'Star Wars' Fans Are Going Crazy Over This BB-8 Droid Toy

Star Wars fans have been waiting like eager children on Christmas Eve for what has been dubbed Force Friday — the magical date upon which Lucasfilm releases its first round of toys tied to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Though most toys won’t go on sale until midnight Thursday night, the studio has begun revealing some of the more exciting products in its new line (check out some exclusive photos here) — and the product getting the biggest buzz thus far is one of the smallest: A remote-controlled BB-8 droid, which you can watch in action in the Yahoo Tech video above.

The toy, which measures about 3 inches in diameter, is made by Sphero, the robotics company that built the actual BB-8 — the hyperactive droid who’s already won the hearts and minds of fans via the film’s early teaser-trailers. It’s controlled by an app on users’ smartphones, allowing them to steer the little ‘bot around tight corners and anywhere else a tiny ball can roll. The phone app can also create an enhanced reality video that not only records your BB-8′s movements, but make it look like the droid is projecting video, a la R2-D2′s broadcast of Princess Leia’s desperate message to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The droid can move on its own, too; that’s called Patrol Mode. And don’t worry about it wandering into a puddle or falling into a pool, as this BB-8 is waterproof.

The small droid comes with a big price tag: The first version of the toy will cost $149.99, though there’s a cheaper remote-controlled BB-8 that will go for half that steep price. Judging by the reaction from bloggers and reviewers, though, it won’t be hard for Disney to move the unit.

There’s far more to come from #ForceFriday, including a day of activities at participating Toys ‘R Us stores, and midnight sales at the Disney Store and Target, among other locations.