"Nintendo discontinues NES Classic!"
2 min read
“Oh, sometimes I think it is of no use to make friends. They only go out of your life after awhile and leave a hurt that is worse than the emptiness before they came.”
-Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea
Keyboard warriors, unite! Nintendo announced today that they are discontinuing the NES Classic Edition, affectionately known as the NES Mini, unaffectionately known as the needle in the proverbial haystack. While The Well-Red Mage has moved away from being a news-regurgitating blog, I thought I needed to comment on this.
Our first question is: Why, Nintendo? Well… why do you think?
Any amount of conjecture can be offered from the overabundance of implementing ROMs unofficially to their marketing focus switched to the Switch to their simply not caring, like the unfeeling monsters that they are. The fact is we just don’t know but is anyone honestly surprised by this news? Nintendo has stated that the NES Classic was never meant to be an on-going product, which is fair. I don’t see how this’ll keep fingers out of illegal ROM downloading, though, especially since there’s no robust Virtual Console on the Switch still.
Today I finally broke down and bought a NES Classic from a gouger for $170. There were a few cheaper options on Amazon (I stay away from Ebay like the plague) but other sellers selling the product cheaper had single 5-star ratings and were new to the Amazon scene as well. Sketchy. At least this way I’m guaranteed the console from a reputable seller and I don’t need to worry about the price skyrocketing even more now that it’s going to be even harder to find but the downside is… I’m short $170. I didn’t want it to have to come to this.
This is just another notch in the belt of a company who has a long history of creating innovative and amazing products while making bizarre and terrible decisions concerning them. Somewhere, somehow, Sony is laughing.
Disappointedly,
-The Well-Red Mage 
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I’m still like a year behind at this point (catchin up quick!) But $170 dollars (£156) is a punch in the Goombas! XD
Good God Y’all!!! O.o O.o
It really sucks that they discontinued it… I never did get to pick one up. I just figured I wouldn’t bother with lines and all the other craziness and I would get one when things settled down. Now I wish I would’ve pre-ordered one 🙁
I wish I’d pre-ordered one too instead of having to pay a gouger. I’m not certain why Nintendo decided to do this but they disappointed many fans at best and alienated them at worst.
Yeah their decision baffles me… I only hope it’s because something “better” is coming!
I’m so disappointed about this. I waited in line on release day back in November. There were only eight in stock and I was the 9th person in line. Nintendo must hate money.
Exactly what I thought! I woke up at 3am to get in line when I heard my local Target would have a decent shipment. I guess they thought decent was 4 units. I watched the lady in front of me walk out with the last one, saying it was for her grandkid as a stocking stuffer since she was already getting him and iphone >:[
This seems to have simply exacerbated the problem with the low amount initially released. Nintendo shows again that it just doesn’t want the money. Either way, I’m hoping this may suggest in some roundabout way that virtual console on the Switch is on the way (wishful thinking)
Yes, fingers crossed! Maybe they’ll make that kind of announcement soon! Nintendo Direct was somewhat lackluster to me and I wish there’d been more to announce for the Switch.
Well you got emulators
Multiple of them on a dedicated laptop and an original NES anyway. Purchasing this was more about my collection and the official release by Nintendo, rather than access to the games themselves. I own most of them and there are only a few I haven’t ever played. I didn’t choose the collector’s life, the collector’s life chose me.
You really spent $170 on that? I’ve been wanting to get an NES Mini for a while but that’s only a dream at this point. But wait until we see the utter bloodshed if Nintendo ever releases a SNES Mini, they’ll be having Reggie’s head if they screw it up again…though most likely they will.
Indeed I did. After searching for months and getting up at 4am to look for it, I finally broke down and paid a gouger. If there’s ever an SNES Mini, I’m getting it day one this time!
*puts on pink wig and grabs gunblade* Show me the way to Nintendo’s HQ! (IRL isn’t linear so I’m not sure which way to go… 🙂 )
I’m glad you secured one but I’m saddened a greedy reseller gained profit. I honestly believe they will change their minds. A rep said the same thing about certain Amiibo figures back in the day and they made “miraculous” reappearances. Be careful Nintendo. You can’t hold me by the childhood nostalgia forever…
I heard today that they might’ve pulled the product because they’re getting ready to roll out Virtual Console for the Switch. Hopefully! That’d be nice! But you’re absolutely right. They can’t capitalize merely on nostalgia forever.
That would make sense! The NES Classic is way cuter than boring virtual console code though, haha.
It certainly is! And having physical hardware just adds something valuable to the game, like owning and reading a real book versus an ebook.
Exactly! I love having physical copies of everything. It’s just not the same to me if it’s a string of code saved somewhere. I would like to catch a NES Classic before they go extinct, but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t. I see it as more of a novelty since I don’t have much nostalgia for it. Have you heard the rumors about a SNES Classic coming this holiday season? That one I would NEED to have, haha 🙂
I must admit, what surprised me was the way that they built the thing. When you look at the Genesis/Megadrive, the re-release thing that they had was capable fo accepting the cartridges and old pads. As I recall, the NES Classic didn’t accept either, did it? To me, that’s a missed opportunity. Set it up to play the old carts and maybe do a cartridge equivalent of P.O.D. like some film companies do with older DVDs. You keep the classics going then, people can use their old stuff easily, and you get to reignite some older titles.
