We reviewed the $150 Xbox 360 made from Lego-like Mega bricks

Have I discussed just lately that I’ve one of the best job on this planet? This week, I spent three and a half hours constructing an Xbox 360 out of Mega Bloks, the Lego-like bricks produced by Mattel.

In September, we introduced you phrase that Goal would solely promote a brick-built $150 Xbox 360 reproduction, full with a gamepad, inner Easter eggs, and a “copy” of Halo 3.

Now, forward of an October eighth debut, I’ve constructed the factor, snapped some hasty pictures, and shot a bit primary video:

It’s a slick set that completely captures the essence of the console — even when it may not stay as much as The Lego Group’s exacting requirements in relation to construct high quality.

Mattel begins you off with an appetizer — the Xbox 360 Wi-fi Gamepad — and it completely illustrates what the whole construct is like.

Execs: Mattel nails the general profile, turns the long-lasting information button, joysticks, and (horrible) D-pad into perfect-match customized components, and lights it up with a button-battery powered gentle brick that glows for eight seconds after you faucet the information button.

The joysticks have smooth, versatile rubber stems that allow you to transfer them round, too. Each half with letters is printed — in contrast to many Lego units, there’s not a single sticker in the whole field.

I additionally love that the controller “doesn’t have energy” once you take away its battery as a result of that’s the place the sunshine brick is put in! Every set off and bumper is printed, the sync button is printed, the charge-and-play port is printed, and there’s even a printed headset jack on the underside.

Cons: The printing high quality is fairly hit-and-miss. The letters don’t line up completely for the legends above the “Again” and “Begin” buttons. The “X” and “Y” aren’t centered on their corresponding face buttons. Some items, just like the D-pad and the triggers, are flimsily connected by a single stud beneath — my D-pad has fallen off 4 occasions already after I’ve bumped it.

I don’t envy the designer who needed to seize the Xbox 360’s delicate curves in brick kind, and I’m a bit in awe. So a lot of them are spot on.

However there are additionally loads of locations Mattel’s blocks don’t line up with each other — typically as a result of the bricks aren’t formed for objective and typically as a consequence of imperfections on the meeting line. An additional little bit of plastic right here, a misprint there; my Xbox energy button‘s etched energy emblem is oh so barely rotated improper.

Mattel covers the Xbox 360 in so, so very many white tiles, and after I squint, it seems to be nice! With them open, I see a great deal of gaps as a result of the tiles have been inconceivable to all line up.

It’d be fairly an effort even when they have been all printed appropriately, partly as a result of the inconsistent clutch energy of Mega Bloks’ studs makes it onerous to seat all of them flush. But in addition, a lot of my “air vent holes” have been barely misprinted, with the black dots too excessive or too low in comparison with each other.

The again of the console is arguably essentially the most trustworthy half — I actually love the easy execution of the recessed ports — however nonetheless, a bunch of mismatched black dots for the vent holes. They’re so shut; I actually surprise why they didn’t comply with via!

Right here’s the place issues get actually neat — in the event you carry off the detachable onerous drive and press a inexperienced button, it’ll pop open a panel so you may peek inside.

I’ll let the pictures inform the story:

In order that’s all fantastic… however all the most important elements are surprisingly annoying to put on the “motherboard,” and admittedly, I’m nonetheless figuring a few of them out.

I’ve moved across the Xbox button and the disc drive spindle a number of occasions, rigorously consulting the instruction guide, however they merely don’t line up fairly the best way it reveals within the photos.

The sport disc doesn’t all the time wish to keep in by itself; typically, the power of pushing down the spindle doesn’t set off the Cortana gentle; and each time I open the console to play with it, some piece inevitably lifts off the motherboard and requires reseating, which isn’t an immediate repair as a result of the motherboard floats in the midst of the console (not in contrast to an actual motherboard), and you may’t merely press down on it.

Mattel did have me erect a sequence of non permanent orange “placeholder” bricks on the again of the motherboard that you could possibly theoretically press towards — however weirdly, the construct by no means had me press towards them throughout building and informed me to take away them earlier than including the outside panels.

As if to make up for a number of the different slipshod printing, Mattel features a really wonderful one: an unbelievable case in your miniature Halo 3 disc, with full cowl artwork printed on massive translucent emerald inexperienced panels. (By no means thoughts that the Xbox 360’s precise circumstances have been a brighter inexperienced; I by no means actually favored the official shade.)

The field seems to be nice, too — frankly, you could possibly confuse it for an official Xbox 360 field in the event you didn’t look carefully.

It comes with a giant disclaimer due to that:

The ultimate contact is one I didn’t anticipate, one which Mattel saves for the final bag of bricks:

Mattel’s $150 Mega Xbox 360 ought to arrive at Goal on October eighth. I additionally shot a timelapse construct video which we’ll be enhancing collectively quickly, if you wish to see what the construct course of is like.

Pictures by Sean Hollister / The Verge