Behold The Star Wars Battle Pod Arcade

There's been an arcade awakening. Have you felt it?

It's not like you weren't warned. Back in October last year, the official Star Wars site announced that a new arcade machine from Lucasfilm and Bandai Namco Games was set to be rolled out into games halls around the world. Those who got to sample it at New York's Comic-Con made excited noises similar to that of a Wookiee. Three months later and the Battle Pod is finally amongst us.

This isn't your usual joystick-and-button arcade cabinet: key to the Pod's experience is its domed screen, enveloping the player and surrounding their peripheral view. Using a thruster control in their left hand and a joystick in their right, players are able to relive five vehicular scenes from the original George Lucas trilogy, taking control of X-wings, snowspeeders, speederbikes, the Millennium Falcon and Darth Vader's TIE Advanced. 

In addition to its vast screen, air blasts and rumbles will give pilots an immersive arcade experience. We can foresee ourselves draining our wallets as soon as this arrives in the UK, with dates and locations of the Pod's arrival yet to be announced. For more, check out the new video preview below.

(Images: StarWars.com)