Nintendo’s NES Classic Sold Out, For Now
Nintendo’s NES Classic Edition is out today but if you haven’t got one already you are probably too late. Massive line-ups started in the middle of the night outside many retailers and Nintendo didn’t send enough units to retailers. The lack of being able to pre-order one has left many fans pissed right off.
To keep up with predictably high demand for its $60 dollar classic Nintendo Entertainment System (with optional high-definition output), the company says it’s “working hard” to produce “a steady flow of additional systems through the holiday shopping season and into the new year.”
If you didn’t get one today, you’ll just have to be patient or reserve one off backorder via your retailer of choice. Of course with any product that is extremely limited, opportunists are pushing the systems price up to ridiculous levels. Some have managed to pull off eBay sales in the $200 to $500 range. Amazon, which currently lists the system as “only available from third-party sellers,” has it at $275 starting. This Craigslist ad has the system selling for over $400 bucks.
We guess this is what happens when you roll out a slice of nostalgia, then dangle it before an audience that views Nintendo’s debut console (1983 in Japan, 1985 in the U.S.) as the cradle for so much of what’s happened in video gaming since. We have no idea whether Nintendo produced a number commensurate with perceived demand, but this could turn out to be 2016’s Tickle Me Elmo.
So stand by, and hopefully Nintendo can make good on its promise to ramp up supply in time to meet demand heading into the holiday shopping weeks.