One of the best-selling consoles in November was Nintendo-made, and it's not even a new one. It's the NES Classic Edition, a palm-sized replica of the '80s gaming staple, 196,000 units of which have been sold last month alone, according to reports.
NES Classic Edition Supply Problem
Despite lofty numbers, the NES Classic Edition has been mired by availability issues, with demand surpassing the system's abysmally short supply. Nintendo underestimated the appeal of the system and only manufactured a few, a move that demerited what could have been soaring sale figures for the console.
"The overall level of demand is certainly greater than we anticipated, that's why we're suffering through the shortages out there in the marketplace," Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, told CNET.
The console was released Nov. 11, recently completing its first month in the market. The figure comes from industry-tracking firm NPD Group, as reported by VentureBeat. While 196,000 units sold is already a staggering record for a console that is essentially a throwback, the number could have been significantly larger had Nintendo met demands.
Because locating an NES Classic Edition is like braving the Congo River in search of blood diamonds, the console has been springing up on eBay tagged with ridiculous prices, some hovering near the thousands mark, which is an insane markup for a plaything that originally retails for $59.99.
Where To Buy Nintendo NES Classic Edition
Nintendo has already promised players they can secure a unit before Christmas, while Best Buy is also set to offer the console on shelves this holiday season. Today, GameStop has also announced that units are starting to arrive in their stores, though it's safe to assume that the systems will rapidly fly off shelves once stocked.
Nintendo might even sell more units this December if it successfully patches its supply problem, although it still needs to deliver a lot of orders consumers placed this past November. Now that it knows the demand for the NES Classic Edition, it'll likely rev up production accordingly.
The NES Classic Edition was the second-most Googled gaming console this year, just behind the Nintendo Switch, a much-anticipated hybrid console slated for March 2017.
The NES Classic Edition will hopefully be available again once Nintendo ships more units to partner retailers. The unit comes with 30 preloaded games and an NES Classic Controller, which unfortunately bears a vexing short cable problem but one that can easily be solved via third-party controllers.
Are you buying an NES Classic Edition once stocks start coming in? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
