Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Classic Edition has become a hot item on the retail market before the start of the holiday shopping season on Black Friday. A paucity of mini NES units has caused retro game fans to look everywhere for stores that have the old-school console in stock. Nintendo's $60 gaming system includes 30 built-in games featuring 8-bit classics such as "Super Mario Bros.," "Donkey Kong," "The Legend of Zelda," "Metroid," and "Mega Man 2."
GameSpot is a video gaming website. The CBS Interactive-owned site reported there is high demand and low supply for the console whose original version was launched in North America in 1985.
Nintendo has had a similar problem with Pokémon Go Plus. The wearable device works with the company's augmented reality (AR) title that was a hit mobile game this year.
A Nintendo representative, however, told the San Francisco-based gaming outlet that the company is taking steps to resupply retailers with the mini console.
The Japanese company is also preparing to boost stock of Classic Edition for Black Friday's spike in demand. It will provide a steady supply of consoles through the start of 2017, according to Cinema Blend.
Nintendo's Wii U console, meanwhile, has had much lower sales. One big issue is the four-year-old system's price point since it never got a major price cut to compete better with Sony's PS4 and Microsoft's Xbox One. Most Wii U bundles cost about $350 at Amazon.com
In fact, the price tag for the mini-NES is rising quickly at retailers including eBay and Amazon. Low supplies have caused resellers to boost the price up to $250.
That is the price for a new PlayStation 4 or Xbox One at some stores. For example, Best Buy is offering Black Friday deals featuring $250 PS4 Slim and Xbox One bundles.
Some users reported online that Nintendo's portable console sold out in minutes or seconds at retail giants including GameStop and Amazon. Many of them argue that Nintendo should have offered pre-orders for NES Classic Edition.
In related news, Nintendo is also set to launch its new Switch console in March 2017. The gaming system will reportedly be less powerful than PS4 and Xbox One, according to iDigitalTimes.
Wall Street Journal reporter Takashi Mochizuki noted that Switch will likely include a 14/16 nanometer field-effect transistor (FET) CPU and Pascal-based GPU. This suggests the company is willing to sacrifice power. That will help develop a hybrid console that can be played on big screens and work as a portable device.
Here's a review of NES Classic Edition: