Nintendo Classic Mini announced

[Flojomojo]

I thought I read somewhere they were going to ask less than the $60/year Xbone/PS4 annual fee. Maybe it was just speculation, but $30 came to mind. The first months will be free for all.

 

That does not seem excessive to me, but anything above $FREE will generate much wailing and gnashing of teeth in a segment of the Nintendo population. I say, get used to it, or stick to retro.

[Andromeda Stardust]

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.

Because multiple customers who came in literally every single day to inquire about the NES Classic Mini, only to answer their same questions again and again with "we are sold out and have no info about restocks at this tiem. Please come back later." Well employees are not robots, they are imperfect humans, and I'm sure they get tired of answering the same questions every single day. So if they can tell a little white lie to the daily influx of people inquiring, such that a few of them do not come back, it makes their job more manageable. I imagine said employee was nice and cordial, until you brought up the mini, then he or she likely went into GTFO mode.

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

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.

 

Word.

 

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.

But where are the "fire sales" for the NES Mini? It's apples to oranges.

 

Nintendo produced the Virtual Boy, something the public neither wanted nor asked for. Nintendo produced the NES Classic Mini in small quantity, something the public has wanted for decades, if bootleg pirate consoles are any indication. It was sold out everywhere, and Nintendo, unable to keep with the huge demand, slaughters the golden goose for it's breast meat and drumsticks, rather than cashing in those golden eggs for as long as it continued laying them.

 

It's an asinine business decision, to say the least.

[Tanooki]

I thought Nintendo of America said it would be $30/yr? Or was that just a dumb rumor or an assumption by some creative writers to get page hits?

 

Here we go, February 2017 Polygon: http://www.polygon.com/2017/2/1/14473614/nintendo-switch-online-service-price

2000-3000yen/yr in Japan which is at that day it was written $17.63-$26.50USD. So they're going to probably undercut the other guys by half or near that, figure in the end a $20-30 price range.

 

PSPlus (since they killed the basic service and raised the price) and XBL are both $60/yr.

 

 

Kosmic has a point on that stock lying too by employees. That 2nd one I found at the Target for my daughter was a loner, they had it, it didn't just come in that day but using an online stock checker I knew it was there. I called, they not only admitted they had it, but that it was hidden under the counter (register, not in the gaming area) and it was pulled from that spot when my wife picked it up with her minutes later. Clearly due to the stock issues some places did intend to hide it unless someone knew they had it to avoid the stupidity as much as possible I can hardly blame them either.

[atarilovesyou]

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.

 

There a few 'dead' websites I wish this was available for...the Wayback Machine can only give you so much, after all. My smartphone downloaded all the manuals (minus the Japanese ones) pretty quickly...but my 6 year old laptop took the better part of 45 to do it all manually. Plus the manuals have the most ridiculous title system...they're initials, but not intuitive at all. I also noticed they used some of the updated manuals for some games...I don't remember the original Metroid manual being that detailed. I realize they're using the manual from the 90(?) re-release, but still...it's just nice to have them digitally, especially Final Fantasy and the Zelda games.

[Tanooki]

I just skimmed it, no the original Metroid manual was that wordy. I still have my silver manual, same stuff, so I guess the yellow one is just a superficial cover change basically other than maybe some spelling fixes perhaps that I'm not going to look for. I have that yellow one, but it's still sealed up in the box. Those are all the final revisions of the manuals for each of the games with really clean scans nicer than the freebies people have thrown online. Nintendo impressed me the day I found that site.

 

And you're right the wayback machine kind of sucks, it's very hit and miss on what it collects. More often than not it gets just part of a page, maybe minimally the opening page, or it just lacks the downloads which gets really annoying as it gets more and more spotty as the years go back.

[Flojomojo]

That's why you click "save this page" BEFORE the page goes away, like I did, for the good of all Nintendo-loving earth people. You're welcome.

 

Not that any these game manual scans are difficult to find with a quick google search anyway...

[Tanooki]

I tried that, Nintendo has it locked down as the Firefox (Save, Complete webpage) failed hardcore. That's why I went hunting and found that tool as it will pool all the data as if you were instantly clicking, displaying anything and then downloads it in clumps with the directory tree online mirrored locally to pull it all from.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I tried that, Nintendo has it locked down as the Firefox (Save, Complete webpage) failed hardcore. That's why I went hunting and found that tool as it will pool all the data as if you were instantly clicking, displaying anything and then downloads it in clumps with the directory tree online mirrored locally to pull it all from.

