Until now, if you wanted to watch one of the Star Wars films on your phone or tablet, it involved the lengthy process of ripping and encoding your Blu-Ray or DVD copy of the movie. It was possible, but compared to most other movies, it was a hassle. Now the entire six-movie saga will be available in high resolution digital format.
As the hype continues to build around the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it’s hard to imagine a better time to get fans to buy the previous films in the series for the second or third time.
“We’re thrilled that fans will be able to enjoy the Star Wars saga on their digital devices wherever they go,” said Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in the official announcement heralding the upcoming release. “These films broke new ground in technology, design, sound, and visual effects, and we’ve created some very special bonus material which delves into the saga’s rich history, including new and never-before-released conversations between legendary Star Wars artists — the masters who helped George bring his iconic universe to life.”
Individual films in the series will sell for $20, while certain digital stores will sell the films as a collection for a lower price. The whole bundle will cost $90 on the Google Play Store, and the films will also be available as a set from Microsoft’s Xbox Video, though the price has not yet been announced.
Each of the six films comes with the standard set of bonus features — documentaries, deleted scenes, interviews, and similar featurettes — but as is increasingly the case, there will also be extras specific to various digital stores. Microsoft, for example, has announced that customers who purchase the entire six-film collection via Xbox Video will receive an R2-D2 companion for their Xbox Live avatar as well as a Star Wars-themed table for the free-to-play Pinball FX2 for Xbox One or Xbox 360.
The movies will be available this Friday, April 10 from the usual suspects including iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Instant Video.
