Neat idea, but with no mention of a dev kit it's another sign of Lego's descent into designing nothing but fun on rails Not even Legos are safe from the inexorable march of smart technology, as the Danish construction toy stalwart introduced a new tech-in-a-brick Smart Play system at CES this week.

The Smart Play system as a whole is going to make its debut in the Lego Star Wars theme, with—obviously—an X-Wing set and a TIE Figher set, as well as a Throne Room Duel set featuring Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader battling in front of a cackling Palpatine. Those twin lightsaber duel tags sure are going to be a whole lot of fun to play with.

LEGO was founded in 1932 by Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen, starting with wooden toys. The modern LEGO brick design was patented in 1958, creating the foundation for today’s sets. Today, LEGO is one of the most successful toy brands, with theme ...