LEGO goes old-school with realistic Nintendo Entertainment System set

A day after the LEGO Group teased an upcoming Nintendo collaboration that would be a lot more retro than their current Bluetooth-enabled Mario sets, fans are getting a lot more details on the all-LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System.

That’s right, the classic NES is getting the LEGO treatment in all its nostalgic glory — from a controller you can connect to games you can (and should) blow on. As authentic as this thing looks, just wait until it’s hooked up to the LEGO TV and the crank is turned. Then 8-bit (or 8-brick) gaming happens like never before.

LEGO announced the set with a video showcasing the set in action:

According to a release, the 2,646-piece set will also interact with the aforementioned Bluetooth Marios (when set atop the '80s era TV set) to provide sound effects to the mechanically powered Super Mario Bros. gameplay in real time. Coins, mushrooms, and fire flowers will sound just like fans remember as Mario traverses World 1-1. Just avoid the little LEGO Goombas.

“Super Mario has been a cherished figure in the gaming world for over thirty years now,” said Maarten Simons, Creative Lead on LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System. “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 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.” 

And just look at these details:

The $229.99 set (which includes the console, controller, TV, and game) hits stores on Aug. 1.