UPDATED: 07/19/22: LEGO has now officially unveiled its Atari 2600 set, confirming Promobricks' earlier report. Original story as follows:
The description for a new LEGO set based on the classic Atari 2600 console has been leaked online. Atari's most recent console is the Atari VCS, a relatively niche product that calls back to the company's nostalgic roots with the ability to play many 2600 titles.
LEGO has a long history with video games, starting with original LEGO titles made in the 1990s - such as the original LEGO Island and Legoland game - before moving into games based on the many licenses the company has spotlighted over the years. Series like Star Wars and Indiana Jones have been immortalized in both physical and digital brick form. But LEGO reproductions of pop culture don't just stop at games and movies. Games consoles themselves are far from out of reach, as demonstrated by the highly detailed LEGO NES produced in partnership with Nintendo.
Now details are emerging for the next LEGO console, a replica of the Atari 2600 first announced earlier this year. As reported by VGC, the leak comes via the reputable German LEGO website Promobricks. The leaked product description for the Atari 2600 set indicates that it will contain 2532 parts and cost €239.99. Although exact prices for other regions have yet to be confirmed, this equates to around $243.00 USD. Furthermore, the set is expected to be released on August 1, so an official announcement confirming the details will likely be made in the near future. Meanwhile, LEGO's collaboration with Nintendo is still ongoing, with a giant LEGO model of Bowser due for release this October.
Several details regarding the Atari 2600 set's design have also come to light, including the existence of three accompanying vignettes. LEGO vignettes, for those unaware, are particularly tiny models built on an 8x8 stud base. The Atari 2600 set's vignettes may be particularly notable as they are said to be converted from LEGO models of Atari games cartridges, each for a different classic game; Asteroids, Adventure, and Centipede. Promobricks also states that the model console itself will contain a diorama of an 80s bedroom, complete with a minifig playing on a miniature Atari. This will be revealed by removing a section of the console's top. Naturally, the diorama will only use a model Atari and TV, but interestingly enough one fan has proved it possible to play video games with LEGO; a single brick has become a gaming monitor which allows its creator to play DOOM.
Assuming that this leak proves accurate, this set could be another great gaming-themed LEGO set. The Atari 2600 is a classic console, one which helped to popularise the concept of cartridge games in the first place. As such, immortalizing three of the most popular early cartridge games alongside it is a very clever choice. Of course, it is important to keep in mind that these details are yet to be officially announced, and so it is possible for there to be some inaccuracies in Promobricks' information. However, given the site's reputation, the leaked details of the LEGO set are more likely to be accurate than not.
Sources: LEGO, VGC, Promobricks