I think perhaps the server can detect bots if links are being clicked faster than humanly possible? I remember once years ago downloading images from a site, I started with the first link on the page and proceeded to work my way down, using right click "save image as" to store them on my hard drive. Site was in Japanese so I was making it easier to browse by using Google Translate, and halfway through the page I got kicked off the server claiming that I was a robot and not a human. :facepalm:

 

I had to use another PC to finish retrieving the images I wanted to keep.

[Flojomojo]

I tried that, Nintendo has it locked down as the Firefox (Save, Complete webpage) failed hardcore. That's why I went hunting and found that tool as it will pool all the data as if you were instantly clicking, displaying anything and then downloads it in clumps with the directory tree online mirrored locally to pull it all from.

I meant save it on WayBack. It's not as if it crawls everything effectively without help.

 

I use an app called SiteSucker to do what you're trying to do. It can grab a whole page with directories preserved as many layers down as you choose to go.

[Keatah]

I think perhaps the server can detect bots if links are being clicked faster than humanly possible?

 

WinHTTrack allows you to slow things down if needed. And to get a new IP, you clone your MAC address and change it by a digit and let the modem re-register. At least that's how my ISP works.

[atarilovesyou]

Because multiple customers who came in literally every single day to inquire about the NES Classic Mini, only to answer their same questions again and again with "we are sold out and have no info about restocks at this tiem. Please come back later." Well employees are not robots, they are imperfect humans, and I'm sure they get tired of answering the same questions every single day. So if they can tell a little white lie to the daily influx of people inquiring, such that a few of them do not come back, it makes their job more manageable. I imagine said employee was nice and cordial, until you brought up the mini, then he or she likely went into GTFO mode.

 

My view is this: this clerk has a job, a job he chose and he represents his company. Part of that job is to answer questions, even if it's an often repeated question. If I managed someone who lied to customers (and I'm not saying in this specific case; I was actually asking about the official control pads, not the system itself...no matter, still got the same snooty response) in order for them not to return?...let's just say I'd make a note of it Anyways, totally understandable reaction, as most of the staff I've known who work at EB are just not what I'd call stellar with customer service in the first place, so it's par for the course.

 

What I was getting at is that in this case, McClerk was right: the unit WAS in fact a limited edition, and while we could have speculated, this clerk seemed to know back in November (so even though the message was delivered in a snooty way, it turned out to be true). Said employee was not nice nor cordial...I'm sure he had to deal with a lot more crap that day in his job than I had to in mine, and there's something to be said about having to work a shitty job before you land a good one (one that hopefully inspires said employees to actually WANT to help their customers, regardless of how often they have to answer the same ol' same old. Kinda like how the Rolling Stones have to play Satisfaction every time as if it were the first time :D ...but hey, at least they're getting paid handsomely to do it )

[Andromeda Stardust]

"I... Can't... Get... No...

Sa... Tis... Fact... ion...

But I try, Yes I try...

Can't get no...

Da-da-da, da-da, da-da, da-da-da..."

 

Somehow I think they still enjoy playing it as much as we still love hearing it!

[Schizophretard]

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

 

Assuming that the Switch becomes a success and that you are correct that those Switch owners would be a tiny fraction of the people that want the NES Classic Edition alone then that would be tens of millions of NES Classic Editions in the wild.

 

Most of those would be owned by people just looking for a quick temporary nostalgic fix just like other Flashback/plug & play devices that they either bought as an impulse purchase or got as gifts from Nintendo fans like ourselves rather they wanted one or not because we would be thinking it is a no brainer easy gift/stocking stuffer. After they get their quick temporary nostalgic fix most of these will end up back into the secondary market with the opposite effect on the prices that scalpers are doing with them becoming really cheap. It would essentially be like if these 30 games were released in the millions again in cartridge form but this time in a 30in1 multicart because them coming with the unit and being able to be sold again by definition makes them physical releases. Self contained in a plug & play but still physical releases. If Nintendo is willing to make these games so common that you could eventually get them all used for $10 at Goodwill without even needing to buy the dedicated gaming hardware that Nintendo really wants you to buy then I don't see why they have put so much effort and opposition into combating copyright infringement to protect the value of these games. The reason Nintendo could sell tens of millions of these is because the games still hold value but if they did sell tens of millions of these there wouldn't be much value left for future uses.

 

Why keep the factories going(including for discontinued Wii U parts like the connectors), use up the store shelf space that could be used on Nintendo products they can make more money on, cater to people mostly looking for a nostalgic fix that aren't interested in other Nintendo products, provide a hackable box that you can put RetroArch on that would devalue more of their games and others'(that Nintendo would like to do more business with) while also putting in effort to combat copyright infringement, etc. for a device that is likely only bringing them in nickels and dimes per unit while devaluing the games that are on it for potentially more profitable future uses? Just because people want it and it makes them happy. Happiness alone doesn't put money in Nintendo's wallet and sex on their kitchen table.

