NES/SNES Classic Editions

[Osprey]

Nah, I always use a Playstation controller to play my emulated games, and it's still great. It's also way more comfortable.

No offense, but I don't think that you're really in the age group that I was referring to. You likely didn't become an avid gamer until the early 90s, when kids had a lot more options (NES, SNES, Genesis, PlayStation) and the boxy NES controller was already antiquated by better controller designs. You grew up around rounded, ergonomic controllers, so that's what's mentally comfortable for you (and probably why you like using the PlayStation controller even today). For those of us who are older, though, who played nothing but the NES from '85 to '91/'92, there's a real sentimental and familiar attachment to the boxy NES controller, which is about the only thing that we had to play with for almost half of our childhoods.

Also, a large part of mastering those difficult NES games was getting so comfortable with the controller that you could exploit the design. For example, being able to quickly rock your thumb back and forth over the A and B buttons was crucial to being good in a lot of games. You couldn't do that with later controllers because 1) the buttons were moved further apart, and 2) A and B were set diagonally, so you had to fully release your thumb from one button and pivot it to press the other. The controller may've been awfully uncomfortable, but, in some ways, it was actually better for twitchy gameplay, which the NES was well-known for.

I can see why people care about the controller because it is the thing you hold all the time, but you also never really look at it and those old controllers were just so uncomfortable.

How it looks is not nearly as important as how it feel and operates. In fact, the more comfortable that you are with something, the less that you need to look at it. Consider your keyboard, for example. If you're an expert typist, you likely look at your keyboard very rarely, but that doesn't take at all away from the importance of how the keys are laid out and respond to being pressed. It's actually exactly the opposite. You're far more likely to be very picky about keyboards if you can type without looking down than if you can't. Similarly, if you're so comfortable with a game controller that you rarely need to look at it, then how it's designed matters even more.

their almost totally unenforceable right. I've never heard of Nintendo even attempting to go after emulation or hacked console/cartridge sellers. Again I Could be wrong though

Nintendo did sue the makers of Game Genie... and lost. Later, Sony sued emulator makers three different times and lost all three times, effectively establishing the legality of emulators (though that shouldn't be confused with the legality of distributing the ROMs, themselves, much like how MP3 players are completely legal, but how you get your MP3s may not be).

 

[JS19]

I'm pretty sure Contra not being on it is due to licensing. And Castlevania III uses a different mapper than the rest of the games, so it probably would have cost more to include just the one game.

I think it's going to do really well. $60 for a plug n play is high, but this thing 1)has a great line up of quality games 2) a controller that can be use with the wii u, and 3) will be aesthetically pleasing. Most people who like to play retro games (which is a huge market right now) will like to have this.

I collect retro games, so it doesn't appeal to me as much. I have all of the games and the original system and would much rather just play them on that. However, I know many collectors are still planning on picking it up just for ease of use on the family TV. This thing is going to appeal to lots of different people.

The problem is the bolded. People who are aware of retro gaming know exactly how to get their games. They're not going to spend 60 dollars on NES emulator with limited selections when they can spend a bit more on a specialized gaming tablet/handheld that can emulate. Furthermore, because of the simplicity of NES emulation, people have jailbroken their 3DS to play NES games not available in the VC. And then that's not taking into account the people who are physical-only collectors, for which this product does nothing for them because it has the popular games and none of the sought after games (ex. Little Samson).

 

[Do Make Say Think]

People always underestimate the collectible aspect of items like these

It's part of what made the Amiibos such a hot commodity

 

[JS19]

People always underestimate the collectible aspect of items like these

It's part of what made the Amiibos such a hot commodity

Amiibos are completely different. There was demand for Nintendo characters in toy form that prior to Amiibos, could only be satiated if you bought Nendoroids or Figmas and they weren't the cheapest (you'd usually spend anywhere from 30-100+ depending on the rarity). Amiibos met the demand while being cheaper, and reaching out to many different fans at once (Mario, Zelda, Kid Icarus, Pokemon, Kirby etc).

In comparison, how is the NES plug-and-play any more collectible? There are other better options out there whether they're legal or not (Virtual Console, Emulation).

 

[guinness]

Amiibos are completely different. There was demand for Nintendo characters in toy form that prior to Amiibos, could only be satiated if you bought Nendoroids or Figmas and they weren't the cheapest (you'd usually spend anywhere from 30-100+ depending on the rarity). Amiibos met the demand while being cheaper, and reaching out to many different fans at once (Mario, Zelda, Kid Icarus, Pokemon, Kirby etc).

In comparison, how is the NES plug-and-play any more collectible? There are other better options out there whether they're legal or not (Virtual Console, Emulation).

