Earlier this year, Nintendo announced the NES Classic Edition: A small NES-shaped box that allows players to experience Nintendo classics throughout the NES era from a plug-and-play console. Today, Nintendo of America and Nintendo UK explored the box’s features in a YouTube reveal, with two different videos posted on each of their respective channels.
The advertisement videos showed the NES Classic in action, with the UK version exploring the smooth 60 Hz feature that the box plans to provide. Games will also features a 4:3 mode, a CRT filter mode that emulates a tube television screen and a pixel perfect mode that captures pixel detail in fine quality.
Both videos also demonstrated how suspend points work. Functioning like emulator save states, each game can hold up to four suspend points per game. This means that if players want to relive certain boss battles, or fear their actions early in a game will negatively impact their progress, they can create a save and return to an earlier point during play.
As the official NES Classic Edition site lists, the console package features the system proper, an NES Classic Controller, an HDMI cable, an AC adapter and 30 pre-installed games. The NES Classic Controller works with NES games on the Wii U too, making it a versatile peripheral. Additional controllers cost $9.99 USD ($12.99 CAD) per purchase.
With a $59.99 USD ($79.99 CAD) suggested retail price, the NES Classic Edition seems like a strong release on Nintendo’s part for the holiday season. Running the cost of a brand new AAA title, the system features such classics as Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Mega Man 2 and Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest. It’s hard to say for certain if the release will see strong sales over the next few months. But plug-and-play consoles have always had their niche, and Nintendo is well aware of the fact that their NES titles are popular virtual console offerings. Time will tell if the NES Classic Edition will pave the way for other small systems, such as a miniature SNES.
