I’m probably not the only old-school Nintendo fan with conflicting emotions today. On the one hand, the long-rumored/expected Super NES Classic was announced, and it sounds awesome! Two controllers, 21 games including several bona-fide all-time classics, and even the unreleased Star Fox 2. Yes!! On the other hand, Nintendo flat-out bungled the launch of the NES Classic, which was a gimme putt as far as system launches go. What should’ve been a uniting moment of universally celebrated nostalgia was instead a months-long slog of frustration, unceremoniously capped off by the quiet discontinuation of the NES Classic in April, assuring that many fans would never get their hands on the tiny trip down video game memory lane.
“NES Classic Edition wasn’t intended to be an ongoing, long-term product,” Nintendo said in April. “However, due to high demand, we did add extra shipments to our original plans.” Still, they were a day late and a dollar short. Logic tells us that things should be better this time. That Nintendo learned its lesson. But will it? Or will history just repeat itself? Let’s examine the situation:
At $80, the SNES Classic costs 33% more than its predecessor. It also includes almost 33% fewer games. That looks bad on paper. However, not only are the games almost all well-known hits if not legendary classics, but one of those games is the aforementioned StarFox 2 – which has sat, completed, on Nintendo’s shelf for over 20 years. It also includes a second controller right out of the box, which is appreciated. Better that this be a turnkey solution without the need to hunt down any additional accessories in order to fully enjoy it. (Side note: Nintendo confirmed the cord length to IGN as five feet – longer, but still not much.) One other more pessimistic thought on the price: is the higher MSRP – it’s still $10 more than the NES Classic, even with a second controller factored in – an indication that Nintendo intends to limit production of its 16-bit retro boxes than it did the 8-bit, and it just wants to maximize the profits?
Speaking of McCloud’s new-old adventure, its inclusion here may be a good sign for the SNES Classic being widely available. After all, the SNES Classic is the only way to get this unreleased game. It’d be downright silly – not to mention a real shame – if a limited product supply meant that very few Nintendo fans got to play it.
Fortunately, I see only optimism in a September 29 launch date. Whereas Nintendo seemed genuinely caught off-guard by the incredible demand for the NES Classic last November – leaving The Big N very little time to resupply inventory in time for the holidays – an early fall launch gives them some chance to react to SNES Classic’s demand. Of course, if they would just take pre-orders, they wouldn’t have to react at all. But I digress...
Nintendo cited the then-upcoming Switch launch as a reason for the NES Classic stock situation, with Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime saying, “We understand that some people were frustrated about not being able to find the system, but for us, we need to make sure we manage all of our resources in an effective way.” He added, “At the same time we were facing this surging demand for NES Classic, we were preparing to launch Nintendo Switch.” Despite the truth within that business reality, those words were of little consolation then, and they sure won’t be now that Nintendo better knows what to expect. Unfortunately, though, the Switch also continues to be tough to find in stores.
There are absolutely zero good reasons for the SNES Classic Edition to suffer the same fate as its predecessor.
All told, there are absolutely zero good reasons for the SNES Classic Edition to suffer the same fate as its predecessor. The Switch is launched, Nintendo has had months to take stock of the NES Classic debacle and adjust its preparation for the 16-bit version accordingly, and, on an emotional note, I can’t imagine Nintendo would willingly walk into a situation that would yield as much bad press and consumer ire as what they suffered last fall. In fact, Nintendo told IGN, “We aren’t providing specific numbers, but we will produce significantly more units of Super NES Classic Edition than we did of NES Classic Edition.”
Great! That’s reassuring...until you get to the second part of that same statement: “Super NES Classic Edition is currently planned to ship from September 29 until the end of calendar year 2017. At this time, we have nothing to announce regarding any possible shipments beyond this year.” This might be the most Nintendo thing Nintendo has ever said. As one IGN editor told me when I read that statement aloud, “It’s like they’re engineering disappointment.” But if the units are sufficient, and they start accepting pre-orders in all major territories, then hopefully, all of us who want one will be happy by the holidays. As usual with Nintendo, it looks like the Super NES Classic launch is going to be, for better and for worse, a wild ride.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews and Xbox Guru-in-Chief. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
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