* Technically, it’s called ‘dejarik’
*Pushes up glasses* Technically, it’s called ‘dejarik’
The ARKit holochess variant seems to be the same version from the original Jedi Challenges, just ported over so that users don’t need to buy the headset or lightsaber attachment — even instructions in the game tell you to “direct your gaze” to interact with the board. I took it for a spin for a few minutes, and it works okay, although the ported nature of the game is apparent. It has small, hard-to-read text and awkward controls that were clearly meant more for the original AR headset than the iPhone’s AR solution.
Still, it’s a fun diversion for a few minutes, especially for Star Wars fans who have been dying to play a round or two of the iconic board game. A word of advice, though: “Let the Wookie win.”
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