Here’s Nintendo’s official statement:
“Throughout April, NOA territories will receive the last shipments of Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition systems for this year. We encourage anyone interested in obtaining this system to check with retail outlets regarding availability. We understand that it has been difficult for many consumers to find a system, and for that we apologize. We have paid close attention to consumer feedback, and we greatly appreciate the incredible level of consumer interest and support for this product.”
This $6o.00 plug-n-play console that includes 30 classic NES games was released last November, and has been almost impossible to get a hold of since. Supply issues have kept many from being able to purchase the console, let alone actually find one online or in stores.
“NES Classic Edition wasn’t intended to be an ongoing, long-term product,” explained a Nintendo rep to IGN. “However, due to high demand, we did add extra shipments to our original plans.”
Despite the death of the NES Mini, it’s very possible we’re going to get a successor.
Sources close to Eurogamer have apparently disclosed that a SNES (Super Nintendo) Mini is happening this year.
The new mini console is supposedly set to release sometime around Christmas 2017, and is already in development.
…
So, yeah. Nintendo released a wildly popular and hard-to-find micro console, stops production after five months, and is now rumored to be making a new one later this year.
If that sounds ridiculous, it’s because it is. So many passionate Nintendo fans were unable to find an NES mini, outside of paying three times its retail value through scalpers, and now they never will.
Maybe Nintendo really never did intend the NES Mini to be a long-term product, rather just a holiday toy meant to hold fans over until the release of the Switch. But that being said, the Switch doesn’t even have a Virtual Console yet, and it’s hard to find too.
This whole situation is extremely frustrating, and now it might happen all over again. Nintendo releases the SNES Mini, few can find it, they end production. Rinse and repeat.
I love my NES Mini, and the very thought of a tiny console that has Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, or Earthbound already loaded on it is extremely exciting, but unless Nintendo learns from past mistakes and creates a supply that meets the super demand, I’m dreading having to hunt down a SNES Mini.
Help me, Miyamoto. You’re my only hope.
