Nintendo Classic Mini announced

[Tanooki]

That's actually not a bad price for either the shell or the whole deal. On Amazon you can get the whole deal for around $75 or so with a Pi3, samey board, small capacity microSD card, power cord, hdmi cable. You're basically paying cost of the shell and the bundle I saw on amazon yet it's already ready for a juicy ROM dump to be exploited.

[0078265317]

Or there was one on ebay but it was too much. But anyhow just found this and was thinking of ordering. Is this fair for just the case.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Original-Tinytendo-Raspberry-Pi-Zero-Case-Pi-Zero-Retro-Console-NES-/282429991916?hash=item41c223abec:g:xkUAAOSw4CFYp1Ji

[Andromeda Stardust]

Or there was one on ebay but it was too much. But anyhow just found this and was thinking of ordering. Is this fair for just the case.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Original-Tinytendo-Raspberry-Pi-Zero-Case-Pi-Zero-Retro-Console-NES-/282429991916?hash=item41c223abec:g:xkUAAOSw4CFYp1Ji

Why the zero? The Pi 2/3 is way better at emulation. And that cable sticking out is just awful...

[0078265317]

Or is this better.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Raspberry-Pi-b-2b-3b-Plastic-NES-case-White-Grey-Black-Perfect-for-RetroPie-/272606697971?hash=item3f78a019f3:g:nrkAAOSwWxNYuKED

 

or

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-RetroPie-NES-Raspberry-Pi-3-Case-NES-Nintendo-/192159856736?hash=item2cbd9eb860:g:pEoAAOSwB-1YwbfK

 

or

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-Skool-NES-case-for-Raspberry-Pi-3-2-and-B-/232303125484?hash=item36165863ec:g:1QgAAOSwdI9Y8gb9

Edited April 17, 2017 by 0078265317

[godslabrat]

I'm sorry, but all three of those look like something I might have bought at a gas station that had cheap candy inside. If I can't get the real deal from Nintendo, then I won't bother trying to recreate it with mutant imitations.

[Tanooki]

I wouldn't 1/2 of them that credit. Looks like some D-grade garbage 3d printed stuff with warping/waving lines crap all over the molding and it's awful. Also why so many of them have the horrible idea of placing the power/controller(usb) ports off the side? That's a huge mistake most console makers learned in the 80s/earlier90s was a stupid idea.

 

I keep thinking I want one of those Pi things, but I just never pull the trigger due to the fear I'd never get my value out of it knowing I'd load it up, value not one game on it as anything more than a throw away ROM, and go back to a game I put money into instead. Mind you if I decided to straight up abandon keeping games around other than an even tighter set of original 20th century buys, and it was my only method going forward I'd be into it.

[atarilovesyou]

Now that it's discontinued, those who are interested in downloading the hi-res instruction manuals from the Nintendo website might want to do it sooner rather than later...who knows how long they'll stay up, knowing Nintendo. There's some cool ones for the Japanese Famicon Classic too. I don't have the link, quick Google should do it though.

[Schizophretard]

 

Except it can't be as good a deal because you still have to spend $300 on a Switch!

 

I dunno, it just seems odd to me, when there is still so much demand for an item, to just quit making it. It wasn't announced as a limited item, so it's bizarre to get told 'yeah, this was so popular you never had the chance to see it on a store shelf, but we're done now. Want to spend 5 times the money for our other system? We might re-release these games on it so you can spend even more money to have them!'

 

It's just not gonna happen. People will buy a Switch for NEW games. People who want old ones will pay scalper rates, or hunt down original gear, or find other ways. If Nintendo's worried about the Mini devaluing their brand, wait until gamers start teaching their mini-less casual friends what RetroPi is!

 

I'm talking about people who already have or will have a Switch. If the demand for the NES Classic Edition was completely exhausted and there was no supply issues at all as in everything went as people thought it should then by the time the Switch finally gets it's Virtual Console and whatever they plan on doing with it with the online subscription service once it is out of beta in the Fall there would likely be a lot of Switch owners that either already own both or know that they could get the NES Classic Edition easily.

