If you have so far been unable to get your hands on an NES Classic Edition, it seems you might be out of luck, if reports from Europe are to be believed. According to this thread on NeoGAF, a Nordic retailer has been informed by their supplier that the NES Classic has been marked as 'End of Life' and production has ceased. The report seems to be confirmed from another retailer as well. As of the time of me writing this, there is no word whether this is Nordic-country specific (doubtful) and no word from American retailers of whether or not the same applies here. If true, that would mean the NES Classic had a lifespan of just over 3 months (considering I just did the 3 month review on Friday). It may come as a shock to some people, especially those who are still stalking local businesses trying to get their hands on a unit, but in the grand scheme of things, it makes sense, at least for the Big N. First of all, we are less than 3 weeks away from the launch of the Switch, and while the Classic and Switch appeal to two vastly different types of user, Nintendo won't dare risk losing sales of Switch units to a $60 US retro console. The Switch is an investment for people, and giving them a choice for a lesser price might make them choose to pass on the Switch in the interim. Not that people will actually be able to get their hands on a Switch (see NES Classic release rant) but Nintendo doesn't dare want to risk it. Secondly, the hacking. The NES Classic is pretty customizable at this point. The Hakchi2 program allows users to put pretty much NES title on the system and in recent days, a separate hack has been developed that allows SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, and Game Boy Advance games to be installed/played. Obviously this is a problem for Nintendo and will directly compromise the Virtual Console on both the 3DS and the Switch. Why would a user buy a game for $5-10 bucks on the VC when they could download and play it on the Classic? This seemed inevitable when the Classic launched without internet connectivity or an online store, but still, Nintendo can't be pleased with how it has progressed. Nintendo is at a crossroads. They need the Switch to be successful. They need people to use their online service and their Virtual Console to bring in additional digital revenue. They need these things because this might be their last chance to show they can still hang in the console game. It's obvious, if it's indeed dead, that Nintendo feels the Classic undermines some of those needs. Surely this was the plan all along, sell as many of these things they can in 90 days, and move on to the Switch launch. Where the gigantic negative is going to come out of this for people is that Nintendo let the scalpers win. So many stories/videos have been written and made by people who are angry at the way the entire Classic launch/existence was built around people scalping them and here we are, 3 months later, and so many people still can't get them for regular retail price. I was fortunate enough to get one on launch day at Walmart and had people offer me double or triple what I paid for it if I was willing to let it go (I didn't). The sheer amount of people who wanted one of these things but can't get one, because of their smart refusal to pay $200+ for a $60 device, will be a sore point for Nintendo. Especially considering we will all be writing stories 3 weeks from now about the exact same scenario for the Switch launch. This will be the legacy of the NES Classic Edition. A small bundle of nostalgic joy marred by scalping, hacking and a quick death. Gone too soon in my eyes, but understandable considering everything Nintendo has to lose if the Switch falters.
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