Looks like we might be playing Zelda this holiday after all — just not the one we expected.
Nintendo today announced the mini-NES, a new $99.95 machine that will come pre-installed with 30 classic Nintendo games. It will also come with an HDMI cable and what Nintendo is calling an NES Classic Controller, “patterned after the iconic design of the original NES controller”. It will be out in stores on November 10.
Here’s the full list of games, via Nintendo:
- 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™
Comments
51 responses to “Nintendo Announces The Mini-NES, Will Play 30 Classic Games”
Shut up and take my money now lol When are they going to do a Super Nes version my head will explode.
Absolutely. Would be an instabuy for me.
Really makes me wonder why they couldn’t put both NES and SNES in the one box. Not like the tech would be particularly expensive. I guess they want to sell a SNES one later that looks like a SNES, but then it’ll just be 2 separate devices competing for my limited number of HDMI inputs.
Still, I might pick one of these up at some point if I can get it cheap just for the old-school Mario / Donkey Kong games.
Time to buy an HDMI switch box, son!
It’s most likely emulating the games via some ARM system on a chip, so i wouldn’t surprised if it is powerful enough to handle SNES games too.
Yeah, but not much use if the software isn’t there and there’s no way to update it or get the ROMS onto it.
Seems a better (and cheaper, although a little more fiddly) option might be to buy a Raspberry Pi and use RetroPie to handle NES, SNES and a bunch of other emulators, too.
Well, the main things you get from this package over a Raspberry Pi are (a) the ability to use controllers designed for the Wiimote expansion port, and (b) actual licenses to the 30 games included on the device.
This is true. Although the Raspberry Pi has bluetooth so you can use a PS3 / 360 controller with it which will get the job done (assuming most people reading this article would have at least one of a PS3 or 360 laying around the place).
You can mod the old controllers to plug into a wii remote. I have done so to an n64 controller. It’s awesome for n64 VC games. I was going to mod an NES controller too but no point now!
Woke up to this news and really excited. Still have my Pro controller from my Wii U, so I’ll be using that as a second controller.
Can’t wait for this bad boy to arrive.
Why Mega Man 2 but not Mega Man 1?
I was under the impression MegaMan 2 was the most popular out of the NES era games.
Now I know what my partner is getting for Christmas!
So do we *wink*
I really wish that Nintendo would stop coming up with new ways to make people re-purchase the same old games, but with comments like those above mine I guess it’s hard to blame them :-/
They’re not making anyone buy them, if you don’t like it don’t buy it or if you already own the games don’t buy it.
They’ve made the controller compatible with wii and the U so just get that if you already own those games.
I think it’s great Nintendo are creating an authentic experience of the NES, that is the reason you can buy 3rd party usb nes controllers for pc as people are trying to recreate the same experience on modern hardware but now you can get it legally and for cheap. It brings in money for nintendo and appeases a niche market of people who want a retro experience. Win win as far as i can see.
It might even open nintendos eyes to realise their cataloge of old systems can make them money and in turn make them more accessible to a wider audience.
I know alot of people who just play on their mobiles but tell me how they wish they could play a nintendo64 or super nintendo like they did growing up.
If Nintendo re-release that hardware they would open up a market to people who would otherwise not buy their most recent consoles.
Not sure if I’ll bother with the console, but if they sell that controller separately I’ll be grabbing one of those.
They are selling it separately, you can buy one for a second controller. I think I read it’ll be 9.95
Excellent. Should go nicely with my Snes classic controller.
No Battletoads?!
Not owned by Nintendo
Edit* I mean they dont have the rights to it. Rare and Microsoft have all the rights to the IP.
Didn’t seem to stop them from getting Mega Man, Castlevania or Doule Dragon though. Surely could’ve worked something out.
But those specific games are still owned by nintendo.
I thought they were owned by Capcom, Konami and Technōs.