 

You know how people have said things like,"Why should I get the NES Classic Edition when I already have the original hardware and a flashcart?" and the response to those kind of points have been,"You are not the target audience. This is for people that haven't played the NES in decades and just buy it as an impulse purchase when seeing it in the store."? Well, with the Switch's Virtual Console people could say similar things like,"Why should I use the Switch's Virtual Console when I already have the NES Classic Edition?" What would the answer be for that in a situation where the demand for the NES Classic Edition has been exhausted? Would it be,"You, a Switch owner, are not the target audience of the Switch's Virtual Console. It is only meant for the Switch owners who do not own an NES Classic Edition."? If the answer is something like that then the Switch's Virtual Console would have a much smaller target audience than it currently would have with the NES Classic Edition being a limited collectible.

 

Anyway, here is how it could be a good deal. I am a Switch owner but not an NES Classic Edition owner. If they offered the same bundle of games for the same price then it would be the same $60 but spent on my Switch instead of adding another piece of hardware. It would also be a good deal if not a better one for Nintendo compared to if I bought an NES Classic Edition because the NES Classic Edition could potentially be bought secondhand instead of bought directly from Nintendo, if I hack my Switch to fill it up with ROM's Nintendo could send out an update to fix that but not with the NES Classic Edition since it doesn't have online functionality, and Nintendo could use the NES Classic Edition shelf space for more Switches.

 

I don't buy that no one is buying the Switch for the Virtual Console and only just for new games. For every time I read or watch a video about things like when are we getting Netflix, a browser, etc. I see many more that are about,"When do we get the Virtual Console?! How is it going to work with the subscription program?! Will my purchases carry over or do I have to pay an upgrade fee?! Will it combine all the games that were on the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS?! Will it have new games in the list?! Will they put out games at a trickle or all at once?! Will it get GameCube?! Are they announcing it in a Nintendo Direct or at E3?!, etc." People seem pretty concerned and excited about it. Probably even more so than concerns about how much third party support it will get because I see these Virtual Console concerns more than things like,"Is it getting a new Call of Duty?!"

[Keatah]

Worldwide sales of 1.5 million units, okay.

http://www.siliconera.com/2017/02/01/nes-classic-edition-surpasses-1-5-million-units-global-sales/

It would be interesting to know how many were sold in each territory, and how many are in the hands of scalpers. eBay probably knows something.

 

Agreed that they're two different markets. I still say plug-n-play is a trashy market compared to the Switch console buyers. Maybe they'll make another one, but internet haters are never going to be happy, because Nintendo will do it on their weirdo terms.

 

eBay would have records by virtue of having recorded the price and sell-from locations, which would be available to the public. But I don't think anyone has mined it for anything useful. The sell-to location is also recorded but not available to the general public.

 

That's right, the P&P market is lower on the rungs of sophistication compared against ones built around traditional consoles. But it's all just videogames.

 

I rather like how the big N had the power and strength to go against the grain of the internet "forces" and not piss anyone off to the point that they'd jump ship. Doing your own thing is a good thing.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Keatah

[atarilovesyou]

What's funny in an un-funny way is that the (rude) staff at our local EB games told me that the Mini was 'limited edition', so 'stop looking for it' back in December! Of course, I knew better...d'oh While long term (is five months even long enough to say that?) they were right, stores were still getting the trickle of Minis in...maybe not EB, but places like Walmart and the like. But overall, somebody must have leaked to EB that the Mini was indeed a limited edition item from the get go.

[godslabrat]

What's funny in an un-funny way is that the (rude) staff at our local EB games told me that the Mini was 'limited edition', so 'stop looking for it' back in December! Of course, I knew better...d'oh While long term (is five months even long enough to say that?) they were right, stores were still getting the trickle of Minis in...maybe not EB, but places like Walmart and the like. But overall, somebody must have leaked to EB that the Mini was indeed a limited edition item from the get go.

It occurs to me that the Virtual Boy lasted longer than five months.

[HoshiChiri]

I'm talking about people who already have or will have a Switch.

Which is a tiny fraction of the people who want the Mini alone.

 

Well, with the Switch's Virtual Console people could say similar things like,"Why should I use the Switch's Virtual Console when I already have the NES Classic Edition?" What would the answer be for that in a situation where the demand for the NES Classic Edition has been exhausted? Would it be,"You, a Switch owner, are not the target audience of the Switch's Virtual Console. It is only meant for the Switch owners who do not own an NES Classic Edition."?

No- the answer is "to get portable versions of your Mini games, and to get titles not included in the Mini."

