In honor of Atari’s 50th anniversary, LEGO and the gaming company celebrate the occasion by turning an iconic console into buildable bricks you can proudly display at home. This new retro gaming set recreates the Atari 2600, a four-switch version of the Atari Video Computer System that came out in 1977.
However, LEGO opted to bring the 1980 revision to life instead of the 1977 original model—with 2,532 pieces to assemble. (You were a few pieces shy of 2,600, LEGO!) The LEGO Atari 2600 accurately recreates the console’s design, including game cartridges for iconic games Adventure, Asteroids, and Centipede.
The console gets that woodgrain effect set to black bricks and includes movable switches and even a port to insert the cartridges. LEGO went the extra mile and added a port to plug the Atari 2600 joystick. (No, LEGO-built RF adapter here, though.)
LEGO included diorama scenes for each of the cartridges, though. The Adventure cartridge gets the iconic dragon and caste from the game. Asteroids’ cartridge has a spaceship blasting space rocks. And the Centipede cartridge aptly features a centipede.
There’s a secret compartment hiding a Lego diorama of an ’80s gaming scene. Slide open the top panel to see a Lego Minifigure playing Asteroids on a CRT TV. You’ll see a boombox in the corner, a VHS cassette, posters, and a rather large wall-mounted telephone, among other retro artifacts.
This isn’t LEGO’s first attempt at recreating a retro console. It introduced a LEGO version of the classic Nintendo NES console around two years ago, complete with a CRT TV.
And yes, I’m aware the company is banking on that nostalgia for the adults who grew up on these consoles to pick one up. I can’t help but admire it and secretly want one.
The LEGO Atari 2600 set will be available on August 1 at LEGO Stores and through this link for USD 239.99.
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