While Nintendo’s Wii U console suffers a slow and agonizing death, we can look away for just a few moments to enjoy Nintendo’s prowess in retro gaming with the NES Classic Edition. I know that sounds weird seeing as I grew up in the “classic” era of gaming, but the reveal of this miniature console is a dream come true and I can’t wait to buy mine. These are five reasons why I’ll be short $60 in November.
1) A means to retire my original system
I’ve had my NES since 1986 or 1987 and I’m getting quite worried about its health. The system has been my companion for almost 30 years and I would like to retire one of my oldest friends. Now I know that the NES Mini doesn’t play the old cartridges, but it is still worth it when I get the hankering for some 8-bit action. I can fire up the tiny console and jump onto Goombas at my leisure. Being able to put my priceless NES out to pasture is worth the price of admission. While this doesn’t affect me quite yet, it’s also going to be nice to see the younger gaming generation see what started it all, and how lucky there are now.
2) HDMI output
Let’s face it, it’s difficult play the older systems on flat screen televisions. I have a Frankenstein-type setup on a 32-inch flat screen television so that I can play my older consoles. There are wires everywhere and audio/video changers scattered around, but I succeeded in getting it to work. The PlayStation 2 runs a little bit darker than I remember, but I love my retro setup. Without it I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my backlog of games on the systems they were built for, and I tend to be a traditionalist when it comes to playing older titles. Either way, I can set up this tiny NES on any flat-screen television with no hassle at all. I won’t have to curse, and mumble under my breath as I attempt to get my NES picture to work. Now I can play it on the biggest television in the house and relive my amazing youth.
3) Original controllers
The NES had one of the best controllers ever made: the D-pad was tight and the A and B buttons responded as fast and my tiny thumbs could handle. The fact that they’re bringing them back for this edition makes me happy. Sometimes companies decide to fix what isn’t broken and we’re stuck with garbage. Nintendo seems to be making all the right decisions with this future, classic console. What’s even better is that I can use this controller with my Wii and my Wii U to play any eShop games I’ve already purchased. Good guy Nintendo right there, making the controller multi-functional.
4) Small size
I’m running out of space on my retro gaming rig and my current gaming rig, which includes a PS4 and an Xbox One, is huge and takes up so much space. The NES Classic Edition will literally fit in the palm of your hand, which sadly means no cartridges will be playable. However, the small size means that you can put it pretty much anywhere on your television stand. I can move my extra hard drive for my Xbox One to the back of my stand and plop down my NES mini to enjoy 8 bits and 42 inches of flat-screen goodness. I can’t wait to play Final Fantasy on the original platform through an HDMI cable. The holidays are going to be totally retro this year.
5) Games I don’t and do Have
While I do have a very nice NES collection, there are some holes in my collection. Some of those holes are insanely expensive cartridges that probably don’t even have a battery charge anymore. So the 30 games that are downloaded onto the NES Classic Edition really piqued my interest. I have quite a few of them, but the ones I don’t have amaze me. I honestly never thought StarTropics would be included in this set, but there it is. I’ve also never had the opportunity to play Kirby’s Adventure, Ice Climber, and Super C due to the fact that I was eight and had no idea what to buy, and neither did my parents. Plus the option of playing Bubble Bobble for hours on end with a buddy really takes me back—I can’t wait to do it again. It’s going to be Nintendo November for me and lots of old- and new-school gamers like me.
What say you, fellow gamer? Why are you excited for this set?