Lego just delivered the ultimate nostalgia trip with its $60 Nintendo Game Boy set, complete with clickable buttons, spinning dials, and lenticular screen animations that fool friends into asking if it actually plays games. But while designer Carl Merriam nailed the 1:1 scale and tactile experience, one glaring omission stands out - the screen's gray background instead of that iconic green glow that defined portable gaming.
The $60 price point might seem steep for 1,330 plastic bricks, but Lego's engineering team has created something remarkable - a Game Boy that feels authentic in your hands while delivering the satisfying building experience the Danish company is famous for. Designer Carl Merriam's attention to detail shows in every tile placement, from the perfectly proportioned D-pad to the satisfyingly snappy power switch that uses Technic pegs for that authentic click.
The set's crown jewel is its lenticular screen technology, featuring three interchangeable panels that create motion when you tilt the device. Mario jumps, the Nintendo logo cascades, and waves crash on Koholint Island from The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. It's enough visual trickery to momentarily fool onlookers into thinking you're holding a functioning Game Boy - a testament to Lego's commitment to authenticity.
But that authenticity hits a puzzling roadblock with the screen's gray background. The original 1989 Game Boy's iconic green-tinted LCD display was as much a part of its identity as the chunky gray case, yet Lego chose to print their lenticular panels on gray backing. For a company that included a functional "battery backup" in the Link's Awakening cartridge and color-matched interior button membranes you'll never see, this feels like an inexplicable oversight.
The build experience reveals Lego's mastery of modular engineering. Rather than stacking bricks randomly, you're constructing springy face buttons using rubber bands, installing a D-pad with a satisfying rubber nub underneath, and even building a tiny speaker with yellow "wire" details behind the grille. Start and Select buttons are cleverly constructed from car tire pieces, while the power switch mechanism delivers that perfect snap that defined countless childhood gaming sessions.
Compared to fan creations like Lego Masters Australia finalist Nick Lever's version, the official set demonstrates why Lego commands premium prices. Where fan builds often sacrifice proportions for structural integrity, version maintains the original's exact dimensions while adding fully functional controls and hidden Easter eggs throughout.