It did not, you are correct. It’s extremely limited in its capabilities but with its original price tag, essentially the cost of a new modern game, it was a perfect impulse buy in stores. If one could ever find it in stores. The whole fiasco was a missed opportunity on Nintendo’s behalf.
The under stocking was a shame too. It was certainly a good idea on Nintendo’s part, it just wasn’t as well executed as it could have been. They’ve started popping up in second hand stores here now though, albeit at double the price.
Yeah finding one at the original $60 price is like finding the fountain of youth.
I was pretty disappointed to hear about this as well. I totally wanted one of these. Like super badly. Well at least I know someone cool is getting one! I’m excited to hear your thoughts on it!
Aw man I know. I’m glad I could find a decent price as far as the gouging goes but it’s been a nightmare tryin to find this thing. I’ll be sure to write on it and review the games! 🙂
$170 sounds about right for what my wife and I were looking at too. What can you do though, it’s a pretty awesome thing and now, being limited edition, its all the more cooler to have. Congrats! And play the crap outta Metroid and Kid Icarus for me!
Those are two I’ve never beaten so you can rest assured I will beat that crap out of them!
Oh yeah! 😉
“Quick, it’s popular and making money! Kill it quick!”
– Reggie freaked.
Honestly I never got the fervor. For the prices the thing commands one could get the original system, and a ton of games, or even one of the nicer HD ready clones like the RetroAVS which can upscale games internally to a digital signal. Or hell, the original Analogue NT, which used an actual MOS6502 like the NES (and Atari 2600,5200,7800,400,800,XE Commodore 64/128) did. It’s true Nintendo did say it would be a limited time product, but they really should have been more honest about just how few would go around from the outset. Maybe even eschewed retail altogether, and sold them direct one per customer.
In any event, there are better ways to play the classics, and the casual fans will likely forget about the wannabe Flashback, now that their new console is out, and doing gangbusters. I feel for people who wanted one, but at least there are far better options for far less than the $1000 scalper bay scene.
For my part, I’ve got a laptop devoted to tinkering with emulation and I’ve my eye on a few other retro units out there. The NES classic is unique (to my eyes) since it’s officially from Nintendo. I still own an NES that runs quite well but I knew I wanted the mini anyway. So I’ve got a variety of ways to play the classics, indeed, and the mini will be another way to expand that accessibility. I’m happy I didn’t pay $1000!
So now that the Amazon seller cancelled my order without warning I’ll be looking into these products you mentioned…
I’m from England but I presume it will be the same here – I got mine ages ago. I ordered it off Nintendo’s site and it arrived several days prior to its official release! However, if it broke or whatnot I’d still like the option to buy a new one.
I’m guessing Nintendo didn’t expect it to be quite so overwhelmingly popular – it probably assumed there would be limited interest from hardcore nerds. Now with the Switch out, which is in high demand, it’s natural the company would want to focus on that, but given how popular the NES Mini has been Nintendo should be riding on its successes, especially after the Wii U disappointments.
I remember our conversations and I wish I’d done exactly the same thing. I wouldn’t have ended up in the predicament I am today. You can probably still find another if yours broke, for a paltry 300 galactic units…
I will never know why Nintendo didn’t expect the Mini to be a smash hit. This is the console that defined a generation and revived the industry in the West. How could it not sell? They could’ve had a hit in the Switch for modern tech and a hit from the past with the Mini.
Note to self: if they ever make an N64 Classic Edition, buy it immediately.
$170, eh? It’s sad that this is on the low end. Here’s hoping you get $170 worth of joy out of it!
Yeah, I tried to buy this one immediately but could never find it. I saw the box once in real life when the lady in front of me walked out with the last one at Target. It’s definitely sad that $170 is a low price. For that kind of money I’m definitely adding all the other ROMs to it ASAP. I know I’ll get the joy I deserve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHAAAT???!!! I didn’t mean to caps lock you, but 😥😥😥😥😫😫😫😫 is the only other response I can think of. Evil Nintendo. The people shall weep in the streets for you have given them despair with no hope of comfort. Oh woe and alas! *curtain closes*
You were gouged but not quite as badly as I’ve heard. Some parasites were selling it for over $1000, and I don’t even want to talk about the Switch (up to $20k on Amazon, okay I lied).
Well…the one I have is now worth much more. Maybe the big N will increase production of Switches, but I’m not keeping my hopes up for that 😕😒
If you could only use caps lock once in a lifetime, today would be the day to use it. I couldn’t afford much more but we had some tax return money left over. It’s a weird feeling, especially with having a new tiny person to pay for, but my wife and I were comfortable with paying that price. Are you having trouble finding a Switch? I heard WalMart is supposed to be the most reliable source. It’s where a few of my RL friends found their own.
I haven’t really been looking, but I haven’t seen many around for the taking. I went to Target a few weeks ago to ask for one, but that was the day no one appeared in the electronics department, and I just bought an Amiibo. I did just get a PS3 and spent a bunch of money on a Sephiroth figurine so I should probably cool it on the spending for a bit anyway.
Tiny people spend a disproportionate amount of your money. It’s like reverse physics!