Have to disagree, Nintendo made some Amiibos artificially scarce and/or store exclusives. Granted, collecting them is most of the fun, but when they sell out, and wind up on ebay or jacked up on amazon, that's harsh.

That's why I'm hoping the new wave in November isn't a ****show, because I really want a Rosalina and Boo.

 

[RandV]

Also, a large part of mastering those difficult NES games was getting so comfortable with the controller that you could exploit the design. For example, being able to quickly rock your thumb back and forth over the A and B buttons was crucial to being good in a lot of games. You couldn't do that with later controllers because 1) the buttons were moved further apart, and 2) A and B were set diagonally, so you had to fully release your thumb from one button and pivot it to press the other. The controller may've been awfully uncomfortable, but, in some ways, it was actually better for twitchy gameplay, which the NES was well-known for.

I see that you, like the vast majority of other kids back then, were stupid

Just put your two fingers on the buttons dammit! Until we needed dual analogue sticks that was the vastly superior way to play, you could react quicker and press faster. We all went to the arcades and pressed the buttons with our fingers, so why'd everyone go home and switch to their thumbs for the controllers? You all ruined game controller design forever!

That's always been my favourite remaining childhood gripe, I will never let this go

 

[Osprey]

I see that you, like the vast majority of other kids back then, were stupid

Just put your two fingers on the buttons dammit! Until we needed dual analogue sticks that was the vastly superior way to play, you could react quicker and press faster. We all went to the arcades and pressed the buttons with our fingers, so why'd everyone go home and switch to their thumbs for the controllers? You all ruined game controller design forever!

That's always been my favourite remaining childhood gripe, I will never let this go

That may be technically better, but then how do you hold the controller? The only way that I can imagine making that work is to place the controller on the floor. That doesn't sound very comfortable for the neck or back, as you'd be hunched over the controller and looking up at the TV.

I beat Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! playing the way that I described, so it can't be that bad... so there!

 

[EpochLink]

I'll get this.
Because of the nostalgic factor.

Plus Its the NES, enough said.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Amiibos are completely different. There was demand for Nintendo characters in toy form that prior to Amiibos, could only be satiated if you bought Nendoroids or Figmas and they weren't the cheapest (you'd usually spend anywhere from 30-100+ depending on the rarity). Amiibos met the demand while being cheaper, and reaching out to many different fans at once (Mario, Zelda, Kid Icarus, Pokemon, Kirby etc).

In comparison, how is the NES plug-and-play any more collectible? There are other better options out there whether they're legal or not (Virtual Console, Emulation).

I didn't say this was going to see the same kind of success Amiibos did.

Just that the collectible aspect is going to be a big driver of sales for this product.

 

[Pilky01]

If this thing doesn't have some kind of wireless controller feature it will be ****in' useless.

 

[aleshemsky83]

If this thing doesn't have some kind of wireless controller feature it will be ****in' useless.

I don't know, the battery on my ps4 controller is so terrible I actually don't even take it off the charger anymore. It all depends on the length of the cable, it doesn't even bother me because I can play pretty comfortably

 

[Raspewtin]

Why would anybody pay for this? I ask as I keep it tabbed for the second it comes out.

 

[JS19]

I didn't say this was going to see the same kind of success Amiibos did.

Just that the collectible aspect is going to be a big driver of sales for this product.

No one said you did. You mentioned that people underestimate the collectibility aspect and used Amiibos as an example. I merely said that amiibos aren't a good example considering how cheap and collectible they are. There's nothing collectible about a generic plug-n-play console with 30 NES games and no possibility of downloading more ROMs (at least not right now). Not to mention, the actual NES consoles (toploader and toaster) are far more collectible and desirable.

Have to disagree, Nintendo made some Amiibos artificially scarce and/or store exclusives. Granted, collecting them is most of the fun, but when they sell out, and wind up on ebay or jacked up on amazon, that's harsh.

That's why I'm hoping the new wave in November isn't a ****show, because I really want a Rosalina and Boo.

When I said demand, I meant people who wanted cheap Nintendo figures and didn't want to (over)pay for Nendoroids/Figmas, not whether Nintendo was able to meet overwhelming demand for the figures back in 2014/15.

Now that we're on that point. Amiibos have stopped being hard to find for a good while now. The new Kirby set is very easy to get, some of the Smash stuff is still very easy to find (the earlier waves are not, due to retail space and constraints).

 

[Chaels Arms]

I'm going to get this the day it comes out. It looks awesome and will most certainly give me more enjoyment for $60 than the Division, Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefield Hardline did. For that price you really can't go wrong.

 

[RandV]

There's nothing collectible about a generic plug-n-play console with 30 NES games and no possibility of downloading more ROMs (at least not right now). Not to mention, the actual NES consoles (toploader and toaster) are far more collectible and desirable.

