Oh joy! I am elated to hear about Nintendo’s announcement of the NES Mini. As a nostalgia fiend, it checks off all my boxes: its looks are identical to the original console, the controller looks as if it’ll feel like the real thing, and most importantly, it’s mini! There’s something about tiny versions of larger things that make them feel cute.
One of the things I love most about this is that it’s accessible. Collecting retro games has become increasingly difficult due to arbitrary price inflation, and as a Canadian, I am also stuck dealing with a crappy dollar when buying from international sellers. This new tiny console will allow for people looking to dabble in nostalgia to be able to do so without having to break the bank buying up the actual console and cartridges. A quick tabulation of what the games alone might cost if people were going the purist route comes out to well over $400, and Nintendo will be offering this console for $60. I’d like to think that this is Nintendo’s secondary answer to the surge in the retro game market, with the first being the virtual console options for the Wii and WiiU.
Apart from its general appeal and accessibility, I think the most important thing that this little console will do is provide new gamers with the opportunity to experience retro Nintendo games for the first time. Instead of having to buy up a Wii or WiiU and then buy digital copies of all the games they want on the Virtual Console for at least $100, they can get a snapshot of some of the games that made many of us fall in love with Nintendo in the first place. I think there’s a lot of merit to this because there are roots that run pretty deep in gaming’s history that began with Nintendo. I can’t personally imagine experiencing today’s games without having known where everything grew up and out from. Anything that makes retro gaming accessible to everyone is something that I can get behind without question. I also like the fact that the NES Mini will combat game piracy to an extent. I only play emulated games when I’m using websites like retroachievements.org, and even then, I already own copies of the games I’m playing through. Although people will still pirate games, I’m happy that Nintendo is offering an alternative for those that would prefer to buy them rather than resorting to emulation.
As someone that collects retro games, I think this is something I’d still buy for my collection. Although I already own most of the games on the list, the portability of a Plug and Play is very attractive, especially when you’re the one bringing the gaming experience to other people’s houses. Because of its HDMI capability, it’s the kind of thing I could bring to a party easily, or can see myself giving to my younger family members that might some day feign an interest in gaming. Passing on what made my childhood particularly enjoyable is something that I’d love to be able to do!
I hope you’re all enjoying this lovely day. Thanks for reading!
-GG
Really excited about this – plug-and-play SNES next please!
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Absolutely. With all the SNES RPGs so I can stop my incessant searching…
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It does make me wonder how much some of my more obscure NES games would be worth these days.
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Most definitely have a look at some sites. eBay prices tend to be a bit inflated, but other websites like Price Charting will take averages from several sites and I feel it’s a better indication of the actual “value”. I’m curious about what your obscure games are. Care to share?
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Without going to look, ones that spring to mind are Kabuki: Quantum Fighter and Bureau Fighter (I think that’s what it was called)
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I’ve never heard of either of those! Who knows? If you have a look, you never know what you’ll find out. We have a game called S.C.A.T. for NES that is so hard it’s practically unplayable, and at a recent swap we found out that people will buy it for over $100! We totally thought it was a pile of junk, but it’s certainly worth something to some poeple!
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I recognise the name of that one, I don’t know anything about it though! I’ve pulled out a couple from the cupboard upstairs, I’ll put a picture on your Facebook page.
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I unfortunately don’t have a Facebook page. Perhaps you could tweet them to me if you have Twitter? @hungrygoriya
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Sure thing! I think I was getting mixed up with another blog that deals with retro games!
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No worries. Looking forward to seeing what you have!
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I tweeted it a little earlier this evening (I assume it’s afternoon for you).
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Oh, I just reloaded Twitter about 3 times and it finally showed up! They’re PAL games, eh? I had to do a double take at your one cartridge that I think was titled Yoshi’s Cookie in North America!
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Yeah, all PAL (living in the UK and all). Mario & Yoshi is different to Yoshi’s Cookie, this one uses Mario characters rather than desserts!
