LEGO has officially announced the brick-built Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and it looks class.
The replica of the 1985 classic console will also include a buildable 1980's retro TV. It features an 8-bit Mario on a scrollable screen that recreates a level from Super Mario Bros. The TV has a crank that scrolls the screen through the level.
LEGO and Nintendo teamed up earlier this year to create interactive Super Mario-themed sets. If the LEGO Mario from the Super Mario Bros. Starter Course is used in conjunction with the TV, the iconic music and sounds will play when Mario comes up against enemies and obstacles.
The 2,646-piece LEGO NES, which combines traditional building and digital technology, will be released on 1st August 2020 for €229. It includes a controller with a connecting cable and a plug. There is even an opening slot for the Super Mario Bros. game cartridge to slide in and lock into place.
NES Nostalgia
"2020 marks the 35th anniversary of the Nintendo Entertainment System and we're feeling a little nostalgic," said Jonathan Bennink, Lead Designer of the LEGO Group. "We are excited to unveil the new LEGO NES."
"Many adults still fondly remember that first time they saw Mario leap across the small screen, even if the graphics were a lot simpler than they are today," said Marteen Simons, Creative Lead on LEGO NES. "With the LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System, we’re letting them truly indulge in that nostalgia, recreating one of the most-loved consoles of all time so they can see the Super Mario from their childhoods once again – and even to share the experience of gaming in the 1980s with their own children."
The LEGO NES looks cool but it's pricey enough. Is the nostalgia and interactive nature enough to warrant splashing over 200 quid on the buildable classic console?
