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Nintendo warns it won't make more retro NES and SNES consoles
Just because Nintendo revived the NES Classic doesn't mean you'll have the luxury of buying a retro console whenever you'd like. In a chat with the Hollywood Reporter, the company's Reggie Fils-Aime warned that the NES Classic and SNES Classic will sell in the Americas through the holidays, but will be "gone" once they sell out. If you want to walk down memory lane after that, you'll have to take advantage of the games that come with Switch Online.
We'll never agree which games should be included with retro consoles
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. Comforting yet tantalizingly short-lived, nostalgia has an insidious allure that has long been weaponized by marketers to drive consumers toward purchases that they'd otherwise shun (or often regret immediately after). But, the impact of these associative memories may end up backfiring for Sony and the upcoming release of its PlayStation Classic retro console. Because for nostalgia to actually work, it usually helps if people remember the included titles.
Japan gets golden NES Classic dedicated to old anime games
When Nintendo promised to revive the NES Classic Edition and SNES Classic Editions, we didn't expect the company to do it this way. In celebration of Japanese manga magazine Weekly Jump, Nintendo will release a special gold and red Famicom Mini (NES to Western audiences) preloaded with 20 games that were based on manga from the magazine, as spotted by Kotaku. The mini console will be released in Japan on July 7th. If you really want one, your best bet is probably to keep an eye on eBay, or find a friend abroad.
Nintendo’s Switch is a moneymaking hit and the future looks good
The last time Nintendo opened its books, we learned that the Switch had already sold more in nine months than the Wii U had in its entire lifetime. But it's only natural that after a spike in interest over the holiday period, things would start to slow down. And that's exactly what we're seeing today in Nintendo's latest earnings, marking the end of its financial year. Over the past three months, Nintendo has shifted 2.93 million Switch consoles. That's nowhere near the 7.23 million figure for the three months prior, but it still pushes total sales up to a tasty 17.79 million.
Nintendo Switch sales have surpassed the Wii U
In the weeks following the Nintendo Switch's launch, it became clear that the portable-handheld hybrid would do better than its ill-fated predecessor. What's surprising, however, is just how quickly the system has surpassed the Wii U. Nintendo had a stellar holiday quarter, shifting 7.23 million Switch consoles and bringing lifetime sales to 14.86 million. The Wii U, for comparison, sold 13.56 million total — a paltry sum in comparison to the Wii's 101.63 million units. The question is whether Nintendo can maintain the Switch's hot streak; there isn't much beyond Bayonetta, Kirby and the cardboard-folding Labo for 2018 at the moment.
How the 'Grinch bots' stole Christmas
Resellers have existed since way before the internet. But with the surge of online shopping, they have found the perfect weapon to aid their business: bots, automated software that can add products to a virtual cart and purchase them faster than any human. Even if your browser autofills personal information, like your address and credit card, and it only took you one minute to get to the checkout page -- that's too slow. Bots can buy almost anything in a matter of seconds, which is why they've become the ideal tool for people who make money by snatching up coveted items and selling them on eBay, Amazon and Craigslist for a profit.
Best Buy will have Nintendo's SNES Classic in stores Saturday
If you still don't own an SNES Classic Edition, you'll have a chance to get one tomorrow, November 25th. Best Buy has announced that it will sell Nintendo's mini, retro console in stores across the US starting at 9AM local time. Not surprisingly, you'll have to be at the door early since stock will be limited. There's going to be a cap of one per customer, and Best Buy said in a blog post that it's going to offer a first-come, first-served ticketing system for customers waiting in line.
The Analogue Super Nt is Nintendo's SNES Classic for grown-ups
Just as the NES Classic Edition broke ground before the SNES Classic, Analogue is also following up on Nintendo's wallet-grab on our childhood memories with another premium, no-compromise mini console that plays the gaming carts of yesteryear, and solves some of our issues with the official miniature SNES. This is all, however, for a premium price. Naturally.
