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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.
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.