Lego teases buildable NES set following leaks

Lego teases buildable NES set following leaks

Lego will offer a retro gaming fix with its Nintendo Entertainment System set on Aug. 1, the company revealed Tuesday. It'll include 2,646 pieces and cost around $229. 

The set consists of an NES console (nonfunctioning, unfortunately), a CRT TV with Super Mario Bros.' World 1-1 playing on the screen, a controller and a game cartridge.

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A little crank can be used to move Mario along the screen, and you can scan an "action brick" that comes with the upcoming Lego Super Mario set (also out on Aug. 1) to make the big figure react as his onscreen counterpart moves through the level.

"Super Mario has been a cherished figure in the gaming world for over 30 years now," Maarten Simons, the set's creative lead, said in a release.

"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. With the Lego NES, we're letting them truly indulge in that nostalgia, re-creating 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 set will initially be exclusive to Lego's stores and website, but will show up in other stores from 2021.

It got an unofficial reveal on Monday, when Chinese website VJGamer leaked images.

If you want to play some actual NES games, you'll have to get yourself an NES Classic. Switch owners can also subscribe to the $20-a-year Nintendo Switch Online service to gain access to a retro library.