It seems Nintendo is ending production of their highly popular NES Classic. Final shipments are going out to retailers this month, and there are no plans for the company to produce more of the hardware any time soon. Nintendo of Europe hasn't made a comment on the matter, so it is unknown if this pertains to just North America, or Japan and Europe as well. The NES Classic launched last year in November 2016, and was notorious for being near-impossible to get a hold of. Launching with 30 retro Nintendo Entertainment System games on a smaller version of the old-school console, the NES Classic was a holiday hit, selling over 1.5 million consoles as of January 2017.

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

 

[J-Machine]

All I see if "Nintendo of america discontinue NES classic" and then "Is it going to affect europe and japan as well? or just north america?"
GODDAMIT!!! NORTH AMERICA ISNT JUST USA, ITS ALSO CANADA AND MEXICO!!!
so, here's my question : Does Nintendo of Canada also discontinue NES Classic?

yes

 

[Noctosphere]

yes

confirmed?
source?
because as far as i know, nintendo of america and nintendo of canada arent the same

 

[Todderbert]

You could always get the PiTendo, or Pi Zero in a NES controller. Cool projects.

 

[codezer0]

Problem is, neither of these would be viable if I wanted to speedrun a game, since I wouldn't be able to submit the results into any leaderboards, or for a GDQ event.

 

[Sheimi]

Still never got one and never will. God.

 

[spotanjo3]

SNES on holiday Summer 2017 would be pretty rad.

Would be nice but I doubt. This holiday Winter 2017 is obviously since NES CLASSIC EDITION/MINI released last year on Nov 2016.

 

[Deleted User]

wonder if i should buy one just to sell in a couple of years

 

[0100100001001001]

Unfortunately the Zimbabwe dollar conversion rates of my bank accounts are a bit too high. I don't want to get ripped off, you know.

Will you accept Rai Stones? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rai_stones

 

[Yepi69]

1.5 million is pretty darn hefty for a cheap tiny NES emulator box.

Not to mention that its gonna be pretty costly as time goes by, much like a collector's item.

 

[Pluupy]

I hope they make an SNES version.

 

[Glyptofane]

I hope they make an SNES version.

Why? Nobody would be able to actually find and buy one through normal means anyway.

 

[Arecaidian Fox]

I'm beginning to wonder if the Big N is allergic to absurd amounts of money.

 

[Dr.Hacknik]

Strange, I could've sworn that 'Wii U' thing sold more units. Huh, must just be my imagination.

 

[eriol33]

it's just a glorified android emulator with 30 rom and 3d printed NES box.

 

[mechagouki]

When you say it was a hardware clone does that mean the internals are the same? Trying to understand and I don't want to take apart my systems to find out.

i can't find any details on the internals, but there is this from the Nintendo Wiki:

Club Nintendo version

In November of 2009 Nintendo of Japan announced that members of Club Nintendo would be eligible to receive Ball as a prize. The unit looks nearly identical to the original, though features the Club Nintendo logo on it and features a toggle that allows the user to increase or decrease the volume. This prize was only available to Club Nintendo members in Japan and was sent out in April of 2010 to those who accumulated enough points to reach Platinum Status. Unlike Nintendo of America, Nintendo automatically sent these units out to players who were eligible without the need for the user to register for it online.

Game & Watch: Ball was later released on Nintendo of America's Club Nintendo service, making it available to fans in the United States. Upon its release it was required more coins than any other product: 1200. A pre-installed battery comes with every unit.

The developers of the Club Nintendo version noted that it was challenging re-releasing Ball because none of the original documents existed anymore. Nevertheless, the developers tried to make it as faithful as possible, making very few alterations. One of the changes the developers did make was a bit of wiring that stuck out of the original Ball that was hidden by a black strip. Even though the black strip is there (in an attempt to make it look as close to the original as possible) the wiring is no longer present. Another change is the addition of an option to turn the sound off, which was a luxury not available on the original unit

 

[Bladexdsl]

ebay scalpers be rubbing their hands together hehehe yes this gowna be worth a fortune soon!

 

[MarioFanatic64]

There are now two possibilities:
SNES Classic is on the horizon
Nintendo decided to cut their losses after no doubt losing thousands of future VC sales to the hakchi machine.

 

[RemixDeluxe]

Nintendo decided to cut their losses after no doubt losing thousands of future VC sales to the hakchi machine.

This is the likely reason its being discontinued. No other company would willingly give up on a sure thing thats selling well.

 

[Codemastershock]

WiiU is infamously blurry in picture quality on NES virtual console. Nobody has been able to figure out why.

I assume it's for the gamepad. Not only to reduce data stream and minimise wireless lag but to not appear too saturated as on Wii mode, but instead of a toggle between "normal saturation" or "corrected-to-gamepad saturation", they simply throw the less desirable option.
Although the color palette is not good, if you have a TV that is calibrated correctly, you should be fine, or you will join the group of people complaining that the game is too dark.

 

[DbGt]

Is this thing worth $80 bucks?? I could get one now here in Japan for this price, its the current reselling price.

Im afraid that after this announcement (japanese version also discountinued), the price will go up