Nintendo Warns Paying More Than $80 for a SNES Classic Is a Rip-Off
Fans went full Excitebike when Nintendo announced the NES Classic last winter. Now, it's remembered as the nostalgia-laced stocking stuffer people paid stupid amounts of money for before the holidays. Stores couldn't keep them in stock, and it was a full Tickle Me Elmo rush anytime a store got restocked.
In April, Nintendo killed the NES Classic, and shortly afterward announced the impending arrival of the SNES Classic. It initially felt like a re-run of your least favorite show. Pre-orders through Amazon and Walmart were a disaster, and the units were being listed on eBay above retail price. However, Reggie Fils-Aimé, president of Nintendo of America, says in an interview with the Financial Times that the SNES Classic will not be plagued by the same issues.
He also said the NES Classic madness wasn't an intentional exercise in buzz building. He claims the company genuinely underestimated how excited fans would be based on the demand for other retro consoles.
Like the NES Classic, the SNES Classic is retailing for $79.99, but Fils-Aimé warns you shouldn't get suckered into online auctions. People paid upwards of $500 for the NES Classic, but Nintendo says there won't be a shortage this time around. “I would strongly urge you not to overbid on an SNES Classic on any of the auction sites,” Fils-Aimé told FT. “You shouldn’t [have to] pay more than $79.99.”
The signs pointed to the same kind of situation where you either don't get one or you pay too much after recent pre-order mishaps, but Fils-Aimé passed the buck. He says those mishaps were "outside our control," shifting the blame to retailers. He added that Nintendo has "dramatically increased" production on the SNES Classic, to avoid that kind of shortage.
It's a convoluted way to say patience will be rewarded, probably. At least, you won't have to sock your neighbor's grandma in an aisle at Target to get your hands on one.
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