When Nintendo announced that it was discontinuing the NES Classic, fans were devastated. There was such high demand for the console that many of them were unable to get their hands on the retro gaming icon. However, those who were unable to get one got another chance this afternoon.

Today, retailer ThinkGeek began selling several NES Classic bundles, which offer the classic console alongside a range of goodies. Some of the goodies included a Mega-Man statue and themed pins, a Tetris lamp, and even a Super Mario Piranha Plant puppet. The bundles were being sold at nearly three times the recommended retail price of the console, though this didn’t seem to phase many fans as each bundle is now sold out.

While they may have been overpriced and packaged with other items, ThinkGeek’s bundles were a brilliant opportunity. The new SNES Classic has been hard to get but the official pre-order window has not begun.

But not everyone is so happy about the retailer’s offer. When the NES Classic was still in production, Nintendo produced more consoles due to the extreme demand, but even those efforts were not enough. Tons of gamer missed out and that’s why so many rushed to buy one from ThinkGeek this afternoon.

The retailer explains that “one of the buying ninjas at GameStop revealed they’d gotten their hands on a supply (sometimes it’s good to have Corporate Overlords).” So apparently there are more NES Classic consoles out there, but finding one will take a lot of effort or high level connections.

Some have raised questions, wondering how ThinkGeek and the ‘buying ninjas’ at its parent company GameStop got their hands on the console. This also includes whether it’s right that the retailers sat on the stock until now in order to sell it at a higher price. Fans have also voiced concerns about the company ‘enabling’ scalpers, driving up the cost of a NES Classic on places like eBay, where it was already being sold at ridiculous prices.

A few are also wondering if there are other secret ‘stashes’ of NES Classics out in the wild; stock owned by secondary retailers who are holding it back for maximum profit. While that would provide yet another opportunity to buy one, it does make some fans uneasy, as they have no idea where to turn and when they will be able to put in an order. It’s a frustrating situation for fans, but it’s one that’s likely to repeat with the SNES Classic.

Posted: Jul 25, 2017 11:01 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://gamerant.com/nes-classic-bundle/