It’s November 11th and the Nintendo NES Classic Edition has been released and it’s in stores now!.. I mean it was in stores. It looks like this instant hit is sold out everywhere.
Last night I went online looking for any signs of pre-orders or where I could buy the NES Classic the next day. I found nothing. When does the Internet ever come up empty? This morning every web site I checked showed the product but none had stock to sell.
At 9:40am EST today I called my local BestBuy and I was told they had 40 NES Classic’s and they were sold out instantly. There was a line-up outside before the store opened. There is no ETA on new stock for BestBuy. However, I was told that the next batch will be eligible to reserve online for in-store pickup.
My wife also spent some time today trying to track down a NES Classic for me. She was checking some of the same big name stores but in different locations and she also came up empty. She still gets full points for trying!
I have exaggerated a bit. I actually did find available stock for the NES Classic for sale. On eBay I found several flippers scalping the NES Classic for about $200 CAD compared to the actual retail price of $80 CAD ($60 USD). For myself personally, those sales aren’t an option.
Here’s my prediction (and recommendation). Nintendo’s production of the NES Classic Edition will catch up to demand. If you want to save a lot of money wait for regular stock to come back. I have not read anywhere that Nintendo is making a limited run of the NES Classic. And for the most part ‘limited’ is just a marketing tactic. Products are only limited to the maximum number of units a company thinks they can sell.
**Update 2017-11-06: It’s been many months with very limited re-stocking of the NES Classic Edition. Re-selling of this gem at greatly inflated prices has become common place. The NES Classic Edition has been so much harder to get than I first thought it might be. But there is some hope. Nintendo is promising more stock this coming Summer 2018.
“NES Classic Edition will return Summer 2018”
But each to their own. If someone where to pay an inflated price for a NES Classic I cannot say it’s a mistake for them. It’s easy for me to wait. Like many of us retro nuts I already have most of the NES games that I want for my original NES. If you really want to play some great old classic and don’t have any access to the 30 games included in the NES Classic I can understand a heightened desire to dive in right away.
What do you think of Nintendo’s NES Classic Edition? Is it for you? When will you buy?
Courtesy of GameXplain have a listen to the ‘Nintendo Power line’ re-opened for three days only for the launch of the NES Classic Edition. It’s not the same service offered in the 80’s and 90’s but instead you’ll hear a prerecording of game tips for the 30 games included in the NES Classic Edition available to anyone curious enough to call. It will give you a good idea of what this decades old Tips Hot-Line service was all about.
Nintendo Power Line (425) 885-7529 Open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT Nov. 11-13, 2016
Retro Megabit 
I find trying to buy any Nintendo product at launch frustrating if you miss the “blink and you’re SOL” pre-order window. They really need to stop with the artificial scarcity already. While I already own several NES and Famicom consoles I’d love to pick one of these up just because it’s so darn neat looking. But I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Boo Nintendo. 😦 Now I must resist importing the insanely cute and plentiful Famicom Mini…. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m right there with you chopstick samurai! I was considering importing the Nintendo Classic Mini too. If there was more diversity in the included games compared to the NES Classic Edition I might have.
I’m also disappointed that I could not get the NES Classic day one but so long as Nintendo produces a lot more well before Christmas I’ll be happy.
I haven’t been buying new Nintendo stuff for a long time and I haven’t noticed if they’ve been slow to fulfill demand. I do recall reading that some Amiibos were super scarce for a long time and then at some point their quantities exploded. Is this slow trickle release a tactic or just life in manufacturing? I don’t know.
If you ever get your hands on a NES Classic Edition let me know what you think of it. So far the only negative the community is talking about is the very short joystick cord.
LikeLike
I never owned a NES but played it at friends homes, this is a really great way to become even more acquainted with some of the most famous games of the system. It’s also a great way to introduce kids without risking damage to original hardware. It sold out here in Australia on day one so keeping my fingers crossed I can get one before the end of the year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Night Owl!
It’s interesting to hear that you’re having the same experience with a sold out NES Classic in Australia. I certainly don’t feel alone in missing out on one. There seems to be plenty of us waiting.
I do hope Nintendo is paying attention to how much love there is for this mini classic.
I agree, this all-in-one modernized NES is a great way to get new people into the scene and enjoying games that still really hold up very well. I was playing Punch Out a few weeks ago and it is really a blast. Fun mechanics with a really good balance between challenge and progress.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m really excited at the prospect of FINALLY playing Zelda! Was a game none of my friends were in to at the time. I know I could take the emulator route but it’s not quite the same as sitting in front of a TV with a controller. 🙂
LikeLike
We’re sharing a lot of the same experiences 🙂 I also didn’t have the NES growing up. I had a friend who did. And I would watch him play The Adventure of Link and I loved it. And now all these years later I never forgot about the impression it made on me and I started playing it about a month ago. Time has not hurt this game at all. It rocks. So, I don’t have to wait for the NES Classic Edition but I have waited and I am sure you’ll also love it when you get the chance to play (just as you say) from your couch and in front of your TV with proper hardware. You and I, think we’re cut from the same cloth 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I managed to score myself the Famicom mini straight from Japan through Solaris, over a month after the original release XD
LikeLike
I thought about getting the Famicom Mini but I wanted to stick with just one. I’ll have to wait for stock to return. So far in my area there is still noth’in! Where are you Nintendo?! 😛
The mini really does look pretty slick. What do you think of it so far? Did you pick-up a second controller and the Wii U joystick extension cables that look like they’ll work for the mini?
LikeLike