Nintendo Co. announced recently it was discontinuing its hugely popular — but hard-to-find — NES Classic Edition console, much to the chagrin of video-game fans.
The NES Classic is a mini-replica of Nintendo’s massively popular game system that came out in 1985, and features 30 pre-loaded classic games, such as “Pac-Man,” “Super Mario Bros.” and “Donkey Kong.” With its crude, 8-bit graphics, it was an immediate hit with nostalgic gamers, as well as their kids.
The $60 retro console hit store shelves in November, and quickly sold out. Subsequent shipments also sold out, sometimes within seconds. Their scarcity created a profitable — or expensive — secondary market online; by late Thursday, NES Classics were selling for up to $300 on eBay.
Nintendo did not give a reason for killing such a popular product. “We encourage anyone interested in obtaining this system to check with retail outlets regarding availability. We understand that it has been difficult for many consumers to find a system, and for that we apologize. We have paid close attention to consumer feedback, and we greatly appreciate the incredible level of consumer interest and support for this product,” the Japanese company said in a statement.
As recently as January, Nintendo had apologized for the shortage and promised to increase production.
