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After years spent letting the software-based Virtual Console largely rot on its vine, Nintendo is trying to cash in on its nostalgia-filled back catalog with a new piece of old hardware. The NES Classic Edition, announced today, is a palm-sized, HDMI-equipped re-release of the '80s console that will launch on November 11, preloaded with 30 games for $59.99.

“We wanted to give fans of all ages the opportunity to revisit Nintendo’s original system and rediscover why they fell in love with Nintendo in the first place,” Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime said in a statement. “The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition is ideal for anyone who remembers playing the NES, or who wants to pass on those nostalgic memories to the next generation of gamers.”

Enlarge / The NES Classic Controller will also work via a Wii Remote with the Wii and Wii U Virtual Consoles.
Nintendo hasn't said much about the underlying hardware powering the re-release, but it doesn't sound like the new system will be exactly the same as the original. For one thing, the announcement makes no mention of the ability to plug in old NES game cartridges, even though pictures show a familiar, cartridge slot dust-cover styled on the system's boxy case. For another, Nintendo says that "each game has multiple suspend points, so you can start where you left off at a later time, no passwords needed," suggesting that some sort of virtualized, emulated version of the underlying games is being used.

The new system also will not support old NES controllers natively. Instead, it has slots that will fit the existing Wii Classic Controller Pro and will also work with a new NES Classic Controller patterned after the original rectangular design (sorry dog-bone fans). One Classic Controller will be included with the system; extra ones will retail for $9.99.

Nintendo is coming late to a trend that has hit many other classic consoles in recent years. Sega licensed its old hardware and software for a number of "Arcade Classic" system-on-a-chip Genesis re-releases, most of which have a slot for classic cartridges and support original controllers as well as built-in games. The Atari Flashback line similarly recreates the Atari 2600 and 7800, with some hackers going so far as to add a cartridge port for their decades-old games. Even the Colecovision and Intellivision got Flashback re-releases.

Further Reading
The Analogue Nt is the best NES that (a lot of) money can buy

If you have $500+ to spend on a 30-year-old console, this is the one to buy.
Nostalgia-minded Nintendo gamers looking for new hardware, on the other hand, have been stuck settling for gray market Famiclone systems, or emulation-based hardware like the Retron 5, which have their issues when it come to compatibility and authenticity. Then there's the Analogue Nt, a high-end, high-def, high-priced NES modification sourced from actual Famicom chips, which we recently reviewed.

Here are the 30 games that will be included on the NES Classic Edition:

Balloon Fight
Bubble Bobble
Castlevania
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Jr.
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Dr. Mario
Excitebike
Final Fantasy
Galaga
Ghosts N' Goblins
Gradius
Ice Climber
Kid Icarus
Kirby’s Adventure
Mario Bros.
Mega Man 2
Metroid
Ninja Gaiden
Pac-Man
Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
StarTropics
Super C
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Tecmo Bowl
The Legend of Zelda
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Zixinus wrote: It's clear that this is a pretty naked cash-in (500$? really?). I guess the only advantage they can bring in to the table is having developer resources for better emulation. They probably will use SD cards or something similar to put games in (why would they bother with old and obsolete cartridge technology?).

The NES Classic Edition, announced today, is a palm-sized, HDMI-equipped re-release of the '80s console that will launch on November 11, preloaded with 30 games for $59.99.

Zixinus wrote:Precisely my sentiment Chimaera: you can buy a better Raspherry Pi (which, even with all the accessories, is going to be a cheaper adventure than this) and not only play every NES game ever released but pretty much every game from the 80's and probably halfway into the 90's. SNES, Megadrive, gameboy, these are all emulated well today. Even stuff like Playstaion and N64 is, albeit at the requirement of a more powerful computer.

It's clear that this is a pretty naked cash-in (500$? really?). I guess the only advantage they can bring in to the table is having developer resources for better emulation. They probably will use SD cards or something similar to put games in (why would they bother with old and obsolete cartridge technology?).

Elheru Aran wrote:Fenix fucked up the formatting, the 500 is for a console that was advertised in the article he quoted which is a fancy NES emulator. This one will be $59.99. 60 bucks for 30 old games is maybe a bit of a drag, but it's not terrible. I wouldn't be surprised if it does use SD cards to add extra games.

My money's on this being something like a cut-down 3DS in a box: all the games they've listed are available for the 3DS Virtual Console complete with save state support. They also send you to the eShop page for each game when you click through for more information. The size and power draw of the DS components are also reasonable for a device like this.

Simon_Jester wrote:It's a real pity it doesn't have the ability to accept cartridges, though I'm sure they couldn't make it palm-sized in that case.

Zixinus wrote:Even stuff like Playstaion and N64 is, albeit at the requirement of a more powerful computer.

Elheru Aran wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if it does use SD cards to add extra games.

Themightytom wrote:I really hope they fix the nonsense dialogue in Castlevania II when they re-release it.