“Once they’re gone, they’re gone.” – That’s the message from Nintendo regarding its NES and SNES Classic consoles in the build up to the Christmas season.
The sought-after retro consoles are going out of production in the United States after the holidays, according to the Nintendo of America boss, and that’s likely to be reflected around the world.
Why is the company shelving these popular and nostalgia-heavy products? Easy. It would rather you buy a Nintendo Switch console and access the classics of yesteryear through the eShop and the Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions.
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The company is drip-feeding classic games to subscribers in much the same way the likes of Sony and Microsoft do through their own online subscriptions. This will also enable gamers to grab a wider range of titles than the locked-down offerings in the SNES and NES Classic consoles.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, NoA President Reggie Fils-Aime said: “There’s no ability for add-on content with our classic consoles, so when you purchase the console it’s coming with that set roster of content. We worked very hard, both for the NES Classic and the SNES Classic, to really have the best games that defined that generation. We’ve said that the current systems are the extent of our classic program. We’ve also been clear that, at least from an Americas perspective, these products are going to be available through the holiday season and once they sell out, they’re gone. And that’s it.
“The way that consumers will be able to continue participating with our classic content is going to be through Nintendo Switch Online, and we just released three new games (Ninja Gaiden, Wario’s Woods and Adventures of Lolo) from the NES generation onto that platform. We look at that as the main way that consumers will be able to experience that legacy content.”
So there you have it, it’s now or never.
Have you already pinned down the NES and SNES Classic? Would you recommend this to your fellow gamers? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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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.
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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.