8BitDo brings its wireless controllers to the SNES Classic
The SNES Classic is a cute microconsole with a hell of a selection of games. While it's a pretty accurate recreation of the original number, and its controller cords are indeed longer than the NES Classic Edition that preceded it, the modern convenience of wireless controllers is hard to beat. The good news is that if you ordered up one of 8BitDo's wireless SNES-styled gamepads and have last year's Retro Receiver, it'll work with the miniature 16-bit console in a pinch. Don't have one? Then the company has something new, just for you -- the SN30, a 2.5G wireless controller built specifically for the SNES Classic Edition.
SNES Classic Edition review: Worth it for the games alone
The success of last year's NES Classic Edition clearly took Nintendo by surprise. The company was completely incapable of meeting demand, leaving many people unable to buy what became the must-have gift of the holiday season. Now Nintendo has given its SNES the Classic Edition treatment and promises it's going to build way more than it did last year. Having grown up with the SNES (OK, we had a Sega Genesis and my best friend had SNES), it's easy to assume that everyone knows what it is and why people are so excited that it's back. After dominating the 8-bit era with the NES, Nintendo came late to the party with its sequel. The SNES launched in '90 in Japan, '91 in the US and '92 in the UK. The Genesis had a two-year head start in almost every country, but Nintendo's second-generation home console was worth the wait. The SNES arrived with Super Mario World and F-Zero, among other titles. The former is regarded as one of the greatest games of all time while the latter had faux-3D graphics with fluidity and speed unseen on a console before. For the next five years or so, some special games graced the system: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Kart, Metroid, Final Fantasy III, Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, Star Fox. I could go on, but essentially, short of Sonic and a few other Sega exclusives, Nintendo destroyed the competition in terms of quality, with dozens of games that have stood the test of time. That puts the SNES Classic in different territory than its predecessor, which, nostalgia aside, featured many games that, for obvious reasons, aren't up to modern standards. While I utterly adore Metroid, trying to introduce someone to the original today is tough. But nearly all the games Nintendo has included in its latest console are as enjoyable today as they were when they were first released.
Nintendo's NES Classic Edition is coming back in 2018
Despite announcing it was game over for the NES Classic Edition earlier this year, Nintendo now says that due to demand, it plans to ship the product into 2018. Shipment timings are yet to be announced, but this is big news for fans who thought they were going to miss out after the console began disappearing from store shelves. And in responding to fan enthusiasm, more units of the Super NES Classic Edition will ship on its upcoming 29 September launch day in the US than were shipped of NES Classic Editions throughout the entirety of last year. The system will retail for $80/£80 and features 21 legendary Super NES games such as Super Mario World, Super Metroid and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
SNES-inspired 3DS XL hits Europe in October
Miss out on the SNES Classic pre-orders that went up (and promptly sold out) overnight? Nintendo has a consolation prize for you. Sort of. The storied game-maker will release a Super Nintendo-themed 3DS XL this October 13th. There's a catch though: It'll only be available in Europe. As Polygon notes, last year Japan got a Super Famicom-styled 3DS XL, and it still hasn't made its way to our shores. But given that the Super Famicom itself was exclusive to Japan, that makes sense. The same can't be said for the SNES one. We've reached out to Nintendo for more information and will update this post should it arrive.
Nintendo's second 'Classic' console is better, but not perfect
When Nintendo announced that the already impossible to find NES Classic Edition was going out of production, there were two reactions: outrage that the company could introduce such a popular product and fail to meet demand, and curiosity -- why would Nintendo kill off the most popular throwback console ever made? The official line is that it was never intended to be a long-term product, but in the months that followed, you had to wonder if the original retro console was merely discontinued to make way for a sequel: The Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition. Now, that console is almost ready to hit the market, and Nintendo promises that it will make up for the original's shortcomings. The company expects to ship "significantly more" of the new console than the original. And we hope it does -- because if the short preview we had with the console last week is any indication, it's going to sell just as fast as its predecessor.
SNES Classic will be available for pre-order this month, honest
The SNES Classic has already had a tumultuous history, and it was only officially announced last month. But now, Nintendo has confirmed (really for real) that the system will actually (really) be available for pre-order later in August.
The SNES Classic is real, arrives on September 29th for $80
The delicious rumors are true: Nintendo is gearing up to launch the SNES Classic, a miniaturized version of the glorious original Super Nintendo Entertainment System. According to Nintendo's Twitter account, the system will be available on September 29th with 21 games built-in -- including the never-released Star Fox 2.
