A few weeks ago we joined the echo chamber of criticism against Nintendo for poorly managing the pre-order launch of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic. A reselling of your childhood, but you know cool and mini. Now it appears the demands of the internet have not fallen on deaf ears. Tuesday, Nintendo announced an extension of SNES Classic shipments through 2018 with additional units to ship on launch day, September 29, 2017.
Nintendo’s official press release stated, “In addition, more units of Super NES Classic Edition will ship on its Sept. 29 launch day in the U.S. than were shipped of NES Classic Edition all last year, with subsequent shipments arriving in stores regularly.”
The company offered no exact numbers or an answer on if retailers would be allowed to take more pre-orders for the incoming inventory. Nintendo COO Reggie Fils-Aimé offered the explanation of low inventory for retro consoles being a misread of consumer data. Low sales of existing retro hardware led Nintendo to believe there wouldn’t be much demand for their products. Reggie also encouraged fans not to pay scalper prices, and committed the company to making sure everyone that wants one won’t have to pay more than $79.99 (plus tax) by the time the production run ends.
In addition to the SNES, Nintendo will also bring back, the impossible to get for less than your house, NES Mini. The system will be available again in Summer of 2018. NES Classic Edition features 30 NES games such as the original Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong. The hardware will be the exact same as the existing NES Mini, meaning any resellers trying to boast “original run” will be meaningless. More details on availability will be announced closer to Summer 2018.
Could this be another Nintendo “reassurance?” Maybe. At the very least Nintendo has acknowledged the problem. That’s a step in the right direction towards going away from treating their business like collectible toys in the 90’s versus a video game company in 2017. While there’s still going to be a big eBay market for SNES Classic during the busy holiday season, it does at least give consumers more chances to get one without taking out a bank loan. The return to production for the NES Mini is a welcome surpise, though it comes as little solace to those who have already paid markup in the aftermarket. Enough doom & gloom, good on Nintendo for finally acting like a company that enjoys making money.
