Hilariously, Nintendo doesn't want you to overpay for the SNES Classic
Oh, Nintendo. Here we go again.
The Super NES Classic Edition is out on Sept. 29 and Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime really doesn't want you to pay too much for it. It retails for $80, but it's also very hard to find -- so of course eBay flippers are already charging outrageous prices for something they don't even have yet.
Speaking to Financial Times (via Eurogamer, as FT is paywalled), Fils-Aime made a firm appeal to fans: Don't reward the flippers.
"I would strongly urge you not to over-bid on an SNES Classic on any of the auction sites," he said. "You shouldn't [have to] pay more than $79.99."
Earlier this year, Nintendo discontinued the NES Classic less than six months after its Nov. 2016 launch. During that period, the company promised multiple times to increase shipments.
Even if that did happen -- and it's open to debate -- Nintendo failed to meet demand for the item. How do we know this? In July, an online retailer put "thousands" of NES Classic consoles up for sale, all of them bundled into high-priced packages that included other assorted swag.
They sold out in less than an hour.
Now, on the eve of the SNES Classic release, Nintendo seems to be following a similar script. In June, the company promised "significantly more" consoles this time around. Then, in August, another statement promising "a significant amount of additional systems" being shipped to stores for launch day, for anyone (read: most people) that didn't already nab a pre-order.
If you're looking for any kernel of hope here, at least Fils-Aime openly acknowledges the shady practice of selling hard-to-find retail products on auction sites at vastly inflated prices. That's more than Nintendo did during the too-brief NES Classic run.
And yet. Many of us were burned by Nintendo promises last year. At this point, it's hard to trust the possibility that the company will actually work to meet demand this time around.
I'm not suggesting you should pay an inflated price on eBay -- eff those people -- but you should definitely keep your expectations in check.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
