Okay Lego...Now You're Just Showing Off

 Back in February my son bought the Lego Atari Video Computer System, and I was blown away. 

And that was just from the picture on the box.

My son set some personal goals and waited until those goals were accomplished before he could put it together. Last week, the his final goal was checked off the list which meant it was time to open the box and put things together. Yesterday he brought up the finished product.

Now Lego is just showing off.

The controller joystick works, it comes with three computer games you can insert into the game (don't know if it requires blowing on them, or if that's just Nintendo...), and the toggles actually toggle. But, the coolest thing about the Lego set is the secret compartment that produces a diorama of life as it once was.

You pull back the top of the game and the little scene appears. It has items found in a typical room where the Atari Video Computer System would be, complete with green carpeting. Yes, I remember the 70s well.

I've been impressed with what comes from the Lego Company, and not just because it's founded and based in Denmark. Those who made this particular set sure knew their audience.

And that audience was me.

Your Own Personal Astroids Machine...Turning Back Time

I spotted the machine a few weeks ago, but the crowds at Costco kept me from it. This morning, however, I arrived early to buy things completely unassociated with this item. Because there were so few people in the store, I was able to draw close, and even give it a try.

Instantly I was a pre-teen in the Farmington A/G store with my childhood friends, lining up quarters, finally able to play my favorite video game.

I mean, I have no idea how many Astroids video game consoles they built in the late 1970s--I would suspect millions. I'll bet if I looked on-line I could find an operating machine from that time, one that requires quarters to work, one that has the original Atari name--the world's first great video game manufacturer--proudly displayed for all to see.

The thing at Costco costs $200. There's a question about who exactly is this marketed for? Is it for kids? Most likely not. For kids this is like preferring a Sony Walkman over their smartphone. No, I'm their target audience. Which brings up another question--if it's for aging video gamers who were born before the invention of Pong, why is it so small? It it weren't raised up a foot or so, I would have had to bend down to play it.

I don't know. Maybe it's for aging video gamers who think it would be a great gift for their kids (or grandkids...), but really they want to play it themselves. And I wonder how many of the units they've moved since it first hit the sales floor.

Of course, I did not buy it. I've got an infinite number of games available on my phone or the laptop on which I'm typing this blog post. Still, there was something about seeing the most basic of computer effects, the feeling of the hard plastic buttons responding to my touch. Turns out there's a price to have a piece of your childhood returned to you.

It's $199.99, plus tax.