Was the NES Classic the Nostalgia Star Nintendo Needed?
A few months ago, you may have read our article about Nintendo’s latest mini-retro machine that was hitting the shelves. The Nintendo NES Classic was a bitesize console with a big time goal of bringing old school gaming into modern homes. If you’ve been gaming for any length of time, you know there’s some kind of magical chaos that hits the consumer market once new Nintendo hardware is up for sale. People wait in long lines for hours, pre-order months in advance, and are willing to pay way higher than retail price on eBay to get one of those coveted new Nintendo goods. The $60 machine came packed with 30 well-known titles, and certainly saw quite a bit of a demand, but was it enough for Nintendo’s stellar standards?
The first numbers are in since the NES Classic dropped November 10th, and it stands at approximately 196,000 units in the U.S., with 261,000 units done in Japan. Now, let it be clear that these numbers are certainly solid, especially for the units sold in Japan, but as for the U.S.’s 196k, that’s a bit less than what Nintendo had in mind. Typically, consoles sell a bit more rapidly early on here in the States than in Japan, which is the exact opposite of the current scenario for the NES Classic. Of course, we’re positive Nintendo is happy that the NESC won’t end up like the Nintendo Wii, which sold less than 196k in its first 6 months of availability, but with the Nintendo Switch on the way, the Japanese gaming company surely wants to have as much confidence in the market as possible. But this isn’t the only downward trend in gaming, as stats have revealed that consumers have spent a whopping 35% less on video games this year than they did in 2015. Who knows, maybe people are pinching their pennies for the Nintendo Switch coming in March.
What do you think about Nintendo’s unexpected numbers? Is it only because the games aren’t brand new that the NES Classic isn’t as sought after as previous Nintendo consoles, or is the gamer market starting to see a little bit of burn out? If you’re still debating on picking up the little gaming machine, check out a great review of the NES Classic below!