The Nintendo NES Classic is Basically Sold Out Everywhere

Yesterday, Nintendo unveiled the most vaunted throwback product ever released by a gaming company: The NES Classic, which mirrors the design of the original gaming system and costs a modest $60.

As it offers 30 classic Nintendo titles like Super Mario, Ninja Gaiden, Metroid and the original Final Fantasy all loaded into the system, the nostalgic console was a hot ticket, selling out at most retailers in minutes due to limited stock.

So when and where can you still buy one? Nintendo addressed the NES shortage just several hours after the product hit shelves, sending a statement meant to placate some devastated gamers: There will be a “steady flow of additional systems throughout the holiday shopping season,” the company noted.

With that vague statement, Nintendo hasn’t addressed when retailers will be restocked with fresh quantities of the system, although Black Friday seems like a reasonable guess. In the meantime, you have to play the waiting game: Supplies are sold out in the online stores at Target, Gamestop, and Best Buy, and prices have skyrocketed upwards of $1000 on eBay, because the marketplace is a harsh place for discount gaming. Amazon is also a hopeless shot in the dark. 

Wired recommends keeping tabs on the subreddit r/minnies, as users there are regularly expected to share granular updates on the console and which retailers have stock.

But rest assured, the NES Classic will emerge again, and likely in much larger quantities come Black Friday and the holiday season.

Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email, and get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.

Sam Blum is a News Staff Writer for Thrillist. He's also a martial arts and music nerd who appreciates a fine sandwich and cute dogs. Find his clips in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The A.V. Club and Vice. He's on Twitter @Blumnessmonster.