UPDATE: Aaaaand they’re gone. An hour later.
Original story below…
The NES Classic has been rarer than rocking horse poop since the turn of the year; especially since Nintendo announced it was discontinuing the device after just 6 months.
Now it appears one US retailer was saving some of the retro consoles for a rainy day (“yes, we found some” is the official line) and has put them up for sale.
However, if you hope to snare an NES Classic from ThinkGeek you’re going to need to buy a bundle featuring a host of pointless tat, sold under the guise of collectables.
An outlay of $169.99 will get you an NES Classic (RRP $59.99), an 8-piece 8-bit Mega Man enamel pin set and a Mega Man statue helmet.
Related: SNES Classic Mini
Splashing out $219.99 will get you a bundle including the Mega Man helmet, a Proto Man Buster replica and a Mega Man Mega Buster mug.
The least you can pay is the $149.99 bundle, which includes a Tetris LED lamp and a copy of the book Playing With Power: Nintendo NES Classics.
While the bundles are a handy way for the retailer to bump up the prices, they’re still cheaper than some of the consoles being offered on the secondary market.
For that reason, it’s unlikely the bundles will last much longer than the time it takes for this post to go live.
If you’re desperate, this might be your last chance to buy without resorting to the scalpers on eBay, but you’re unlikely to feel good about it.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.