Much to the dismay of scalpers, Nintendo has announced that the NES Classic Edition will be returning to stores on June 29th.
Many have been waiting to hear when the NES Classic would be making its comeback. Back in September, Nintendo said it “will also bring back the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition system with new shipments” in the summer of 2018. Now we have official confirmation when those fans who missed out will be able pick up their first copy of the system. It is also good to know that the SNES Classic Edition should be available through the end of 2018 as well, as that console has been going back and fourth between being available (at its retail price) and sold out.
Nintendo was caught off guard by how popular the NES Classic was. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé said to Time back in April of 2017 that Nintendo, “just didn’t anticipate how incredible the response would be.” It was not an unreasonable statement. Putting it this way, would you expect a miniature console with 30 built-in games that have been available on the Virtual Console, to be immensely successful? Nonetheless, the NES Classic ended up appealing to adults nostalgic for the games/console they grew up with, and also made for an excellent gift for kids. In that same Time interview, Reggie stated that the NES Classic had sold 2.3 million copies. That number is sure to go up on June 29th.
Nintendo’s website lists the complete game library and features of the NES Classic Edition. Notable games included are Super Mario Bros. The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kirby’s Adventure, and Donkey Kong. (Even Pac-Man and Gradius are included.) A unique feature is the implementation of save states. Similar to how you can save anywhere in a Virtual Console game, the NES Classic allows players to save in the middle of a level. This is notable because most of these NES games lack a standard save feature. Having a save state allows players to take a break and turn the system off. (This feature is also included in the SNES Classic.)
The NES Classic Edition will once again retail for $59.99. Nintendo expects it and the SNES Classic Edition to be available through the end of 2018, but after that, it could be gone again. So, if you plan on picking one or both up, it might be best to get them sooner rather than later.