Ok probably on a slippery slope for this. Yes they’re indeed owned by the company that made them. But i believe nintendo still holds publishing rights (this is actually what i ment) for certain games.
If that were the case, then wouldn’t Mega Man 2 not be able to be used in the recent Mega Man Legacy Collection?
From what I can find, they were all published by their respective companies and not by Nintendo.
I’ll be buying this just to have genuine new NES controllers to convert to USB. and maybe gut it to hold my Pi3
Judging by the pictures it’s not USB. I don’t think Nintendo want an official controller you can use for emulation on the PC.
Why proprietary connectors? Why Nintendo? USB plugs on the controller would be a boon
They look to be using the ports from the bottom of the Wii remote, so you can use them on Wii Remotes or use other Classic Controllers with this console.
“convert to usb” basic soldering skills and off the shelf parts are all you really need to convert any controller to usb. I like the idea of having new genuine controllers over my 30yr old worn out ones that I have converted. The ebay retro controllers just aren’t the same.
You can connect a wiimote to the Pi and use the NES controller wirelessly!
I haven’t felt the urge to throw money at anything so hard in a long time.
Anyone taking pre-orders yet?
EB are.
Already done!
But…where’s wario’s woods? I freaking loved that game
Interesting that its a mix of first and third party games (Konami, Tecmo, Square and Namco!)
No Tetris though 🙁
Don’t think Tetris was ever on the NES, only the original GameBoy at first.
Plus I think Tetris is tied up in a huge ownership issue.
It most definitely was on the NES https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris#NES
I wasn’t aware of a big ownership dispute? I thought it was owned by The Tetris Company?
I think maybe he’s just confused about all the disputes that came about after the rights reverted from ELORG back to Patrinov and The Tetris Company.
Nintendo’s version was licensed from ELORG, and maybe they haven’t come to an agreement with TTC to re-release the Nintendo version.
Nintendo’s version was literally developed by the guy who founded The Tetris Company.
Nintendo’s was the first “official” license, obtained by Henk Rogers, who would continue to rule the Tetris trademark with an iron fist for the next 27 years.
I think they are a bit lighter on re-issues of older releases when it comes to the license on new releases, and I don’t see why including NES Tetris on the Mini should be an issue.
I have a 2 year old son and I have been agonising about introducing him to video games. Should I do it or not? there are so few decent options for his age. This will be his first console. So happy.
Will this be an exclusive they put out in limited quantities to mess with people?
This is a seriously goooood selection of games
Holy shit this is amazing!
$99 AUD or US?
$99.95 AUD console / $19.95 AUD Controller @ EB
https://ebgames.com.au/featured/nintendo-classic-mini-nes
Eb taking orders.
Holy shit Double Dragon II, happy to pay $100 just for that!
A few glaring omissions. No buy unless certain that you can add more games to it in the future.
Im devastated EB games have sold out their pre-order and the controllers are all gone (apparently forever) can pre-order for second shipment of consoles
If this is really successful, I wouldn’t be surprised if nintendo addressed the clamor for “more games” by releasing a second NES mini console with a different list of games. So that if you want all of the released games they can get you to pay for console and controllers all over again, and just wind up with two mini NES’s next to each other in your living room.
I thought about what I would include in a Mini-NES version 2 and this is what I came up with. Anyone have any ideas how to make this list of 30 “alternates” an even better list of 30?
Battletoads
Bionic Commander
Blades of Steel
Blaster Master
Bomberman
Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse
Contra
Double Dribble
Dragon Warrior
Dragon Warrior 4
Duck Tales
Faxandu
Ice Hockey
Kung Fu
Maniac Mansion
Mega Man 3
Micro Machines
Pro Wrestling
Rad Racer
RBI Baseball
Baseball Simulator 1,000
R.C. Pro Am
River City Ransom
Skate or Die
Super Dodge Ball
Techmo Super Bowl
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2
Tetris
Track & Field
Vice: Project Doom