Topic: Nintendo Releasing Classic NES This November

[Disco Stu]

I had no idea we had such experienced engineers/product managers posting here on NWR. You all should be working for Nintendo!

[Soren]

If it truly was aimed at those uninterested in old hardware, they wouldn't be trying emulate the original design with identical controllers. The reality is the Wii Virtual Console is the place for old games on modern hardware. This new Classic NES, is intended for nostalgia.

Ah yes, the nostalgia of playing old games designed for CRT televisions on HD screens instead. I think this console is designed with equal parts nostalgia/accessibility in mind. That's the reason why it's $60 and has an HD port.

[Bman87301]

It's true, that it would definitely require different innards and most likely a larger design, but I'm pretty confident it could be done for around the same price. And while I understand why so many think it would only appeal to nerds like us and not the mainstream, if you stop and think about it, it's actually the exact opposite--We're the ones whose original NESes are more likely to still work because we know about deactivating the finicky block-out chip. Or we sold our old carts after it stopped working to buy the latest new systems.  The mainstream more likely just packed them away somewhere waiting to be dug out. The feature would definitely appeal just as much to them as it would us... Especially since we've more likely kept playing those games, whereas this would be the first oppotunty for them them in years

[Mop it up]

This sounds like a good, cheap way for Nintendo to make a little money as they wait for NX. If this had a cartridge slot, I'd probably be all over it, but as it stands I own most of these already. I have less SNES games though, so if that happens I might be interested.

I don't expect there to be a version of this or future retro devices to actually have a cartridge slot though, as it would encourage people to track down the original cartridges rather than buy them on the VC. I have no idea how true that would be given things like the price difference and the collector's market, not to mention that there are plenty of games not on the VC, but I can imagine Nintendo seeing it that way.

[Stogi]

This thing is adorable. I have a feeling once we hold it, it'll feel like a clever box to hold 3DS games rather than an actual system.

What I'm  concerned about the most is, can you use a Wiimote? Or can you use a Wiimote/NES combo? I really don't want a wired system.

[Lemonade]

It only works with Classic Controllers, so the original CC, CC Pro, the new NES controller and I assume the SNES/Super Famicom controller.

I wonder how long the cable will be on the new NES controller. The normal length probably isnt going to be enough

[ejamer]

...

I like your idea of an actual first-party NES replacement. That would be great.

But there are a bunch of retro consoles that play NES games on the market now, not to mention a bunch of old NES consoles available as well. Pricing of those consoles don't convince me that what you say regarding pricing of a new production line would be accurate. (Oh right, but there is that $40 Genesys console that offers terrible build quality and poor emulation... let's throw that into the comparison just for fun.)

Nintendo is offering Product A - a quick and easy blast of nostalgia that comes in a small, stand-alone package and doesn't require any extra purchases (ok, maybe buy a second controller) to start playing right away.
You want Product B - a niche product aimed at hardcore collectors who already have games or are keen to start tracking them down and collecting, that isn't as small or convenient.

Both are good ideas, but they are different ideas and it sounds like Nintendo has clear goals about where they are going with this product. Get over it.

...  I wonder how long the cable will be on the new NES controller. The normal length probably isnt going to be enough

This is a good point. There are clearly ports for controllers on the mini-console, so I'm assuming no wireless. Not a deal breaker, but it does make you wonder about cords and cables.

[Fatty The Hutt]

Kinda off topic: does anyone know if there's an Atari 2600 emulator box thingy that has built-in or downloadable games? I'm not that keen on acquiring a bunch of old cartridges but I would really like to play some old Atari games with the right controllers. I have a bunch available on an iPad but the touch screen controls just don't cut it.

[ejamer]

Kinda off topic: does anyone know if there's an Atari 2600 emulator box thingy that has built-in or downloadable games? I'm not that keen on acquiring a bunch of old cartridges but I would really like to play some old Atari games with the right controllers. I have a bunch available on an iPad but the touch screen controls just don't cut it.

Yes - there are a couple available and they aren't half bad from what I've read. Different versions offer different games and overall quality though, so do a bit of research before buying.

Helpful links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Flashback
http://forum.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?172384-Atari-Flashback-Which-One(s)

Some versions are even pretty easy to hack and add a console port to, apparently. Not sure if that's something you care about - for Atari I'd rather just get the convenience of everything in one box, but others will disagree.

[Bman87301]

...

I like your idea of an actual first-party NES replacement. That would be great.

But there are a bunch of retro consoles that play NES games on the market now, not to mention a bunch of old NES consoles available as well. Pricing of those consoles don't convince me that what you say regarding pricing of a new production line would be accurate. (Oh right, but there is that $40 Genesys console that offers terrible build quality and poor emulation... let's throw that into the comparison just for fun.)

Nintendo is offering Product A - a quick and easy blast of nostalgia that comes in a small, stand-alone package and doesn't require any extra purchases (ok, maybe buy a second controller) to start playing right away.
You want Product B - a niche product aimed at hardcore collectors who already have games or are keen to start tracking them down and collecting, that isn't as small or convenient.

Both are good ideas, but they are different ideas and it sounds like Nintendo has clear goals about where they are going with this product. Get over it.

...  I wonder how long the cable will be on the new NES controller. The normal length probably isnt going to be enough

This is a good point. There are clearly ports for controllers on the mini-console, so I'm assuming no wireless. Not a deal breaker, but it does make you wonder about cords and cables.

