Perhaps a little jealous of the Nintendo Entertainment System's Lego-fication, Atari has now volunteered one of its most popular and famous home computer systems to be recreated by the famous brick builders: the Atari 2600.
The new Atari 2600 Lego set is part of Lego's Icons series, which also includes kits to build Rome's Colosseum, the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery, and Optimus Prime. It's a real mixed bag. There's even a replica of the Adidas Originals Superstar shoe.
The Atari 2600 is set to join that star-studded line-up on August 1 for $240. The Lego kit looks damn near identical to the real deal, down to the smart black and wood finish, but it's not only a replica of the console itself.
The set also comes with compact scenes depicting the system's most famous games—Asteroids, Adventure, and Centipede—and the joystick and switches actually feel like the real deal. Once again, Lego has outdone itself.
It's been a long time coming since the announcement of Lego's NES replica; the Atari 2600 is so deserving of a spot in Lego's Icons series as a forerunner for gaming as we know it today.
The Atari 2600 (née Atari VCS) was Atari at its prime. It was already the king of arcades, but with the release and continued success of the Atari 2600, it was also the king of at-home gaming. In its 15-year lifetime—1977 to 1992—Atari sold millions of the system, and while the good times wouldn't last for the company, there are plenty of gamers out there today that can thank Atari and this very system for their first experience of gaming nirvana.
Best gaming monitor: Pixel-perfect panels for your PC
Best high refresh rate monitor: Screaming quick screens
Best 4K monitor for gaming: When only high-res will do
Best 4K TV for gaming: Big-screen 4K PC gaming
I'll admit the Atari 2600 was a little before my time. Though I did own a replica of the Atari 2600's joystick with a bunch of the system's best games installed on it, like Asteroids and Missile Command. That thing was awesome.
Just last week I went into a Lego store and felt a sudden wash of childhood nostalgia, so I'm excited to see how this Lego Atari 2600 looks in-person. If any company can reignite the feeling of actually using these long-missing consoles for those that used them, Lego is definitely it.
