Folks who ordered multiple units of the Super NES Classic Edition from Amazon UK are now seeing notifications informing them that their orders have been cancelled, sort of.
Amazon UK contacted customers just recently to tell them it had retroactively limited stock of the Super NES Classic Edition, thus imposing a one-unit-per-customer policy. For those who, for some reason, missed the news: Nintendo officially announced the Super NES Classic Edition late June, a mini throwback console bundled with 21 games and two controllers — all for $80.
The new console follows the wildly popular but ill-fated and marginally stocked NES Classic Edition, which Nintendo didn't expect to become such a massive hit. The company discontinued the plaything just months after it launched because, well, it just sometimes gets consumer demand wrong. There's some hope the Super NES Classic Edition won't fall into the same fate. But perhaps it already looks to be doing exactly that.
As per NeoGAF user Blam's post, which includes a screenshot of the email, Amazon has decreased multiple Super NES Classic Edition orders to just one. Beyond saying there has been "a change to the availability of this item," Amazon hasn't explained why it's shrinking multiple orders but did manage to offer an apology.
A Scalping Problem
By the looks of things, though, the move might be Nintendo's strategy of ensuring that more people can get their hands on the machine, seemingly to avoid potential scalping tactics. When the NES Classic Edition launched, scalpers had a field day, offering the wee console with insane markups on eBay. Some people took the bait — and who can blame them? The console was just too hard to find.
Of course, none of this scalping misdeeds would ever occur if Nintendo just allocated enough units to meet the demand, and many people certainly hope they've learned their lesson. There's no arguing it: the Super NES Classic Edition will sell. For a mini console with 21 games built-in, including a never-before-released title, and not to mention two controllers? Nintendo's fanbase will eat it up instantly. At such a point it's just a matter of Nintendo knowing how to curb that demand by releasing ample amounts of supply.
Nintendo Will Sell More Super NES Classic Units Than The NES Classic
Nintendo has said it will sell more Super NES units than the NES Classic. But even so, it will only sell them this year and didn't confirm if it's planning to release more stock once 2018 rolls around. It's currently focused on supporting the Switch, its flagship hybrid console, but that doesn't mean it should abandon those who howl for nostalgia. After all, isn't nostalgia Nintendo's top selling point? Come on, Nintendo. Don't screw this up.
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