Clearly you didn't actually read my last post, because I already explained how this wouldn't be a "Product B". You said it yourself, "Product A" is a stand alone package that doesn't require any extra purchases and that's precisely what this would be as it would be in addition to the built-in games. It would merely be an optional bonus feature which would appeal to a large enough portion and guarantee more sales to people who'd otherwise be on the fence. If you believe otherwise it's likely because you're failing to take into account how many mainstream people still have access to old carts. Believe it or not, probably 50% of mainstream owners of an original NES still have access to at least SOME of the original cartridges. Of course, there would be no market for new NES hardware that would REQUIRE old carts, but that's not what we're talking about here. People who this feature would actually appeal to is FAR beyond the hardcore collectors you're picturing.

It's pretty clear to me that the reason isn't Nintendo taking the extra effort to include a slot Nintendo is most likely just because this was thrown together as a last minute cash-in. They've already got VC emulation versions for all these games so they're just easily throwing on simplified Wii hardware to have something ready for Christmas. If they took their time they could easily make a version that used original chipsets or a reliable enough emulator to run games from carts, and it would sell significantly better.

[Fatty The Hutt]

Kinda off topic: does anyone know if there's an Atari 2600 emulator box thingy that has built-in or downloadable games? I'm not that keen on acquiring a bunch of old cartridges but I would really like to play some old Atari games with the right controllers. I have a bunch available on an iPad but the touch screen controls just don't cut it.

Yes - there are a couple available and they aren't half bad from what I've read. Different versions offer different games and overall quality though, so do a bit of research before buying.

Helpful links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Flashback
http://forum.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?172384-Atari-Flashback-Which-One(s)

Some versions are even pretty easy to hack and add a console port to, apparently. Not sure if that's something you care about - for Atari I'd rather just get the convenience of everything in one box, but others will disagree.

Thanks! This is very helpful.

[nickmitch]

...

I like your idea of an actual first-party NES replacement. That would be great.

But there are a bunch of retro consoles that play NES games on the market now, not to mention a bunch of old NES consoles available as well. Pricing of those consoles don't convince me that what you say regarding pricing of a new production line would be accurate. (Oh right, but there is that $40 Genesys console that offers terrible build quality and poor emulation... let's throw that into the comparison just for fun.)

Nintendo is offering Product A - a quick and easy blast of nostalgia that comes in a small, stand-alone package and doesn't require any extra purchases (ok, maybe buy a second controller) to start playing right away.
You want Product B - a niche product aimed at hardcore collectors who already have games or are keen to start tracking them down and collecting, that isn't as small or convenient.

Both are good ideas, but they are different ideas and it sounds like Nintendo has clear goals about where they are going with this product. Get over it.

...  I wonder how long the cable will be on the new NES controller. The normal length probably isnt going to be enough

This is a good point. There are clearly ports for controllers on the mini-console, so I'm assuming no wireless. Not a deal breaker, but it does make you wonder about cords and cables.

Clearly you didn't actually read my last post, because I already explained how this wouldn't be a "Product B". You said it yourself, "Product A" is a stand alone package that doesn't require any extra purchases and that's precisely what this would be as it would be in addition to the built-in games. It would merely be an optional bonus feature which would appeal to a large enough portion and guarantee more sales to people who'd otherwise be on the fence. If you believe otherwise it's likely because you're failing to take into account how many mainstream people still have access to old carts. Believe it or not, probably 50% of mainstream owners of an original NES still have access to at least SOME of the original cartridges. Of course, there would be no market for new NES hardware that would REQUIRE old carts, but that's not what we're talking about here. People who this feature would actually appeal to is FAR beyond the hardcore collectors you're picturing.

It's pretty clear to me that the reason isn't Nintendo taking the extra effort to include a slot Nintendo is most likely just because this was thrown together as a last minute cash-in. They've already got VC emulation versions for all these games so they're just easily throwing on simplified Wii hardware to have something ready for Christmas. If they took their time they could easily make a version that used original chipsets or a reliable enough emulator to run games from carts, and it would sell significantly better.

Product A + B would be a product that prices itself out the range of Product A's market while creating confusion within it ("Wait, so do I need the carts to play the games?") and is 1/2 a thing that Product B's market doesn't want/need.  That combination pretty much only sells to the overlap of the two markets.  Plus, you'd make it bigger, which is something I assume Nintendo cares about.

[Soren]

...  I wonder how long the cable will be on the new NES controller. The normal length probably isnt going to be enough

This is a good point. There are clearly ports for controllers on the mini-console, so I'm assuming no wireless. Not a deal breaker, but it does make you wonder about cords and cables.

Wii U Pro Controller USB cables were ridiculously long. Ditto Smash Gamecube controller cables. I wouldn't be too worried.

[Adrock]

As expected, it''s missing a few games namely Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II, and Tetris for me. Now that the initial excitement has settled, I'd probably buy this as a collector's item rather than something I'd actually use.

Nintendo would never do this, but it'd be neat-o if Nintendo let you choose 30 games out of a selection of like 50 or so. The personalized nature of it would undoubtedly drive the price up. $60 is a good price for what you get comparatively to Virtual Console downloads though it's still pretty high for what it is. I'd gladly pay $60 had I been given the choice of titles. It isn't a realistic expectation though.

[Lemonade]

Wii U Pro Controller USB cables were ridiculously long. Ditto Smash Gamecube controller cables. I wouldn't be too worried.

Maybe they have the normal half metre cable plus an extension. If you are just buying the NES controller for use with the Wii U VC, it would be kind of annoying having a really long cable plugging into a Wii Remote.