This controller solves the Nintendo NES Classic's biggest problem
Getting your hands on an NES Classic -- the coveted digital update of Nintendo's popular console from the '80s -- is the challenge of this holiday season.
But once you've finally called in a few favors and spent as much (or more) than you would on a PS4 or Xbox One, the NES Classic has one more agonizing hurdle for gamers to clear: how to manage its ridiculously short (two-foot!) controller cable.
Sure, if you're going for the full-on retro gaming experience, being tethered to the box is just part of the old-school charm. As we mentioned in our review of the Classic, there are cable extenders available to make it less painful. But we live in a post-cord world — and some aspects of nostalgia deserve to be left in the past.
Thankfully, retro-gaming peripheral maker 8Bitdo has a modern answer for NES Classic owners: a custom Retro Receiver set for wireless controllers.
The package -- which includes an NES30 controller, a USB cable for charging it, and the Bluetooth receiver for connecting to the console -- is fairly basic on its own. There's only one per box, so if there's a Luigi to your Mario, you'll need to order a second to avoid the cables entirely.
There's one other major perk: the Bluetooth receiver is compatible with just about every type of current-gen wireless controller other than Xbox. If you get sick of the classic NES brick, just sync up your PS4 Dual Shock 4 or Wii Mote to switch things up.
Starting today, you can preorder the NES30 Classic set on Amazon for $39.99, to ship Dec. 16. Hopefully, you'll have tracked down an NES Classic for yourself by then.
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