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I might consider collecting the Flashback systems honestly. Its a good way to get access to the Retro games without paying the absurd prices. I mean, Mega Man 2 alone is like $40-ish loose, nevermind the rest of those games in the NES.
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There are lots of options out there to play games, that’s for sure! It gets so, so expensive collecting the actual cartridges. I’m pretty selective, but my love for RPGs is going to run me broke someday soon. They’re definitely some of the most expensive games out there!
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So excited! This was great news today! I’m really pleased that there is a healthy selection of 3rd party games like Mega Man 2, Castlevania, and Super C! Nintendo could have easily just included Urban Champion and such, but I’m glad they reached out to these companies! I look forward to this!
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It is truly an excellent and diverse line-up! I feel it’ll be like the multi-cart/plug and play that everyone has always wanted but have never gotten. I’m grateful and relieved to not see 9 different versions of Circus Charlie on there!
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Really need to get myself an NES Mini! I’m going to be the treasurer for my university’s gaming society next year, and one of the plans is to provide a retro gaming element to our inventory, so this is perfect! Also, love the blog, you’ve gained a follower 🙂 Feel free to check out mine any time too 😀 Anyway, awesome article! Gotta love a bit of retro 😀
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Thank you for following! I mostly do retro collecting posts, so hopefully you’re into that sort of thing. I love that your university has a gaming society! The retro gaming element is a must, and I think this little console will do the trick just fine. I followed your blog as well. Looking forward to reading your content!
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Thanks for following! I’m gonna try to post at least a couple of times a week 😀 but yeah my society is hoping to get a gamecube, an NES (probably the mini version for convenience) and then maybe a PS2 for some slightly more recent games, but ones that have an awesome nostalgic value; Crash Bandicoot for example!
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Ahhh awesome! I’m hoping you can find your consoles and games for a good deal!
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I hope so! Gonna try to have a good variety, maybe even one or two handhelds 😀
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I already pre-ordered mini-NES! 😀
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That’s awesome! I’m waiting for the pre-order announcement in Canada. I haven’t heard where I can do that yet.
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For sure it’s already available on Amazon if you want to check. I haven’t seen the official Nintendo website though…
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:O! I am on my way!
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Im dissapointed by this actually. The fact that it is preloaded with pre selected games is really lame. I doubt any of them are the lesser known gems of the NES (which i am gonna cover in my WordPress in due time.), they will most likely be the popular ones which is nice for some people but not so much for others. I would have been more impressed if this were a pre order deal where you can pick the games that will be on it.
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I can definitely understand where you’re coming from! I think for the seasoned retro gamer, this might not necessarily be a good purchase since many people who grew up with these games have already experienced them. I like it as a way to reintroduce gaming to people who haven’t been into the hobby for a long time, and to give a gift of some really great games to a new generation (I’m talking my very young nieces and nephews that will soon be able to show an interest in this). I’d totally go for a pre-order deal like you’ve mentioned here. It would be a lot of fun to customize a selection.
Looking forward to your post about lesser-known gems!
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Thanks. There will be one this Saturday about a newer Gem. Its a lesser known JRPG for Android. Hope my politics arent a turn off though from reading the blog.
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RPGs are my favourite, so I’m looking forward to it! I don’t mind reading about politics once in a while. It gives me perspective on other people and the world, but I can’t promise any intelligent conversation about it from my end. It’s not something I have much interest in, but I’m glad that you do! I hope to learn something from you.
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Lol, well i hope so too and I hope I don’t offend you but I’m like Milo Yinnapolis except less agressive and more masculine. XD
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I only get mildly miffed by outlandishly racist/sexist comments, so as long as your posts are not riddled with content like that, I think I’ll manage!
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Lol, in my mind it isnt. But those terms differ in the eyes of the beholder. But no, there is no racially motivated bias in my politics, just common sense and a Bishamonten Style sense of Justice. 🙂
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But there will be plenty of RPG gaming posts so you can sift through what you like and don’t like. XD
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