The Lego Console wars heat up with the new Lego Atari 2600
Lego's latest nostalgia-prodding model for gamers is a beautiful recreation of the Atari 2600.
For a while, the Nintendo Entertainment System was the only game console that you could build out of the pieces of an official Lego set - but it’s now got company in the form of a new Lego Atari 2600.
Revealed today but rumored for many months, the new Lego recreation of one of gaming’s earliest large-scale success stories will hit stores on August 1st to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Atari.
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The set is the latest in Lego’s sets that are aimed at adults and collectors, joining building kits like the Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block, Lego Sonic, a Horizon Zero Dawn Tallneck, a ginormous brick-built Bowser figure, and the previously-mentioned Lego NES.
The console features the unit itself and an iconic Atari joystick, but has a few extra tricks up its sleeve. It includes three cartridges based on Atari classics (Asteroids, Adventure, and Centipede) - but each isn’t just a cart, featuring an optional mini-diorama of the game scenes themselves.
On the console, the switch to choose between a black and white or color TV set even flicks back and forth, just as it did on the real machine. There’s also a side unit where you can store the game carts you’re not using. It tops out at 2532 pieces, and the main console unit is sizable - 33cm wide, 22cm deep, and 8cm high.
It looks like a gorgeous set - and is the latest in a string of Lego sets that appeal to gamers. It’s a boost to fans of both games and Lego, too, after Lego last week rejected a Lego Ideas set based on The Legend of Zelda. In spite of that, it continues to be a good year for Lego and gaming.
The Lego Atari 2600 launches August 1st for a retail price of £209.99 / $239.99. It’ll be available from the online and brick and mortar official Lego Stores.