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Nintendo just made an announcement that potentially could make Pokémon Go yesterday’s old news.
The longtime gaming system company just unveiled plans to bring back a mini version of its original gray classic Nintendo NES system to stores on Nov. 11 for $59.99, just in time for the holiday shopping season. The new NES Classic Edition will include 30 built-in games, with beloved game titles like Mario Brothers, Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda and Galaga, as well as a single hand controller. A second controller will be available for $10. The updated new system will plug into an HD television with an included HDMI cable.
When I first heard this news on July 14, I immediately began seeing visions in my head of all the thousands of crazed shoppers who will likely be camping outside retail stores from Best Buy to Toys R Us to Target starting several days before the new Nintendo game sets go on sale right before the holidays.
Maybe Nintendo can organize games of chance where players can predict how many days people will be willing to camp outside stores in the cold to get the chance to buy one or two of the game systems. Winners of the contest could get their very own Nintendo systems as prizes, without the wait.
I predict that this will be the gift to get for every American household and that new boxed units will likely end up on eBay at exorbitant prices due to shortages when Nintendo underestimates demand for the game player.
Sadly, the built-in games list for the upcoming new Nintendo doesn’t include the simplistic submarine warfare game, Silent Service, which I liked to play when my son, Ben, had his original Nintendo system back in the late 1990s. But it has plenty of other classic games, like Excitebike, Pac-Man and Castlevania.
Several years ago, a similar retro gaming system was released that included a smaller version of the original Atari game system with about 30 included games. It sold for about $40 and was fun and brought back lots of memories. It still sits in my home entertainment cabinet.
I called the Nintendo PR team right away when I heard the news about their new device and asked to immediately be placed on a review list so I can try one out. I told the guy at the other end how I still am irked that my son sold his original Nintendo several years ago without saying anything ahead of time so I might have been able to keep it.
There are many good memories of playing that simplistic game system with my kids and watching them play it with their friends, while laughing and having fun.
In today’s crazy world, this may be just what we need today—more laughter and playing together while having fun and enjoying each other’s company.
Nintendo is in the midst of a nostalgia craze.
I think it’s perfect timing. Let the games begin.