 

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.

 

The Switch doesn't have a D-pad. So, there isn't much value in the games for the handheld side of the portability. It is more in the table top mode with the Pro Controller. That D-pad is one of the things that makes the Pro Controller desirable with the expectation that it would be used for games that require digital controls like NES games among others and the people most likely to be playing NES games would likely consider playing them in table top mode suboptimal compared to on the TV because us old farts are starting to lose our vision and it would feel even more suboptimal with local multiplayer. Therefore, most of the value of playing NES games on the Switch is in docked mode with Pro Controllers. Having an NES Classic Edition takes away some of that value and Nintendo needs to retain all the value the can for the Virtual Console. Especially considered how confusing and fucktarded they have implemented the fragmented Virtual Console and other eShop, Wii Shop, Wii Ware, DSi Ware, and whatever on all their recent consoles. In other words, Nintendo needs to focus their efforts on fixing and cleaning up the Virtual Console as well as all their other online offerings with a perceived high value in it all so that when it is all ready for the Switch it no longer looks like an embarrassment compared to other companies' online offerings instead of trying to cater to nostalgic Joe Blow who hasn't gave a shit about Nintendo for 30 years and would likely only give a shit temporarily with the NES Classic Edition.

 

I don't fully get the,"to get titles not included in the Mini." part. I thought the supposed brilliance of Nintendo entering the Flashback market was to also make a Super NES version, N64, GameCube, Game Boy, etc. until everyone that wants one gets one because it prints money even though I haven't seen anyone explain exactly how much money it prints. If this strategy prints so much money then why is it only companies that are out of the console business, publishers that aren't as popular, games that aren't as popular, etc. that have been using it so far with Flashbacks/plug & plays? If Sony doesn't release a PSone Classic Edition does that mean like Nintendo they hate money too? In my opinion, this isn't a printing money strategy. It is a last resort strategy to get nickels and dimes that is used once your real money printing strategies fail.

 

Anyway, I see some added value in what you describe for the Switch. There are other ones too like rewriting NES and Super NES games for online multiplayer. But the point is that having the NES Classic Edition takes away some of the value of using the Switch for the exact same purpose. It makes buying these games for the Switch a harder sale.

 

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 haven't seen very strong evidence of a huge market for an inexpensive nostalgia device. The Flashback/plug & play market is niche. The NES Classic Edition seeming to be an exception to that rule is because the games on it have a perceived higher value and people compare the huge discounted prices compared to buying them on the Virtual Console. Those discounts are even more huge when you consider that the device itself is part of the total price. So, is there a market for an inexpensive device to play NES games that also includes games being sold at a huge discounted sale price? Sure, I see evidence of that. I also see evidence of a huge market for getting inexpensive cheap shit for sale on Black Friday but that doesn't leave me to conclude that Walmart having Black Friday every day would print money or that Walmart having Black Friday once a year indicates that they hate money. The NES Classic Edition is Nintendo's Black Friday. Now that it is over those who still want an inexpensive nostalgia device can get an inexpensive 2DS and buy Virtual Console games at the regular non-standing in lines in the cold Black Friday hype discount prices.

 

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!

Of course it isn't the opposite extreme that there will be people only buying the Switch just for the Virtual Console but it isn't and hasn't been some trivial extra feature for Nintendo consoles either. Much of Nintendo's target audience isn't just modern gamers but modern gamers that are also retro gamers because they have been Nintendo fans for decades. To those people how well the Switch's Virtual Console turns out is very important. However, if Nintendo was to make the Switch's Virtual Console service so outstanding by covering many systems, with many games, with very actuate emulation, etc. to an extent that it made the Switch look undeniably like the best machine for emulation you could buy then I could see people buying it primarily for the Virtual Console. I think if Nintendo was to push towards that ideal there would be much more money in that than Flashback consoles even if they fall short of that ideal. If BOTW didn't exist but something close to that ideal existed at launch I would have still bought the Switch.

