HP Darkside: Star Wars themed laptop brings the power of the dark side

Star Wars mania is ramping up in a big way. If you can’t wait until December for the The Force Awakens to arrive in movie theatres, or even November for Star Wars: Battlefront to officially hit video game consoles and PCs, there is another way to get your Star Wars fix.

And this one will keep scratching that itch for years to come. In fact, if you don’t have a PS4 or Xbox One, this new HP Star Wars Galactic Empire Edition Laptop just might be the perfect device for playing Star Wars: Battlefront while you wait to order those movie tickets.

A Powerful Windows 10 Laptop With Skylake Power

Many people have been holding off on buying a new laptop, waiting for two things: the rollout of Windows 10—Microsoft’s hotly anticipated next generation operating system— and the release of Intel’s 6th generation Core CPUs.

Windows 10 brings a long list of new features (you can check out my top 10 coolest feature here) including the new Microsoft Edge browser, the return of the Start menu and Microsoft’s virtual assistant, Cortana. Intel’s new “Skylake” processors are the perfect complement to Windows 10, offering more power and better battery life. The HP Star Wars Galactic Empire Edition laptop has them both.

Together the combination makes for a compelling reason to upgrade to a new Windows 10 laptop like this one from HP.

Gaming Capability

While it’s not quite at the level of a gaming laptop made specifically for that purpose (those machines will have a Core i7 processor, SSD and other high performance modifications), the HP Star Wars Galactic Empire Edition laptop is also much more affordable than most of those high-powered notebooks.

But unlike a typical laptop, it has a standalone video card (in this case an Nvidia GeForce 940M with 2GB of dedicated video RAM on tap) instead of using an integrated graphics chip with shared memory. Combined with the very capable new 6th generation Core i5-6200U CPU, 12GB of RAM, 802.11ac Gigabit Wi-Fi and a Full HD display, this laptop can handle many popular PC video games. Maybe not at full resolution and with the effects cranked up to max—at least not with the most graphically demanding games—but you’ll definitely be able to scratch your mobile gaming itch with this laptop, without breaking the bank.

Add in the red backlit keyboard and awesome B&O Play stereo sound and the gaming experience on the HP Star Wars Galactic Empire Edition laptop gets even better.

Multimedia Powerhouse

I already mentioned the 15.6-inch Full HD display and the B&O audio. This combo isn’t just ideal for games, it turns the HP Star Wars Galactic Empire Edition laptop into a multimedia powerhouse. With Gigabit Wi-Fi, this is a laptop that’s made for streaming video. It also has a built-in SuperMulti DVD Burner—increasingly a rarity in laptops—that makes it as easy as popping in a DVD to watch a movie (or burning your own masterpiece). And with a whopping 1TB hard drive, you’ll have plenty of room to amass a local video library. HP is starting you off by pre-loading all the Star Wars movie trailers.

It’s a Star Wars Laptop

Finally, all the tech specs and Windows 10 stuff aside, the real reason anyone will be shopping for this laptop boils down to two words: Star Wars. 

Fans of the pop culture phenomenon will go to great lengths in search of authentic gear. The HP Star Wars Galactic Empire Edition laptop starts with the look, offering up a visually impressive design featuring Dark Side graphics covering a battle-worn case. You would have to spend a lot of time painting, scuffing and carefully placing decals to get anywhere near this look. Having it right out of the box is infinitely easier. The red backlit keyboard is the perfect touch for setting the tone of this Galactic Empire-inspired design.

HP hasn’t stopped at delivering a laptop that looks like something out of the Star Wars universe, it has packed the hard drive with bonus content and even added Windows customizations. Notification sounds draw from a Star Wars library (classic lightsaber hum anyone?), wallpapers include classic Star Wars ships and movie scenes and fans will appreciate the collection of over 1,100 images, including Lucasfilm concept art. Star Wars movie trailers are all pre-loaded, as well as excerpts from e-books set the Star Wars universe and you even get a digital copy of the first Marvel Star Wars comic book.

For those who want to take authenticity to the next level, HP even included the Aurebesh font—from the Galactic Base Standard language—in the Star Wars Galactic Empire Edition laptop’s font library. 

The HP Star Wars Galactic Empire Edition laptop is now available for pre-order at Best Buy. You may have to wait for The Force Awakens and Star Wars: Battlefront, but you can satisfy your Star Wars craving now—and snag a very nice Windows 10 laptop in the process.