R2-D2 Radio Controlled DVD Projector Review

Does this little guy even need an introduction?

We can't tell you how punch-us-in-the-face excited we were when a nice man from Nikko delivered this to our doorstep. The moment we'd heard the remote control was a scale model of the Millenium Falcon, we realised exactly how special it might be, and how right we were.

The original design process was supposed to only take a matter of months, but when George Lucas became directly involved, the creative team felt under a great deal of pressure to deliver something more than just another novelty. A year and a half later, and the fruits of their tinkering have finally paid off. Rather than merely a painstakingly detailed radio controlled toy, this R2 unit doubles up as a curiously intuitive entertainment centre with a list of features as long as the Declaration of Independence.

First up is the projector. As a cheeky nod to R2's hologram message from Leia stored in his memory, Nikko's version enables you to project anything you want on to your wall, ceiling, or anywhere else up to six and a half metres across. While it may not be a full HD projector, we're still impressed with how bright and crisp the projection is at least up to a good few metres (we couldn't actually find a wall big enough to stretch it to the limits). And R2's physique allows him to 'sit up' or 'lie down' in pretty much any position, making it effortless to adjust the screen whenever you like.

You can either use the built-in DVD player that takes a range of different video and picture formats, or plug in from an external source like your TV, computer or games console. We're especially impressed with the sheer level of connectivity this little dude has. A specially dedicated input/output panel on the back allows you to hook up virtually anything you can throw at it, from DVi and USB to S-Video and fibre optic. We've been enjoying a full-scale Guitar Hero rock-off by porting our XBox through the rear panel inputs.

Further to that, R2 has a well-hidden iPod dock on the front panel which emerges at the touch of a button. This is a neat trick the Nikko boys have used throughout the casing, top to bottom. Various push-switches reveal feature after feature, including his trademark pop-out panels on the head (which are actually used as air vents for the projector - nice!). All his nostalgia-tickling sound effects are on board, too. It's endearing to hear him calmly chatter away to himself for a while, but an oversight in programming has forced him to go 'wwooOOOooww!' every time you drive him a couple of feet, as if he's taking laser fire or just being a bit camp.

Now, at a cool £2000, this is hardly going to be a must-have for the everyman. The fact that they're a limited edition doesn't come as a surprise given that price, with few UK suppliers stocking more than a handful at a time. But for some people, the functionality combined with the geeky prestige will make for a well worthwhile collector's item. Put it this way: if journalism were a more lucrative game, our office would be overrun with the blighters.

R2? you had us at 'beep-bup-bloop'.