Lego Should Remake These Classic Game Consoles Next

Lego released its take on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 2020, and it appears the company is planning to keep releasing sets based on iconic retro video game systems, as the Atari 2600 set is now available, as well. Both look incredible, and they naturally got us thinking about what’s yet to come. These are the video game systems Lego should remake next, including a few more from the house that Mario built as well as a couple oddities.

SNES

An obvious pick, yes, but one we’d love to see nonetheless, is the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The SNES released several years after the NES and featured some design changes, including a less-complex cartridge system on the top rather than inside the console. This would not only make it an easier build than the NES, but would also give the Lego system more room for Easter eggs. If Lego could somehow figure out a way to make a new gameplay loop for the NES version’s television set so that those with both sets could swap between them and not have to build another TV, it would be even better.

The SNES is a boxy console, which would make it an easier conversion to Lego, but it also has those big purple power and reset switches on top. Getting those working correctly–meaning a hard click on one and a springy resistance on the other–would really make the set special.

Virtual Boy

The Virtual Boy is one of the worst video game systems ever made–it’s certainly the worst one Nintendo produced. And yet, despite its terrible and tiny game lineup, its headache-inducing design, its lack of actual portability, and its hideous controller, there’s a nostalgic appeal to it today. A Lego version would certainly be the most difficult of any system on this list, but if done well, it could be an absolute must-have.

Because of the original Virtual Boy’s design, the Lego version would probably have to use a metal stand, or one made of an extremely strong plastic. After that, the most important component would be the display in the headset itself. Obviously this couldn’t be a real screen, but remember those View-Master toys that let you see different pictures by turning a dial? There are your different game “screenshots.” Now stop looking before it gives you a headache.

GameCube

The little lunchbox that could may not have sold all that well, but its design is iconic, functional, and perfect for a Lego set. The GameCube, a relatively small console by today’s standards, looked more like a toy than just about any Nintendo system to come before or after it. Its purple design, big handle, and tiny game discs all stood in contrast to its competitors, and though it couldn’t keep up on the sales front, it has a special place in our heart.

Obviously, features like the handle and working controller and memory card ports are essential, but we’d also love for the set to include a replica game disc–perhaps Super Smash Bros. Melee–complete with a functional eject button. There’s no need for a TV with the GameCube set, but we have another idea: a battery-powered speaker in the console that plays the GameCube’s iconic startup jingle.

Dreamcast

After taking Nintendo head-on with the Genesis in the early ’90s, Sega hardware efforts began to falter, and the Dreamcast ended up being the last console it produced before becoming a third-party game developer. That wasn’t really the Dreamcast’s fault, however, and despite releasing before the PS2, Xbox, or GameCube, it still had a few really innovative features the others didn’t have.

Chief among them was the Visual Memory Unit, a small device that could be used as a game system on its own or as a second-screen accessory with the Dreamcast. This made it the ideal way to play something like NFL 2K, as you could call plays without your friend seeing them on the bigger screen. It would certainly make for a unique element in a Lego version, particularly if you could take it out of the controller and actually see or change something on the Lego-fied screen.

Xbox

The system that turned Microsoft from a bunch of nerds making Windows into a full-fledged gaming giant, the original Xbox was very much a product of its time. Enormous, with a black-and-green design and the famous bulky “Duke” controller, it wanted you to know you were playing games on a powerhouse, and with a game like Halo: Combat Evolved, it was. It would make for a very interesting Lego build, as the system curves at the edges, almost like it’s struggling to contain its massive gaming power, and there a few very flashy logos on the console.

It would have to be a pretty big, especially if made in scale with the other Lego consoles, but you wouldn’t want to downplay all that early 2000s goodness with a smaller size. Add in a working disc drive complete with a copy of a launch game (I vote for Shrek), and you have a real winner.

Xbox 360 (first model)

Yes, the Xbox 360’s launch model was a very poorly designed console that had extremely high failure rates–primilarly caused by failing solder joints from rapidly heating and cooling the system–but it sure was a pretty console. Ditching the, well, boxy design of the original Xbox, the Xbox 360’s first version was concave and primarily meant for vertical orientation. It was quite ergonomic at a time when many game consoles weren’t, letting you easily replace the faceplate and even swap the hard drive out for another one without disassembling it.

Of course, both of these features make it ideal for the Lego treatment, and Lego could even design a little wireless network adaptor to plug into the back, as the first Xbox 360 model didn’t have built-in Wi-Fi. What would take this over the top would be a Red Ring of Death accessory. Yes, it would make Microsoft look bad, at least a little, but the company hasn’t shied away from acknowledging its failures with the system over the last few years.

PS3 (first model)

Sure, the PS5 is a pretty goofy-looking system and the PS4 Pro’s Big Mac design would have been good choices, as well, but there’s something glorious about the enormous and feature-packed PS3. The first model, released in 2006, was extremely expensive and didn’t have much storage space, but it did have a plethora of ports, including USB and card readers. And since it still had PS2 backward compatibility at this point, it would make sense for Lego to include a PS2 disc alongside a PS3 one.

The real fun with this set, however would be the controllers. Sony infamously included a Sixaxis controller, which featured motion control but lacked the rumble we’d expected for a decade. It later rectified this with the DualShock 3, and it would be a funny nod to this blunder if Lego included two controllers–identical but with only one of them including a rumble motor.

Neo Geo

No, not the AES home console version–that would be too easy. For this set, Lego would have to scale down the Neo Geo MVS, an incredibly innovative arcade system that debuted in the early ’90s and still got new releases up through the early 2000s. The system combined the power of a traditional arcade unit with the flexibility of a console, letting you swap out game cartridges and, depending on the model, have a handful in the system at once to choose between at will. Sporting an iconic and simple red design, it wasn’t the flashiest cabinet in the arcade, but it sure was the coolest (and a big thanks to Retro Ralph for taking the picture above so you can see for yourself).

There are a ton of possibilities for turning the Neo Geo MVS into a Lego system, including adding functional (and clicky) joysticks and buttons, as well as a coin slot button and a memory card slot. But the real kicker on this Lego set would be letting you open up the back, revealing the big cartridge slots with room for games like Metal Slug and Fatal Fury. If Lego included the card-swapping marquee from the original so you could pick which games to advertise, it would be even better.