Remember those Plug & Play consoles that were really popular a decade ago? Nintendo has finally joined that race with the Mini NES, but they might have a bit of an unfair advantage.
Where those old console wannabes had to deal with ports, bootlegs, or reskins of popular arcade and other Nintendo Entertainment System classics, Nintendo’s Mini NES will have the real versions of 30 games and costs $59.99. It will be in stores November 11th, just in time for the holiday season. Some of the games included are the following:
- Balloon Fight
- Castlevania & Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
- Donkey Kong
- Double Dragon II: The Revenge
- Dr. Mario
- Excitebike
- Final Fantasy
- Galaga
- Gradius
- Ice Climber
- Kid Icarus
- Kirby’s Adventure
- Mega Man 2
- Metroid
- Pac-Man
- Punch-Out!!
- Super Mario Bros. 1 – 3
- The Legend of Zelda & Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Most of these games were already available on Nintendo’s Virtual Console store, but that would also mean owning a Wii U or a 3DS. This console, on the other hand, comes with everything needed to play. It can connect to TV via HDMI cables, includes a NES-style controller, and can connect with Wii Remotes as well. The Mini NES also features support for a second controller, which can be purchased for roughly $10 separately.
The Mini NES itself costs $59.99 and will be released November 11th, just in time for the holiday season. Promotional photos seem to indicate that the device will be capable of also playing NES cartridges, but no information has been given as to that functionality yet.
Nintendo picked a great time to announce this news, as its stocks have been soaring since Pokemon GO’s release and show little signs of stopping. With just about everyone thinking about Nintendo, the Mini NES is sure to attract gamers who either played the original Nintendo Entertainment System or played the arcade versions as young adults.