 

Anyway, Nintendo doesn't give a shit about the kind of person that has zero interest in modern gaming because Nintendo is still a modern software and hardware gaming company. The people who are likely to spend money on a Switch, or a New 3DS, or at least a 2DS and are likely to buy new games for them(as well as the old) is Nintendo's target audience because it is those people who print money for them and keep them a modern gaming company. Therefore, the only retro gamers Nintendo is interested in are the ones that are also modern gamers which is where the Virtual Console comes in. The Virtual Console is for those modern gamers that have been Nintendo fans for decades and still are but want the benefits of emulation in modern Nintendo hardware without resorting to copyright infringement either for the legality reasons, want to continue to support Nintendo, and/or rather have their emulation set up as a service instead of the DIY approach. Those people are the ones Nintendo wants to sell old games to and not the people that are only willing to do one $60 purchase and nothing more because they have zero interest in modern gaming and if denied that $60 item will resort to RetroPi. Therefore, it makes much more sense for Nintendo to focus all their retro gaming efforts into making the Virtual Console for the Switch an excellent service for their target audience instead of trying to get those who are not only cheapskates but also have no interest in modern Nintendo at all to "print money" for them.

[Atariboy]

Eurogamer is reporting that a SuperNes Classic Edition is in development for release later this year. And supposedly that was a major impetus in the discontinuance of the NES Classic Edition.

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-04-19-sources-nintendo-to-launch-snes-mini-this-year

 

While I own on cartridge or via the Virtual Console pretty much everything likely to be present here of interest to me, I've yet to ever buy the Donkey Kong Country trilogy in any form. So it would be ideal for me to see that present here. And hopefully they take this opportunity to finally emulate the Super FX chip, since it just wouldn't be right to not include Yoshi's Island and Star Fox here (I won't even bother dreaming for Star Fox 2).

 

If accurate, I hope the controller maintains the Wii Classic Controller standard. Other than upping the cord length, it's just fine and offers compatibility with Nintendo's last two generations of console hardware.

Edited April 19, 2017 by Atariboy

[ubersaurus]

Eurogamer is reporting that a SuperNes Classic Edition is in development for release later this year. And supposedly that was a major impetus in the discontinuance of the NES Classic Edition.

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-04-19-sources-nintendo-to-launch-snes-mini-this-year

 

While I own on cartridge or via the Virtual Console pretty much everything likely to be present here of interest to me, I've yet to ever buy the Donkey Kong Country trilogy in any form. So it would be ideal for me to see that present here. And hopefully they take this opportunity to finally emulate the Super FX chip, since it just wouldn't be right to not include Yoshi's Island and Star Fox here (I won't even bother dreaming for Star Fox 2).

 

If accurate, I hope the controller maintains the Wii Classic Controller standard. Other than upping the cord length, it's just fine and offers compatibility with Nintendo's last two generations of console hardware.

This actually does make sense alongside the Famicom mini announcement that it's being temporarily suspended for the year, if they want to tool up to produce the SNES ones in better quantities. It also suggests to me that the NES classic would return down the road, too.

[icemanxp300]

This actually does make sense alongside the Famicom mini announcement that it's being temporarily suspended for the year, if they want to tool up to produce the SNES ones in better quantities. It also suggests to me that the NES classic would return down the road, too.

 

Not to me it doesn't. There is a BIG difference between temporarily halting production and using the word discontinued. If they planned on simply halting production until a later date someone needs a kick in the nuts and an English class.

[godslabrat]

 

Not to me it doesn't. There is a BIG difference between temporarily halting production and using the word discontinued. If they planned on simply halting production until a later date someone needs a kick in the nuts and an English class.

I agree, I tend to think if they meant discontinued, they would have said so, and they did. However, it seems like mistranslation incidents are fairly common in the game industry, so it's a possibility worth remembering.

[+save2600]

LOL! Nintendo now claims an SNES Mini will be available by Christmas:

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/04/19/nintendo-will-reportedly-release-snes-classic-edition-this-year

 

No thanks Big N. After the way you botched the NES Mini, won't be fooled again. Getting fucked about like that, trying to track one down, standing in lines before stores open - I won't be your time-wasting pigeon.

[godslabrat]

LOL! Nintendo now claims an SNES Mini will be available by Christmas:

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/04/19/nintendo-will-reportedly-release-snes-classic-edition-this-year

 

No thanks Big N. After the way you botched the NES Mini, won't be fooled again. Getting fucked about like that, trying to track one down, standing in lines before stores open - I won't be your time-wasting pigeon.

 

 

That's nice, Nintendo, but my same rules are going to apply: I'll buy it if I can walk into a store and pay MSRP, or order on Amazon for the same price. I'm not going to deal with a scalper, and I'm not camping out. It's less about the money and more about me valuing my time more than that. In other words...