I don't think this is intended to be a collectable, more like a casual nostalgia toy. This would be perfect for someone like my brother who's married with two young kids, and never played video games past the early SNES days.

Hardcore collectors will already have originals, and your more generic gamer will need more content or if they want to play old SNES games will already have a bunch of ROMS. Or if you want to play old consoles games legally for cheap there's the Wii/Wii U market or even Steam has a bunch of Sega Genesis collections, 5 bundles with 10 games each for $8.50 (CDN) each.

 

[Le Tricolore]

No offense, but I don't think that you're really in the age group that I was referring to. You likely didn't become an avid gamer until the early 90s, when kids had a lot more options (NES, SNES, Genesis, PlayStation) and the boxy NES controller was already antiquated by better controller designs. You grew up around rounded, ergonomic controllers, so that's what's mentally comfortable for you (and probably why you like using the PlayStation controller even today). For those of us who are older, though, who played nothing but the NES from '85 to '91/'92, there's a real sentimental and familiar attachment to the boxy NES controller, which is about the only thing that we had to play with for almost half of our childhoods.

I'm 31, and I got my NES in the late 80s, and then my SNES in he early 90s.

I'm exactly in the age group you're referring to.

 

[MikeyMike01]

It's overpriced by about double, but it's cool as hell.

 

[DyerMaker66*]

If this thing doesn't have some kind of wireless controller feature it will be ****in' useless.

Who gives a **** when I'm 6 feet from the tv?

 

[DyerMaker66*]

But will the games be 1080p and 60fps? If not, they might as well surrender to the power of the PS4.

Oh wait, this isn't one of those debates. Wohoo, retro game nostalgia where graphics don't matter!

Yes, when a game is good graphics can be irrelevant.

 

[JS19]

I don't think this is intended to be a collectable, more like a casual nostalgia toy. This would be perfect for someone like my brother who's married with two young kids, and never played video games past the early SNES days.

Hardcore collectors will already have originals, and your more generic gamer will need more content or if they want to play old SNES games will already have a bunch of ROMS. Or if you want to play old consoles games legally for cheap there's the Wii/Wii U market or even Steam has a bunch of Sega Genesis collections, 5 bundles with 10 games each for $8.50 (CDN) each.

Precisely my point. People who assume this is collectible are missing the point entirely, which is what I was trying to say. And I agree with the notion that this is a casual nostalgia-ridden toy, but I wonder if it's pointless considering the many options we have in regards to playing older games. You have the Virtual Console, PSN (in the sense that NES Mega Man games are available as import classics), the game collections that include NES games, and so on.

Good point about content, the 30 games are nice, but they don't even include some of the more essential NES titles (Mega Man 1 and 3, Castlevania 3, Super Mario Bros 3, etc). I understand some may be due to licensing, but when you have a VC system, spending 60 bucks on basically 30 ROMs that Nintendo chooses doesn't really sound all that great.

 

[KaylaJ]

I'll def be getting it at some point, I mean, with a November release of $60, what will that look like in Dec-January?

And yes, I still have my original NES but not all these games. Plus, I was never able to play much beyond cause we couldn't afford the newer consoles and such, so for me this is just basically a simple plug & play stress relief esp when my brother visits.

 

[vippe]

It's overpriced by about double, but it's cool as hell.

Why do you think that?

Comes down to 2$ per game and that makes the hardware free. Let's say the controller would be 10$ (which it is) and the console 10$ then you get 30 games for 40$. Downloading them from the VC and they are 5$ a piece for just the games.

If you think it should cost 30$, then you are nothing but cheap tbh

 

[X66]

It's overpriced by about double, but it's cool as hell.

Knowing Nintendo, it wouldn't surprise me if they don't make too many and then the price sky rockets.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Why do you think that?

Comes down to 2$ per game and that makes the hardware free. Let's say the controller would be 10$ (which it is) and the console 10$ then you get 30 games for 40$. Downloading them from the VC and they are 5$ a piece for just the games.

If you think it should cost 30$, then you are nothing but cheap tbh

The console itself is practically worthless. A Raspberry Pi Zero is $5 and hundreds of times more powerful than an NES.

 

[aleshemsky83]

The console itself is practically worthless. A Raspberry Pi Zero is $5 and hundreds of times more powerful than an NES.

But nobody does that. Nobody buys a raspberry pi and sets up an emulator, or media center or whatever. They go to the store or online to buy a roku, or apple tv, or ps4. Thats just the way it is.

You can say you can do that, but 90% of people go to the store and buy pre-made and ready to use products. It'll do well, and in fact as mentioned scalpers will probably make a killing selling it way above $60