 

I mean, I suppose if Nintendo intended the Switch's VC to only contain 30 NES games that are only playable in docked mode, then sure, that makes sense.

 

I get what the supposed logic behind it is. I just don't see the logic in it- it has been proven very strongly at this point, that there is a huge market for an inexpensive nostalgia device. And they want to completely ignore it because some people who are willing to buy a $300+ new console, might not spend a few dollars more on a handful of downloadable classics that represent a tiny fraction of the retro games they can make available? It's like ignoring a pile of gold because you'd rather guard a single coin that rolled away from the rest.

 

 

I don't buy that no one is buying the Switch for the Virtual Console and only just for new games. For every time I read or watch a video about things like when are we getting Netflix, a browser, etc. I see many more that are about,"When do we get the Virtual Console?! How is it going to work with the subscription program?! Will my purchases carry over or do I have to pay an upgrade fee?! Will it combine all the games that were on the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS?! Will it have new games in the list?! Will they put out games at a trickle or all at once?! Will it get GameCube?! Are they announcing it in a Nintendo Direct or at E3?!, etc." People seem pretty concerned and excited about it. Probably even more so than concerns about how much third party support it will get because I see these Virtual Console concerns more than things like,"Is it getting a new Call of Duty?!"

And I don't buy that people have bought the Switch just to wait for the Virtual Console. I believe there's people who want to know how it's going to work to see if it's a feature they'll use- but the kind of person who has zero interest in modern gaming isn't likely to spend $300 on a Switch and who-knows-how-much more on VC games, when they can put $50 into a RetroPi in a nice case and get games for free. Just like the people whining over Netflix aren't buying one just to be a portable movie device- you can do that with a tablet 2/3rds the cost. It's people wanting added functionality- they don't need to ask about new games because it's a game system... they already know what games are coming!

[godslabrat]

 

And I don't buy that people have bought the Switch just to wait for the Virtual Console.

 

Given that Nintendo has started out three systems (Wii, 3DS, Wii-U) with an extremely strong VC push, and then let the platform languish with many notable unreleased titles, I don't think anyone with half a brain would buy the Switch specifically for the Virtual Console. It's obviously a nice fringe benefit, but it's not the silver bullet it could be.

[Flojomojo]

Now that it's discontinued, those who are interested in downloading the hi-res instruction manuals from the Nintendo website might want to do it sooner rather than later...who knows how long they'll stay up, knowing Nintendo. There's some cool ones for the Japanese Famicon Classic too. I don't have the link, quick Google should do it though.

Mischief managed.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170417163901/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/index.html

[Flojomojo]

It occurs to me that the Virtual Boy lasted longer than five months.

Lasted how?

 

I seem to recall getting a VB from BlockBuster Video (LOL) for $25 just a few months after launch.

 

Also, I haven't seen any new games released for the NES Classic Mini since it came out.

[godslabrat]

Lasted how?

 

I seem to recall getting a VB from BlockBuster Video (LOL) for $25 just a few months after launch.

 

Also, I haven't seen any new games released for the NES Classic Mini since it came out.

Launched in August, discontinued in March. That's at least six months, really more like seven. IIRC, the firesales didn't kick in until very late spring of that year.

[Flojomojo]

At least the Mini got 30 games. Just 22 for the Virtual Boy.

[Professor Gull]

Ok so could we call it in a few months Nintendo might release a new game for the Switch called "NES Classic Edition 3-0" Putting all the games for the system on to a switch compilation?

 

I would sense that might push sales for the switch for folks wanting to get the same thing but not bowing to scalpers because even Nintendo does not like other people taking what money could be theirs.

[Flojomojo]

Or they could just give games away to Switch early adopters, like the Ambassador program on the original 3DS.

(Yeah, I'm dreaming/delusional)

[godslabrat]

Or they could just give gems easy to Switch early adopters, like the Ambassador program on the original 3DS.

 

(Yeah, I'm dreaming/delusional)

Not *entirely*. There was a day or so when Nintendo offered SMB as a free download in honor of its anniversary. So there IS a precedent for Nintendo giving the crown jewels away for free. However, if it happens, you'd better be ready to jump on the offer right then, because it's not an offer Nintendo will keep on the table for very long.

[BillLoguidice]

Ok so could we call it in a few months Nintendo might release a new game for the Switch called "NES Classic Edition 3-0" Putting all the games for the system on to a switch compilation?

