If you’re a gamer (and especially if you’re a Nintendo fan), then the NES Classic should need little introduction. This officially licensed down-sized version of the original Nintendo Entertainment System was a smash hit, though unfortunately the Japanese company seems to have underestimated demand and wasn’t prepared to keep these in stock for very long.
The NES Classic quickly sold out everywhere, which in turn became a fiasco when scalpers started buying them up and reselling them for hundreds on eBay. For various reasons, Nintendo was slow to catch up to the demand for these mini consoles, but the company reassured hungry gamers that it would ramp up production and get them back on the shelves in 2018. Nintendo has lived up to that promise, and if you’ve been waiting for one, then you’ve finally got another chance — just in time for the holidays.
It’s not hard to see why the tiny console became such a huge success: Despite the ready availability of emulators and Raspberry Pi-based homemade emulation machines, the NES Classic is a bona fide Nintendo product, boasting all of the build quality that the brand is known for. The fact that it comes with an old-school NES controller is just icing on the cake.
The small unit bears the shape and design of the original “toaster” console, although with pre-installed games, you no longer have to blow into cartridges to get the stupid pin connectors to work. The NES Classic comes loaded with 30 of the best titles from the 8-bit era, including icons like Super Mario Bros. 3, Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby’s Adventure, Castlevania, Mega Man 2, and Final Fantasy, to name only a handful of our own favorites.
The NES Classic is back in stock at multiple outlets at its original launch price of $60. Retailers offering it online are Walmart, GameStop, Target, and Best Buy — and thankfully, most are limiting orders to one per customer to discourage scalpers. Amazon is also reporting that it will have it Buy Now , but you may need to take advantage of two-day shipping (which is free if you’re a Prime member) to get it by Christmas.
Looking for more great stuff? Find Nintendo deals and more on our curated deals page, and be sure to follow us on Twitter for regular updates.
