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Nike's self-lacing shoes are coming Nov. 28

Eli Blumenthal
USA TODAY

Nike's Back to the Future II self-lacing shoes, the HyperAdapt 1.0, are not only real, they now have an official release date: November 28.

For "sneakerheads" and fans of the hit 1989 movie, the Monday after Thanksgiving should be a particularly exciting day. However, the shoes may be hard to come by, based on Nike PR director Heidi Burgett's tweet announcing the release date.

According to Burgett the self-lacing sneakers will be available at "select Nike retail locations" with shoppers needing to arrange "appointments to experience and purchase" the futuristic footwear.

Pricing remains a mystery, but according to Wired, which took a look at the shoe's development, expect them to have a "high price tag."

As with any battery-powered product, the HyperAdapt will require charging, which will be done by a magnetic adapter. It will take three hours to get a full charge and Nike anticipates the battery will last about two weeks between refills.

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Wearers adjust the laces by pressing a "+" button by the tongue of the shoe to tighten and a "-" button to loosen. Lights on the side will indicate how much battery power remains and alert you to when you should recharge. Blue is a full charge, yellow signals a few days' worth of battery life remains, and red means you should find your charger "right away," says Tiffany Beers, a senior innovator at Nike, in a Wired video explaining the shoe.

You can still take the shoes off even if the battery dies, with the company equating the process of removing them to that of pulling off as a low-top shoe.

While many will consider the HyperAdapt's to be a cool gimmick, Nike clearly thinks there is more to the technology. "For performance, just being able to adjust it on the fly," Beers says. "The beginning of a marathon versus the end of a marathon, your feet swell, there's sweat. Your environment is always changing in sports."

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"Initially you have control of it (adjusting the laces), being able to just adjust it by pressing a button quickly," she continues. "But in the future that's going to happen on its own."

Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal

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