Get ready to be transported back to a wood-paneled basement where the music from ’80s video games bounces off the walls. LEGO’s latest “Adults Welcome” kit is the Atari 2600 VCS (Video Computer System). The 2,532 pieces build the console, joystick, and game cartridges for classics Centipede, Asteroids, and Adventure. The cartridges also convert into a little scene from each game.
When you slide open the console, another set flips into place. It’s a minifigure (in an Atari shirt of course) playing Atari in a wood-paneled rec room. The nostalgia is so visceral, you can almost hear that famous Atari music. The set goes on sale August 1, 2022 and will cost $239.99
In the company’s announcement, LEGO designer and lifelong Atari fan Chris McVeigh says, “The Atari 2600 was one of the most memorable gifts I got as a kid. I recall spending hours and hours in front of the TV, absolutely amazed that I could play arcade games in my own home. We hope that building this classic console takes you back to those halcyon days when a handful of pixels meant a world of adventure.”
It truly was a different time. And even though Atari’s newer consoles retain some of the same detailing as the classics, there’s obviously been a huge jump in technology. For example, the Atari 2600 debuting in 1980 had a switch to toggle between color or black and white TVs. That detail is preserved in the LEGO version.
Even if you sided with Nintendo in the Console Wars, LEGO has you covered. They previously released an original NES console LEGO set, which even included a LEGO 1980s era TV set to connect it to.
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.
