Breakout the Space Invaders and load up Frogger, iconic Danish toymaker LEGO has unveiled a brand new set based on the iconic game console Atari 2600. A dive back into the gaming archives, the new set celebrates the legendary piece of history that popularised microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable cartridges. Forever altering how players interacted with titles, the Atari 2600 paved the way for how modern console gaming is today.
LEGO Atari 2600 Set | Image: LEGO
To honour its legacy, the toy maker has come up with its own LEGO Atari 2600 buildable set comprising 2,532 pieces and featuring buildable game cartridges of Asteroids, Adventure, andCentipede. Best of all, you can place the cartridges in a buildable game holder, and every cartridge has an alternate build that allows you to construct images from that specific game. According to the official product description, LEGO’s latest endeavour is designed to deliver a nostalgic hit for adults and a new wave of fun for kids.
“Take a trip back to the 1980s with this LEGO Atari 2600 building set for adults,” the toymaker wrote. “Enjoy a rewarding project creating all the details of this replica console, game cartridges and joystick. Gaming fans will love the three mini builds depicting themes from three popular Atari games. There’s even a hidden 1980s scene to build for total nostalgia overload.”
The new set belongs to the LEGO Icons line and it comes with the 18+ age rating which makes sense since it is designed solely for display and nostalgic purposes. While you can’t enjoy any classic titles on it, the set is still a work of art and does justice to the console’s legacy.
LEGO Atari 2600 Set | Image: LEGO
The devil is definitely in the detail here, with LEGO clearly putting a lot of thought into the set. The subtlest of elements have been taken care of, from the joystick on the controller that mimics the movement of the actual Atari joystick to the side view of a gaming room straight from the early 1980s which can be viewed by sliding open the front of the system.
A Minifigure can be seen enjoying video games on a CRT television and the room is also decorated with a boom box, VHS tape, and some posters from that time. There’s even a hidden Easter Egg for everyone to find in the Atari 2600 LEGO set which pays tribute to the fact that the Adventure game was among the first video games to contain an Easter egg. That’s just the tip of the iceberg and there’s plenty of fun to be had. For those looking to get their hands on one of these, the Atari 2600 LEGO set is currently available on the official LEGO website for USD$239.99 (AU$369.99).
LEGO Atari 2600 Set | Image: LEGO
LEGO Atari 2600 Set | Image: LEGO
LEGO Atari 2600 Set | Image: LEGO
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