​NES Classic: a modern revamp of the Beautiful Machine

​Nintendo brought back the original NES, only it's a whole lot smaller.  The Nintendo returned for the holidays and Christmas is coming early for some people who are lucky enough to get their hands on one!  November 11th Nintendo released a mini standalone retro unit with 30 classic NES games from the 80's and 90's and a vintage NES controller to play with on your high definition TV.  The system retails for $59, it's super easy to setup but it's difficult to get your hands on.  It is guaranteed to instantly bring you back to your childhood gaming experiences.

​The look and feel is nearly identical to playing the original system for me growing up in the 90's with a few exceptions.  Some of the favorites do include Super Mario 1, 2 and 3, Zelda, Castlevania, Donkey Kong, Megaman, Excite Bike and Metroid.  Unfortunately it doesn't play the actual Nintendo cartridges that as kids we had to sometimes blow into to get to work.  Currently there is not support for any additional games besides the 30 preloaded titles so I trust Nintendo put calculated thought into which 30 of the over 1,105 titles they included.

---

---

Here is a full list of the 30 titles & manuals that came with the Nintendo Classic, is it missing any of your favorite games?    https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/index.html 

---

Playing the Nintendo classic is simple and the interface is very straight forward.  My almost 5 year old nephew can turn it on and find a game on his own and it provides hours of entertainment to multiple generations.  One advantage the mini Nintendo has over its 30 year old predecessor is the ability to save your game state to memory and quickly pick up where you leave off in the future.  Games didn't get that luxury until the memory cad was introduced in 1996.  With the Nintendo classic you can save up to 5 states per game and choose to  start from any saved spot by pushing
the reset button on the system.  

---

​One other oddity compared to the original Nintendo is that the controller on the classic recently released is a measly 30 inches long.  Whereas the original NES controller’s cord is 91 inches long, so we have to sit three times closer to the TV screen than we had to growing up.

---

---

​The Nintendo Classic was released November 11th and it's been sold out everywhere ever since.  I don't believe anyone had any idea how difficult they would be to get our hands on when they first launched.  Stores like Gamestop, Best Buy, Target and Walmart each only got a few units and they sold out instantly.  Amazon had a limited amount of NES Classic's for sale at 4pm on November 11th, but they also sold out almost instantly.  The Nintendo classics were selling on ebay & craigslist for $200 - $300, with stores now getting more shipments of them, they are becoming easier to find.

---

Here is a link where you can play ANY Nintendo game today in a desktop browser, Mac or Windows.  http://www.myeventsnyc.com/arcade/  

---

If you can't find one, don't worry, more are coming.  Nintendo tweeted recently they apologize for the shortage in inventory and promised a steady flow of systems between now and Christmas.  "The NES Classic Edition system is a hot item, and we are working hard to keep up with consumer demand.There will be a steady flow of additional systems through the holiday shopping season and into the new year." @NintendoAmerica ​

---

​For the people who are lucky enough to get their hands on an NES classic from a retail store, or depending on how much of a markup you are willing to pay, you won't regret it.  It has the look and feel of the Nintendo from the 80's and it supports modern TV's with HDMI.  Once they become more available at the price point they are, you can get one for the kids, get one for your Grandparents and don't forget to get one for yourself.  Enjoy and good luck gaming fellow Mario fans.