The NES Classic Edition is a special home video game system made by Nintendo. It recreates the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Family Computer (Famicom). The system was first released on November 10, 2016. It looks like a small version of the original NES and includes 30 games from the licensed NES collection. All games support save states, which let players pause and return to their progress.
Nintendo made and sold about 2.3 million NES Classic Editions between launch and April 2017. The system sold out quickly, but Nintendo stopped making it soon after, causing confusion among buyers and leading to higher prices from private sellers. Because of continued interest in the NES Classic and the success of the Super NES Classic Edition, Nintendo released a limited number of NES Classics again in June 2018. Production ended in December 2018. The system was praised for how well it recreated the original games.
Hardware
The NES Classic Edition is a special console designed to play 30 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games. It comes in two versions: one for Japan, which looks like the original Family Computer (Famicom), and one for other countries, which resembles the original NES. The NES version includes games based on their U.S. releases, running at 60 Hz with the names used in the United States. The Famicom version’s interface is only in Japanese, while the NES version supports up to eight other languages, though the games themselves do not change language.
Inside the console is a chip called Allwinner R16, which includes four ARM Cortex-A7 processors and an ARM Mali 400 MP2 graphics chip. It has 512 MB of flash storage and 256 MB of DDR3 memory.
For video, the console uses an HDMI connection to display all games in 720p resolution at 60 Hz.
The NES version’s controllers have a connector similar to the Wii Nunchuk, allowing them to connect to the Wii Remote for use with Virtual Console games on the Wii and Wii U. Accessories like the Classic Controller for the Wii can also be used. The Famicom version’s controllers are permanently attached to the console, like the original Famicom, and cannot be used with the Wii. These controllers are smaller to fit into the console’s side slots, and the microphone on the Player 2 controller is only for appearance and does not work.
The console runs on the Linux operating system and uses a new NES emulation engine created by Nintendo European Research & Development (NERD). The engine supports some memory management tools used in original NES cartridges, such as those in Super Mario Bros. 3, but not all tools were included. This engine was considered better than earlier Virtual Console emulations for visuals and sound.
A 320-page book titled Playing with Power: Nintendo NES Classics, published by Prima Games, was released with the console. It explains some of the games included. Nintendo of America also restarted a phone service called Nintendo Power Line from November 11 to 13 to celebrate the console’s launch.
No matter the model or region, the console includes 30 built-in games. Some games had different names in PAL regions and use their U.S. titles instead, such as Ninja Gaiden (originally Shadow Warriors) and Super C (originally Probotector II: Return of the Evil Forces). Of the 30 games, 22 are available in all regions, while 8 are exclusive to either Japan or North America/PAL regions.
Release
The NES Classic Edition was first released on November 10, 2016, in Japan and Australia, and November 11 in North America and Europe. Because the supply was limited, these first shipments sold out quickly.
Over the next five months, Nintendo made about 2.3 million NES Classic Editions. By April 13, 2017, Nintendo said it would stop making the console, and the last shipments were sent out soon after.
People criticized Nintendo’s decision to stop production because many customers did not know the console was limited in supply. After the Super NES Classic Edition was announced, which was a version of the NES Classic Edition for Super Nintendo games, Nintendo said it would restart production of the NES Classic Edition in 2018. New shipments began on June 29, 2018, and production was expected to continue for the rest of the year.
When the NES Classic Mini was released again in June 2018, it sold more units than the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
By September 30, 2018, combined sales of the NES and SNES Classic Editions reached more than 10 million units.
On December 13, 2018, Reggie Fils-Aimé said that the NES and SNES Classic Editions would not be restocked after the 2018 holiday season. Nintendo also said it would not make similar small versions of other home consoles in the near future.
Reception
The NES Classic Edition received positive reviews despite some issues, such as the controller cord being too short and small problems with how games are played, especially with sound. It is one of many "plug-n-play" consoles available, and it was very popular. Retailers sold about 196,000 units in its first month, and the product sold out quickly. By the end of 2016, Nintendo reported that 1.5 million units had been sold. On April 28, 2017, Nintendo announced that 2.3 million units had been sold in total. After the console was released again, Nintendo sold about 1.3 million more units by June 30, 2018. Combined sales of the NES and SNES Classic editions reached over 10 million units by September 30, 2018.
Journalists were confused when Nintendo announced it would stop selling the NES Classic Edition in April 2017. Nintendo did not say at launch that the system would only be available for a short time, and its messages suggested it would be produced for longer. Nintendo explained that the system was not meant to be sold long-term but added extra shipments due to high demand. The product sold out quickly when it became available, which made some believe Nintendo was not ready for the demand. Nintendo of America’s CEO, Reggie Fils-Aimé, later said the company did not expect the product to be so popular and had to stop selling it because of other projects and limited resources.
According to a 2017 report by Eurogamer, Nintendo’s decision to stop selling the NES Classic Edition was partly to shift production to the SNES Classic Edition, which would include games from the SNES and was planned for late 2017. Nintendo did not confirm this. Some journalists believed Nintendo might be better prepared to produce more SNES Classic Editions, but the NES Classic’s limited supply made some consumers cautious about buying products with low production numbers. When the SNES Classic Edition was announced in June 2017, Nintendo said it would produce more units than the NES Classic Edition to avoid shortages but still stated it would not be sold long-term. In December 2018, Fils-Aimé confirmed that neither the NES nor SNES Classic Editions would be restocked after the holiday season, and Nintendo does not plan to make similar mini-consoles for other systems.
Soon after the NES Classic Edition was released, hackers found ways to add up to 700 games to the system and enable support for games from other consoles, such as the Nintendo 64 and 32X. The limited supply of the NES Classic Edition during its original 2016 release was a major criticism. Some stores received fewer than 10 units at a time, leading to high demand and scalpers buying large quantities to resell at much higher prices. In the U.S., prices for the console reached $200 to $500, compared to its original price of $59.99. A separate controller that could be bought without the console also faced similar issues, as it was often sold with the main unit. The limited supply of the NES Classic Edition was compared to similar problems with Amiibo, which also led to high resale prices and frustrated fans.
When Nintendo announced it would stop selling the NES Classic Edition in April 2017, some fans and media outlets believed Nintendo intentionally limited the supply to create artificial scarcity and boost sales. However, Nintendo denied these claims, stating that production was limited by its ability to make other products and that it was not intentional to restrict the market. After the discontinuation, fake versions of the NES Classic Edition appeared on third-party auction sites, often made by Chinese companies. Some of these copies were nearly identical to the real product, which could confuse buyers. One example is the "Mini Game Anniversary Edition Entertainment System," which is actually a Famiclone and only provides composite video output.
LimitedShōnen JumpVersion
A special gold version of the Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer, called the Weekly Shōnen Jump 50th Anniversary Edition, was created by M2 and released only in Japan on July 7, 2018. This version was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump manga magazine. It includes 20 Famicom games based on Shōnen Jump manga stories, such as Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, and Kinnikuman.
The console comes with these games:
Within two days, more than 110,000 units of the Shōnen Jump Edition were sold. In a review for Nintendo Life, Damien McFerran pointed out that the design flaws from the original Famicom version were not fixed and that some of the game quality was poor. However, he praised the packaging and described the gold casing as "very beautiful." McFerran also noted that many games from other companies were included in this release and wondered if Nintendo might add more games from other companies to their services in the future.