The set ash2,532 pieces, and when you open it up, you can see a living room from the 1980s.
Even the cheapest and slowest game consoles of today can handle high-definition 3D graphics that were unimaginable a few decades ago. But Lego has something for people who remember when video game graphics were just a bunch of colorful, abstract blobs.
A new 2,532-piece set re-creates the 1980-era, four-switch version of the venerable Atari Video Computer System (VCS), later known as the Atari 2600. The kit comes with a moving joystick, three-game cartridges that can be put into the system or into an ’80s-style brown storage rack, and other throwback details. The cheap wood-grain texture on the front of the console has been lovingly recreated with Lego bricks.
The Lego Atari 2600 comes out on August 1 for $239.99.
The Atari 2600 set is similar to the Nintendo Entertainment System set from a few years ago, which had 2,646 pieces. But while that console came with a fake TV set with a 2D version of Super Mario Bros that you could actually scroll through, the Atari 2600 kit comes with a 1980s living room that pops out of the console and miniature scenes of the game Centipede, the game Asteroids, and the game Adventure.
The Lego Atari 2600 is just the latest set made for kids who used to like Legos. Other kits with thousands of pieces that appeal to nostalgia include a replica NES, a miniature version of Super Mario 64, a lovingly made typewriter with working keys, and a Lego Optimus Prime that can change into a Lego truck.
Through affiliate programs, Ars Technica may get a cut of any sales that come from links in this post.
Picture from The Lego Group