The Secret You'll Find Hidden In LEGO's Atari 2600
Atari transformed the gaming industry in 1982 with the release of the Atari 2600 console. With just a simple joystick and one button, it brought arcade titles such as "Pitfall!," "Space Invaders," and "Pac-Man" out of crowded arcades and into gamers' living rooms. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Atari this year, Lego designed a special edition set celebrating the iconic Atari 2600. This wasn't the first Lego console, of course, as Lego previously teamed up with Nintendo to create a Lego NES set in 2020. And much like the NES set, which contained some fun easter eggs of its own, the Atari 2600 comes with more than just a Lego replica of its respective console and controller.
The Atari 2600 set comes with three Lego replica cartridges of "Asteroids," "Adventure," and "Centipede." In addition, the set includes a 3D vignette of each title, with the "Adventure" vignette referencing what many believe to be the first easter egg ever (via Forbes). But now that builders are getting their hands on the Lego Atari 2600, they are pointing out a hidden feature of the Lego set that should make fans of the classic console very happy.
An Atari inside of an Atari
First spotted by IGN, inside the Atari 2600 system is a secret compartment housing a block diorama. To access the compartment, builders must slide back the top of the Lego console, pushing the diorama upwards and into the open.
The diorama itself is a Lego interpretation of an '80s-era room, complete with a classic TV, boom box, and roller skates. The room's one wall is full of small details. For example, there's what looks to be an Indiana Jones and New Wave music poster hanging up in the room, both of which were popular in the '80s. Additionally, the wall is home to a wired telephone, a nearly extinct device in the modern world.
The centerpiece of the diorama, however, is a Lego figure playing "Asteroids" on an Atari 2600 connected to a classic CRT. The Minifigure is a bright-eyed, smiling character wearing an Atari shirt and holding an Atari joystick. This hidden room will undoubtedly bring bonus warm feelings to this already nostalgia-filled set, especially for anyone who grew up gaming in the '80s.