LEGO: New retro console launches next month – and it’s surprisingly affordable

Retro consoles are currently a popular theme for LEGO, especially with the LEGO Game Boy. The company’s Atari 2600 and NES sets also appear to have gone down well with collectors. Now, LEGO has announced another retro console: this time, it is the SEGA Mega Drive. Its release is just around the corner, on June 1.

The price is likely to be the main point of interest. At just $39.99, the LEGO SEGA Mega Drive is considerably cheaper than previous retro console sets. With 479 pieces, it is naturally smaller as well, but it can still be classified as a mid-sized set overall. The finished model measures over 1.5 inches high, 6 inches wide and 4.5 inches deep, making it fairly compact.

Choice between SEGA Mega Drive and SEGA Genesis

A nice touch: fans can use the set to build either the regular SEGA Mega Drive, as it is known in Japan and Europe, or the SEGA Genesis, which was sold in the US. The two consoles are very similar in shape but differ in a few details.

On Reddit, the SEGA Mega Drive set has been met with mostly positive feedback, especially regarding the price. However, many users would apparently have been willing to pay a little more for a larger set. The biggest point of criticism is the controllers, which appear to be fairly basic.

By the way: A LEGO PlayStation 1 set is also currently rumored for later this year.