NES Classic Discontinued in North America

If you were still hoping to pick up the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition at retail, I'm saddened to say it's going to get harder soon. Nintendo has confirmed to IGN that it will be discontinuing the NES Classic. The last shipments will go out this month.

Now you're playing with a lack of supply!

"NES Classic Edition wasn't intended to be an ongoing, long-term product. However, due to high demand, we did add extra shipments to our original plans," a Nintendo spokesperson told IGN.

"Throughout April, NOA territories will receive the last shipments of Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition systems for this year. We encourage anyone interested in obtaining this system to check with retail outlets regarding availability. We understand that it has been difficult for many consumers to find a system, and for that we apologize. We have paid close attention to consumer feedback, and we greatly appreciate the incredible level of consumer interest and support for this product."

There's currently no word on whether the Famicom Mini will suffer the same fate. The only charitable reason I can think of for this shift is Nintendo needs all resources on deck making Switch systems. Regardless, this is an easy win for some goodwill that the company is throwing away.

This article may contain links to online retail stores. If you click on one and buy the product we may receive a small commission. For more information, go here.

Comments 15

Order

Newest Oldest Best Worst

#1 ShadowTheSecond A year ago

I suspect we'll see a new version this fall/winter, but maybe they'll wait until the next holiday season.

You know something is odd when I can find a couple of Switch for friends easier than an NES Classic. I was really hoping to find another NES Classic so that I could give it to my dad--maybe I'll still find one later.

#2 PlatypusPlatoon A year ago

Holy crap, there goes my chance of ever getting one, at a reasonable price. :(

Sign in to Reply
#3 Darkarm66 A year ago

Is now a good time to bring up the some of the Amiibos announced yesterday have already sold out at preorder?Edited April 2017 by Darkarm66

Sign in to Reply

#4 Monkey-Tamer A year ago

I have never understood Nintendo's allergic reaction to money. They habitually underestimate demand for their products. The Wii was notoriously difficult to acquire. Amiibos of certain varieties were difficult to find. When the N64 was released nobody could find extra controllers. Big business is not my profession but it appears they're routinely leaving money on the table. That's not a good mistake to repeat. For those still hungering for a classic NES experience check out Nestopia. It's easy to use and almost cycle accurate. The Wii U virtual console games have so much lag it's painful.Edited April 2017 by Monkey-Tamer

#5 Godots17thCup A year ago

I never managed to find one of these out in the wild, and I doubt I'll ever find the SNES Mini either, should Nintendo choose to produce a couple dozen units of those as well.

Sign in to Reply
#6 kazriko A year ago

Probably cancelled because of all the people hacking them and putting the entire NES back catalog on them.

Sign in to Reply

#7 SargeSmash A year ago

I think it was always a stopgap, and I also suspect that the margins aren't as high as we think. Also, someone also pointed out elsewhere that they may have had an agreement in place for a set number of sales with the various third-party publishers, and they wanted a bigger cut of the sales in renegotiation. Not that I have a clue, mind! Just pure, uninformed speculation. ;)

#8 Lane A year ago

I'm sure the backdoor that allows you to cram it full of ROMs didn't help matters.

I'd put 50/50 odds on an updated version in 6 months with a handful of extra games and *slightly* more hack-proof.

Sign in to Reply

#9 KaiserWarrior A year ago

Cool. So Nintendo just made the choice between this and a Raspberry Pi real easy.
@Monkey-Tamer
At this point I'm fairly convinced that Nintendo deliberately short-stocks almost literally every one of their products -- from systems to accessories to amiibos to games -- with the intent of keeping their second-hand market prices high. Nintendo has not survived as long as they have by being stupid about money (customer and fan relations being a separate-if-related thing), which is what this sort of thing would appear to be on its face. It's an intentional move to keep aftermarket prices sky-high, and thus keep the perception of the brand value sky-high as well.

It's all imaging.

#10 donkeyintheforest A year ago

Huh. Well FPGAs are only going to get cheaper. I feel a little sorry for the third parties that signed up for this, but whatever. Give it two or three years and there will be plenty of affordable alternatives to the Analogue Mini NT. If Nintendo doesn't want to make money while they have the low price-and-quality monopoly that their prerogative.

#11 jay-ban A year ago

Licencing issue? Maybe Nintendo only got permission for those third party games for a short period/finite amount of manufactured units.

Sign in to Reply
#12 Jonnyboy407 A year ago

Huge bummer. Wish I could have gotten one

Sign in to Reply
#13 VotesForCows A year ago

@KaiserWarrior I was just thinking that it might be time to pick up a Pi!

Sign in to Reply

#14 Jeremiah-Jones A year ago

@Monkey-Tamer I couldn't agree more. I was just talking to someone last week in my Legend of Zelda T-Shirt, and the first thing they said was "I want to get that little Nintendo that has Legend of Zelda on it." I don't see how this would interfere with the Switch sales. Most people, once you get out of the "tech knowledge" group are more interested in nostalgia, since that was where things were (hopefully) "safe."

I had even planned on getting one. If they make an updated one...we'll see. I'd love to see an SNES mini though.

#15 UkBlugers 3 months ago

Awesome price! Now ever getting one and I am also watching movies and games online on uktv now for pc which workings great for me.

Sign in to Reply