Riding Nostalgia Hype Train, Nintendo Unveils ‘Mini NES’ Stuffed with Classic Games

This week Nintendo announced a new console. After years of rumors, leaks, and what has to be the least predictable delivery timeline in video game history, we get to see what Nintendo’s new … oh wait. They’re reintroducing the NES?

Hype.

Riding on the nostalgia train harder than usual, Nintendo stock has risen at a steeper grade since the soft-launch of Pokemon Go. So why not continue the streak? In a move no one saw coming, Nintendo revealed their new Mini NES (Nintendo Entertainment System, their first ever console).

Coming holiday 2016, the Mini NES will retail for $59.99 USD which is an odd move on top of an odd move. Sixty dollars for a console that your entire fan base will buy without question? Bold.

But that’s not all. The $60 price tag isn’t just for the console. With it, you get a brand new NES controller, with an updated dongle to support play on Wii and WiiU consoles. That’s a depth of awesome I for one could not have predicted.

Still not all though. That console will also come pre-loaded with 30 of Nintendo’s hit titles, curated by the company. The pre-loaded library is as follows:

  • Mario Bros.
  • Mega Man 2
  • Metroid
  • Ninja Gaiden
  • Pac-Man
  • Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
  • StarTropics
  • Super C
  • Super Mario Bros.
  • Super Mario Bros. 2
  • Super Mario Bros. 3
  • Tecmo Bowl
  • The Legend of Zelda
  • Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
  • Balloon Fight
  • Bubble Bobble
  • Castlevania
  • Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
  • Donkey Kong
  • Donkey Kong Jr.
  • Double Dragon II: The Revenge
  • Dr. Mario
  • Excitebike
  • Final Fantasy
  • Galaga
  • Ghosts N’ Goblins
  • Gradius
  • Ice Climber
  • Kid Icarus
  • Kirby’s Adventure

Nintendo has confirmed that the Mini NES will connect directly through HDMI, and have no internet access or online capabilities. As of now, there’s been no mention, or photographic evidence that the console even opens. There’s a real possibility that the Mini NES is an as-is item. What you get in the box is the limit of your enjoyment. Which isn’t to say that 30 titles from the original line-up—all of which are considered “classics” and “favorites” now—is any small meal.

Nintendo also confirmed that although the console only comes packaged with a single controller, a second is available stand-alone for just $10 USD. Any and all of the games on the list with multiplayer modes will work as did their originally release counterparts.

Retro rereleasing is not something that will ever go away, and it shouldn’t. A lot of serious gamers in 2016 have yet to experience content from the NES era—a console that debuted in 1985. These games are foundations of an industry so many people enjoy. For those that have enjoyed them, revel in nostalgic consumption. Much like the slew of adults pouring time, and highly valuable cellular data into the phenomenon that is the Pokemon Go mobile game, Our rose colored glasses rarely slight anyone. We benefit as gamers, them as corporations.

What the impact of the Mini NES could mean is a change of price points in digital retro games. Currently, prices range from $5 to $20 for a digital copy of your childhood. But the 30 for 60 deal (and I’m not even considering the cost of the console) puts each of these titles at just $2.

So, at the end of the day, look at the Mini NES like a Humble Bundle, or Steam Sale. A huge library, countless hours of entertainment, for just $60. What a steal.

Plus you get an adorable “near replica” miniature version of a Nintendo Entertainment System.

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