 

I would sense that might push sales for the switch for folks wanting to get the same thing but not bowing to scalpers because even Nintendo does not like other people taking what money could be theirs.

 

That's extremely unlikely for a variety of reasons, including past history. I think the biggest factor against any type of standard game compilation from Nintendo for the Switch - other than the fact that Nintendo has never really done them before (outside of arguably the Game & Watch series, but does that really count?) - is the online-enabled emulation they've hinted at: http://www.polygon.com/2017/1/13/14266290/nintendo-switch-monthly-games-not-free Releasing a pack of 30 games (or 5 or 10, or whatever), would take the steam out of those single monthly offerings, where it's already a struggle to prove value since they're essentially monthly rentals.

 

In any case, while I think a pack of those 30 games on one cartridge/download for $40 would sell multiple millions of copies and even push some Switch systems, I think Nintendo would rather beat those figures over the longer term. 30 games gets them 30 additional months in their current plan, which again is supposed to be part of the incentive to pay Nintendo for online. So that's both regular subscription-based income as well as individual games purchases income (at $10 a pop). That kind of potential is hard for a company like Nintendo to ignore, particularly since it aligns better with their corporate philosophy.

[Tanooki]

Now that it's discontinued, those who are interested in downloading the hi-res instruction manuals from the Nintendo website might want to do it sooner rather than later...who knows how long they'll stay up, knowing Nintendo. There's some cool ones for the Japanese Famicon Classic too. I don't have the link, quick Google should do it though.

Use this, it will download the entire site and all the embedded content and downloads(manuals) to be used in offline mode. At least that's what all the positive reviews and their own site says on google. http://www.httrack.com/

 

I just did it and it pulled the entire site in about a minute if that. It does make a double layer of uselessness so you know it was their tool, but going into a subdir named after the website then /clv/manuals/en reveals the actual website with an index and manual html file. Index pulls the site as if it were online, all the manuals (both formats), images, etc all work instantly. I parked my wifi off to be sure.

[Flojomojo]

Or you could just use the Internet Archive link I posted above, no "double layer of uselessness" shenanigans and no installations needed either.

[godslabrat]

 

That's extremely unlikely for a variety of reasons, including past history. I think the biggest factor against any type of standard game compilation from Nintendo for the Switch - other than the fact that Nintendo has never really done them before (outside of arguably the Game & Watch series, but does that really count?) - is the online-enabled emulation they've hinted at: http://www.polygon.com/2017/1/13/14266290/nintendo-switch-monthly-games-not-free Releasing a pack of 30 games (or 5 or 10, or whatever), would take the steam out of those single monthly offerings, where it's already a struggle to prove value since they're essentially monthly rentals.

 

In any case, while I think a pack of those 30 games on one cartridge/download for $40 would sell multiple millions of copies and even push some Switch systems, I think Nintendo would rather beat those figures over the longer term. 30 games gets them 30 additional months in their current plan, which again is supposed to be part of the incentive to pay Nintendo for online. So that's both regular subscription-based income as well as individual games purchases income (at $10 a pop). That kind of potential is hard for a company like Nintendo to ignore, particularly since it aligns better with their corporate philosophy.

 

The missing component is going to be how expensive the paid online service is. If it was $60 a year (the price of one NES download a month), then overall it would be a no-brainer for many customers... why even think about it? But once you go over $100/year, you start to really weigh the pros and cons of bothering at all, which is why it worries me a bit that they're pitching the free game rentals. Is Nintendo trying to proactively market their Virtual Console again? Or are they trying to distract from the sticker shock?

[BillLoguidice]

 

The missing component is going to be how expensive the paid online service is. If it was $60 a year (the price of one NES download a month), then overall it would be a no-brainer for many customers... why even think about it? But once you go over $100/year, you start to really weigh the pros and cons of bothering at all, which is why it worries me a bit that they're pitching the free game rentals. Is Nintendo trying to proactively market their Virtual Console again? Or are they trying to distract from the sticker shock?

 

Reports are it's going to be much less than the Sony and Microsoft offerings, which, run $40 - $60 per year, depending upon how you buy them. It really should be much less, because it's not going to be anywhere near the same value as the competition. It's a monthly rental of one game at a time at this point, and the game is of their choosing.