 

 

[BillLoguidice]

LOL! Nintendo now claims an SNES Mini will be available by Christmas:

 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/04/19/nintendo-will-reportedly-release-snes-classic-edition-this-year

 

No thanks Big N. After the way you botched the NES Mini, won't be fooled again.

 

If you recall, we had that rumor earlier from a few different sources. Basically it was that Nintendo was going to stock the NES Mini throughout the year and then come out with a SNES Classic Mini this coming holiday. The first part of that reporting obviously fell down, so we have reason to be skeptical about a SNES Classic Mini. It would be strange for Nintendo to go through with one part of the original rumored plan and not the other.

 

For now, I'm going to say this is just an old rumor resurfacing, and, based on what Nintendo just did with the NES Classic Mini, they're not going to go ahead with the SNES version (even though it may very well already be designed). Who knows, though? Nintendo is anything but predictable these days.

 

(and Nintendo has yet to issue a statement in response to IGN's claims, obviously)

[godslabrat]

 

If you recall, we had that rumor earlier from a few different sources. Basically it was that Nintendo was going to stock the NES Mini throughout the year and then come out with a SNES Classic Mini this coming holiday. The first part of that reporting obviously fell down, so we have reason to be skeptical about a SNES Classic Mini. It would be strange for Nintendo to go through with one part of the original rumored plan and not the other.

 

For now, I'm going to say this is just an old rumor resurfacing, and, based on what Nintendo just did with the NES Classic Mini, they're not going to go ahead with the SNES version (even though it may very well already be designed). Who knows, though? Nintendo is anything but predictable these days.

 

(and Nintendo has yet to issue a statement in response to IGN's claims, obviously)

 

The nagging doubt I have is that the NES Mini has a lot of thunder and it's way too soon to let a new toy challenge it. Nintendo could ride the NES Mini for AT LEAST another year... if they aren't going to do that, why release something else? All the R&D work on the NES Mini is done, all Nintendo would have to do would be to print up a new batch and cash the checks. It's free money.

 

But instead, we're to believe that Nintendo is making a new mold, a new licensing agreement, coding a new GUI, designing new packaging... all those things that add to the up-front cost, all to release a new p&p to replace something that's already selling well? It doesn't fit. Nintendo tends to wait TOO LONG to replace aging products, doing it proactively just doesn't seem like them.

 

Unless they think they can double their profits by doubling their product line. There is a certain logic behind that.

[NE146]

 

... It's free money.

 

Unless, it isn't.

 

Many others have said it and I'll jump on the bandwagon: "NES Classic makes peanuts" is the only logical explanation for how big N is handling it.

Edited April 19, 2017 by NE146

[HoshiChiri]

 

I haven't seen very strong evidence of a huge market for an inexpensive nostalgia device.

 

.... HAVE YOU NOT READ THIS THREAD?!

 

There are people calling stores a dozen times a DAY looking for a Mini. There are people paying so much on Ebay you wonder why they don't just buy a Switch & wait for VC. We have two other threads about this thing here on Atariage. But no, that apparently doesn't mean there's demand. Instead, we need to make sure to protect the IP- because the kind of people who bought Mario on the NES, and the SNES, and the Wii, and the virtual console, and the 3DS virtual console, and the Wii U virtual console- they WON'T buy it again on the Switch if the Mini exists?

 

I'm just done- if you really cannot look at all this damn focus on the Mini and not think 'maybe it's a good idea to keep 1 factory making minis, just until the scalpers can only sell for double instead of 4-5 times MSRP', we will never see remotely eye to eye on this.

[godslabrat]

 

Unless, it isn't.

 

Many others have said it and I'll jump on the bandwagon: "NES Classic makes peanuts" is the only logical explanation for how big N is handling it.

 

But that explanation flies in the face of all we know about mass-producing electronics in the 21st century.

 

We know the hardware costs are minimal. At that scale, those parts cost well under $20.

 

We know the first party games are free to Nintendo. Development on them was paid off a long time ago.

 

We know the third party games had to be fairly cheap, as the ones selected seem to have been the product of a rigorous cost:benefit calculus. I can't imagine them costing more than $15 per unit.

 

Packaging adds maybe $1.

 

That leaves almost $30 for Nintendo and the retailer to split, and of course Nintendo is going to take the lion's share. If we can assume Nintendo takes $20, that's a very tidy margin and still leaves a worthwhile couple of bucks for the retailer.

 

If the Classic is making peanuts, that means that Nintendo is needlessly overpaying for some aspect of the device... and that just doesn't happen in this day and age. I actually find it easier to believe Nintendo would rather leave the money on the table to "protect" their IP than to believe they couldn't make a profit on this at $60.