Nintendo Discontinues the NES Classic Edition (polygon.com)

A Nintendo representative has confirmed today that the company will be discontinuing the NES Classic Edition, "a plug-and-play console that became popular with collectors as soon as it launched last fall," reports Polygon. The last shipments of the consoles will hit stores this month. From the report: [Nintendo said in a statement to 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." "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," it told IGN.

Comments

Uhhh...

[AAWood]

Throughout April, NOA territories will receive the last shipments of Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition systems for this year.

for this year

for this year

I would not be surprised if news of the NES Classic's demise is being greatly exaggerated.

Because of the Switch?

[dstyle5]

I've seen a few comments online where people have speculated this was a bridge product to bring in some $ until the Switch was released. This does make sense in that the Wii U was a colossal failure from a business perspective (Disclaimer: I own a Wii U) and this helped bring in some holiday season revenue. In typical Nintendo fashion they didn't read the market place correctly and didn't make enough units to satisfy demand. I still have friends that would be buy a NES Classic if they were available.

If they are in fact halting production because of the Switch and it maybe getting virtual console support (which it currently does not have) I think its another big misreading of the market by Nintendo. I can't see a big crossover between buyers of the NES Classic and Switch. Most people aren't going to buy a $300 console to play a few virtual console NES games, but a lot will pay $60 for the Classic. If anything I think the Classic could be a bridge product for people who haven't bought Nintendo games/consoles for a while and get them interested in their products again. Discontinuing the NES Classic seems like yet another blunder by a company who has had a lot of difficulty reading the market.

Piracy Vessel (prevailing theories)

[Marc_Hawke]

Shortly after the NES Classic was released, people found out it was easily hacked, and released tools that allowed you to expand the 30 bundled games to over 300 unlicensed ROMs. It all fit neatly into their UI and everything (from what I saw.) I've heard it surmised many times on the Internet (and that makes it true) that they weren't interested in shipping their own 'Kodi Box' equivalent.

However... there's also the stories of 'how to build your own NES classic' using a Raspberry PI or equivalent, including adding all the ROMS you want. Supposedly it's cheaper than the NES Classic as well. The only thing you don't get is the nostalgic (tiny) little box and the cute ( short tailed) controllers.

You could ask, 'why don't they decide to own that market, and just write off the 30 vs 300 as irrelevant?' (They'd already picked the best 30.) At least then they'd get their mark-up. (Whatever that was.)

Grrrrr

[Frag-A-Muffin]

I was being casual about trying to get one, now I'm just angry. I think to punish Nintendo, I'm going to NOT buy a Switch now.

Probably similar to Atari Flashback

[joeflies]

Atari Flashback has been released, discontinued, revised, a bunch of times. There are differences in versions, there are changes in licenses but I'd guess that selling memories requires driving up the artificial demand by limiting availability.

NES Classic 2

[mentil]

I'm guessing Nintendo stopped manufacturing the NES Classic BECAUSE it was such a huge hit. They were probably expecting modest sales far lower than what they were, so they outsourced as much as they could, half-assing the device. Thus why it's not (officially) expandable, has no internet connectivity etc.

So they're ending production now in preparation of an improved version, likely with longer controller cables, internet connectivity that lets you purchase additional games, and improved DRM (e.g. Nintendo-signed ROM files tied to your device hardware ID.) Perhaps it'll even support Super Nintendo games, or access to games already purchased for Virtual Console. If they kept selling units up to the day they introduce an improved version at the same price, people will be peeved they got the older model; however, pulling it for 6+ months before the new one is out will make it feel more like a 'new generation' and reduce buyer's remorse for those who got the old ones. I'm kind of surprised by the implication this won't be released for holiday '17, though, maybe they're too busy with the Switch.

Re:Only Nintendo...

[thegarbz]

Artificial scarcity though limited production runs keeps the value high and keeps the the people wanting it when they introduce it again next year.

In the mean time the focus is on the Switch. Who runs the company? People who know what they are doing.