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NES Classic Mini Reviews Are Coming In, But Pre-Orders Are Already Sold Out

By David Cornell
Published on: 06:22 PST, Nov 2, 2016

The NES Classic Edition was an instant hit when it was announced overseas, with pre-orders going strong. The same thing happened in the American markets, and within minutes of being listed on Amazon, the mini-console had already sold out. To this day, you still can’t pre-order the tiny box due to a lack of supply and heavy demand.

Nintendo’s nostalgic re-release is probably going to be a lot like Amiibos if this trend continues. Amiibos were released in a limited supply, and consumers grabbed them almost the instant they appeared on the shelf, if they even made it that far. It’s unknown if Nintendo is intentionally limiting the supply, or if pre-orders are simply outnumbering the number they produce the instant the make them.

GameStop has stated that they will not be offering pre-orders on the miniature console, meaning there could be a crowd gathered outside most stores full of people ready to hand over their $60 for what the retailer has on hand.

For those few skeptical gamers who have been holding off on buying the Nintendo re-release of their classic entertainment system, reviews are now up. Now you can choose for yourself whether the console will be worth waiting possibly into 2017 to get your hands on it.

CNet was one of the early reviewers to get their hands on it, and a lot of questions have been answered. For one, the lid notoriously known for being where cartridges used to be fed into it doesn’t open on the miniature console. This means there will be no new or added games on top of the 30 included in the NES Classic Mini’s database, not even via WiFi.

This could be a positive, considering you will never need to buy another game for it, and 30 are already included for the price of one modern title.

Controller ports have been changed, so if you held on to your classic Nintendo Entertainment System gamepads, they’re useless without the original console or some hacked modern version. Instead, the new version uses ports more similar to those of the Wii. If you want a second player, you can use either a Classic Controller Pro or a second one for $10.

Sadly according to Destructoid, the controller cords are a bit short, and the only options are equally short. It might be worthwhile to invest instead in a lengthy HDMI cable and a tray table to set the console down by your chair or couch. This way you can each the console’s Reset button to use the “suspend points” and save your progress for later without having to stand up and walk over to the console.

Since the Wii only has most of the games available for sale in their original forms, the Mini’s selection will be an upgrade, thanks to the HDMI output which will connect it to your HDTV with three options to change the viewing mode. There is the CRT mode, which emulates original TVs. You can also play in 4:3 mode, which gives it the original aspect ratio. However, it might look best in Pixel Perfect mode, which makes each pixel a clean and perfect square on your HDTV.

The games included are mostly first-party hits like The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., and Punch Out!, and some third-party ones like Double Dragon II and Mega Man 2. You might find yourself missing a lot of older favorites like the original Contra and Tetris, but that is one of the few disappointments.

Of course, if you’re already sold but haven’t snagged a pre-order yet, you could be waiting a while to get your hands on one. Most sites offering pre-orders for the NES Classic Mini have been sold out since July.

[Featured Image by Nintendo]

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