A 1:1-scale replica of one of the most tangible pieces of video game nostalgia.
A little over a year ago, Lego showed off its first ever kit for Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda franchise, one that lets you build one of the woodland environments that adventuring hero Link walks through. For the next team-up between the two companies, though, Lego’s designers are recreating the Nintendo video game experience from the player’s perspective, with an awesomely accurate Lego Game Boy.
The design fidelity extends to the size, as this is a 1:1-scale replica of Nintendo’s handheld system that changed the industry when it was released in 1989. Measuring 14 x 9 x 3 centimeters (5.5 x 3.5 x 1.2 inches), the dimensions should feel very familiar to anyone who grew up with a Game Boy in their hands, or who’s familiar with the hardware as a current-era retro gamer.
Included in the 421-piece set are a pair of replica cartridges, or “Game Paks,” as Nintendo called them, for two of the platform’s most memorable titles: Super Mario Land, one of the Game Boy’s launch titles, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, which opened a lot of eyes to the full potential of handheld gaming in terms of scale, complexity, and artistry.
Some might argue that Tetris is the true quintessential Game Boy experience, but Nintendo most likely wanted the Lego Game Boy set to showcase titles that it developed entirely in-house. Featuring the Mario and Zelda franchises also makes for cooler artwork for the bundled screen pieces.
In a particularly clever bit of design, these pieces don’t attach to the outer surface of the Lego Game Boy. Instead, they fit underneath a clear plastic covering that serves as the replica’s substitute for a glass monitor, preserving the overall visual effect of the actual system. There’s even a piece for the Nintendo logo that appeared as the startup screen when you turned the system’s power on.
Other impressive touches include the fact that the D-pad, start, select, and A and B buttons are all pressable, and even the volume and screen contrast dials on the sides of the unit are accounted for. It’s all so accurate that it’s actually a little unnerving seeing the kit in mid-build, since it looks like an actual electronic device is in inoperable pieces.
The Lego Game Boy set goes on sale October 1, but preorders are set to open July 25 through the Lego online store, priced at US$59.99 through the U.S. page here and 9,280 yen through the Japanese one here.
Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Lego
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