The Sphere in Las Vegas has already hosted a run of immersive concerts, films, and experiences inside its walls. But on the outside, its massive exoskeleton screen has largely been reserved for abstract visuals or eye-catching brand takeovers. That changed during CES 2026.
Through a collaboration between Disney, Lucasfilm, Lego, and Sphere Studios, timed to celebrate Lego’s newly unveiled Smart Play system, the Sphere’s exterior went somewhere no other part of the venue ever has before. I don’t think it will ever be topped.
Ironically, Lego’s new Smart Brick lacks a screen for play – that’s part of its ingenuity. However, this moment felt like a celebration of imagination at scale, proof of what happens when Lego’s physical creativity is paired with a canvas as massive as the Sphere.
Approaching from the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, the takeover was impossible to miss. Lego Star Wars Minifigures of Luke, Leia, Darth Vader, and more flashed across the Sphere, surrounded by waves of tumbling bricks. But as I turned the corner, I spotted the real piece de resistance, even before seeing the other side of the Sphere: a life-size Lego X-Wing.
Soon enough, I pulled on a helmet and watched as the X-Wing’s front hood swung forward and the cockpit door opened, revealing my seat inside. In front of me was a single flight arm with a trigger, along with a screen for selecting a character and starting the experience. But the real spectacle was straight ahead, visible through the clear cockpit window, with the Death Star basically filling my entire field of view. If I wanted to, I could watch the cockpit screen as well, but why?
I started alongside an array of other X-Wings, my Rebel colleagues, if you will, before TIE Fighters began to approach as we flew closer to the floating battle station. What followed was every Star Wars fan’s dream trench run, played out on an absolutely massive scale.
The Sphere’s outer screen, dubbed the exosphere, is the world’s largest outdoor display at a staggering 366 feet tall, and Lego Star Wars took over all 580,000 square feet of it. It is surely the biggest screen a Lego Star Wars game has ever been played on, and possibly ever will be. Even though this experience was custom-built specifically for the Sphere, it still felt and looked unmistakably like the Lego Star Wars series.
It was Lego Star Wars depicted virtually in what may be the best fashion, fairly close to the Skywalker Saga game, where you can do a run pretty similar to this one. As the Death Star inched closer, after I saw more iconic Lego Star Wars vessels such as the Tantive IV appear, I went in for the iconic trench run on the Sphere. It was, quite simply, a pinch-me moment that felt like diving straight into Star Wars: A New Hope.
Here, the flight-control stick was a little overbearing, but I managed to knock out several turrets and TIE Fighters along the way. Eventually, the prompt appeared on screen reading “Defeat Darth Vader,” and with some well-placed shots, I managed to land a few excellent direct hits, if I do say so myself.
Then came the final shot. The full shell of the Lego Death Star filled the Sphere before the iconic implosion and explosion sequence took over, with gray Lego bricks bursting across the screen in chaotic fashion. Smoke filled the area around the X-Wing for added effect. It was nuts, and absolutely incredible on an epic scale.
I’ll also note that while the X-Wing itself was mostly made of Lego bricks, with a few other structural elements mixed in, there was a fully brick-built R2-D2 onboard, along with a giant Smart Brick. The droid moved and screamed throughout the run, its head spinning the entire time.
I ultimately scored 50,000 points, neither the lowest nor the highest, but a pretty admirable showing.
While this activation at CES 2026 very clearly used a screen – and a massive one at that – it still echoed the same idea behind Lego’s new Smart Brick. At its core, this was about stepping into Star Wars storytelling and becoming part of it, rather than passively watching it unfold on a phone or tablet.
The Sphere simply took that concept to an extreme, turning the Death Star trench run into a fully immersive, shared moment. At home, the Smart Brick and Smart Minifigures aim to spark that same sense of participation on a far smaller scale, using lights, sounds, and reactions built directly into the bricks to pull players into the story and let imagination fill in the rest.
TechRadar also had the chance to catch up with Jaxson Dart, the NFL quarterback for the New York Giants, who is an avid Star Wars fan, a longtime Lego builder, and someone who scored higher than me in the Death Star trench run.
Dart had a similar initial reaction after piloting the X-Wing, calling it “insane.” “This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lifelong fan. I had so much fun piloting the LEGO Star Wars X-Wing and seeing it play out at Sphere.”
When asked when his passion for Star Wars began, Dart explained, “Honestly, ever since I can remember, I’ve always just been drawn to it.”
“Star Wars was my first love when it came to movies and characters, and that love has continued to evolve throughout my life. It makes me feel like I am a little kid again.” Dart also brings a bit of Star Wars to game day, as he is known for wearing one-sided makeup that resembles Anakin Skywalker.
He called Anakin his on-field character, describing him as powerful and commanding, two traits needed for an NFL quarterback. Off the field, he added, “I’d probably compare myself to Yoda because I’m a leader who wants all those around me to succeed.”
We closed on the all-important topic of Dart’s favorite Lego set, specifically his favorite Star Wars build, and the answer came quickly: the just-released UCS Death Star. “Because I love a challenge and it was very complex.”
That certainly tracks. The latest Ultimate Collector Series Death Star is one of the most ambitious Lego Star Wars releases yet, clocking in at 9,023 pieces and standing roughly 20 inches tall.
Unlike previous versions of the Death Star, or even the one recreated on the Sphere, the latest Lego Death Star is designed as a sliced cross-section rather than a full globe, depicting each floor filled with iconic rooms from the battle station as seen throughout the franchise.
Lego Smart Play officially launches on March 1, 2026, with three new Star Wars sets, each featuring at least one Smart Brick, Smart Minifigure, and Smart Tag. You can check out our first look and early impressions of those sets here.
TechRadar will be extensively covering this year’s CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.
And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!
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jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol)
