R.I.P. NES Classic (Thanks, Nintendo!)

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scotland
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Re: R.I.P. NES Classic (Thanks, Nintendo!)

Postby scotland » April 17th, 2017, 8:51 am

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/04/one-upping-the-nes-classic-edition-with-the-raspberry-pi-3-and-retropie/

Arstechnica article responding to Nintendos decision by offering a long article on a do it yourself model.

The stigma against assisting ROM piracy has eroded significantly, it seems.

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JustLikeHeaven
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Re: R.I.P. NES Classic (Thanks, Nintendo!)

Postby JustLikeHeaven » April 17th, 2017, 11:04 am

It certainly appears to be a blunder from Nintendo to discontinue this incredibly hot and sought after product.

My gut feeling is that they were never able to get a handle on the supposed production issues of the NES classic. Once the Switch landed and became insanely popular they decided to cut their loses and focus on the new system.

I also have a feeling that the NES classic will be back in some capacity next holiday season. It will either be a revised edition that addresses some of the system's shortcomings or just a new print run (with hopefully increased stock).

For many this announcement is surely a disappointment. As a retro gamer I never saw the allure of the system. I own pretty much everything on NES classic and never really saw a reason to acquire one. This wasn't a product aimed at someone like me. However, for the folks out there who aren't into retro gaming and collecting, this product was an easy and affordable way for them to get a taste of their childhood back. I hope I'm right that Nintendo brings it back for Xmas 2017.

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Oltobaz
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Re: R.I.P. NES Classic (Thanks, Nintendo!)

Postby Oltobaz » April 17th, 2017, 1:08 pm

C64_Critic wrote:
MoarRipter wrote:It sucks that they cancelled it but I can understand why. Blame the hackers. They had to ruin a good thing as usual. Nintendo blindly and naively made the thing far too easy to hack. They put a giant button on the front to make it load into FEL mode for cripes sake. Nintendo could've avoided that by not transmitting data over the USB port and only using it for power but I imagine they used the USB port in the way they did to have an easy way to fix broken Classics. And it wasn't good enough for the hackers to make it possible to load every NES and Famicom title on the machine, then they had to go further and load Genesis and SNES and a wide range of other systems on it just to prove that they could. And with no way to update the firmware on the thing once it's sold, Nintendo wasn't going to continue to allow that to happen.


I certainly can't argue that this isn't at least part of the reason they would have stopped making these (because honestly, as much in demand the decision completely baffles me), but I don't understand how people modding the console would cause Nintendo to pull them. Nintendo is selling the console one way or the other, whether the end consumer uses it to load up other ROM's or to play soccer with or to use as a door stop shouldn't matter to Nintendo one way or the other. It's not like they made it thinking they would release 'game packs' or something that was intended to be a continuing revenue stream that might be taking a hit by the hacking. It was sold as a one-time stand-alone device, with no intention by Nintendo to make any more money than that which they made from the purchase of the console alone. The fact that people found new ways to make them more enjoyable to me should be irrelevant to Nintendo?


I wholeheartedly agree.

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scotland
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Re: R.I.P. NES Classic (Thanks, Nintendo!)

Postby scotland » April 19th, 2017, 1:26 pm

Read an interesting comment on r/Nintendo that Nintendo undervalues nostalgia in the West because its just not a big thing in the East. Japan likes whats hot and new far more, and while 'gimmick' can be a pejorative in the West, its not in the East. Meanwhile, retrogaming in Japan is niche and 'otaku'. Old video game stuff is apparently pretty cheap in places in Japan, and demand is low.

Couple that with the Switch manufacturing facility being the same as the NES Mini facility, and you can see Nintendo prioritizing the Switch.

I don't know if either of those (culture, manufacturing) are true, but its an interesting take on things.

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ActRaiser
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Re: R.I.P. NES Classic (Thanks, Nintendo!)

Postby ActRaiser » April 22nd, 2017, 12:18 am

If that's the case of Nintendo of Japan not having empathy for those with nostalgia, it makes one wonder what value or voice Nintendo of America has.

Clearly, a simple eBay search could prove the consumer demand for the classic NES. The amount of money Nintendo has lost out on by not understanding the demand for their own products is astounding.

Nintendo is their own worst enemy.

BanjoPickles
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Re: R.I.P. NES Classic (Thanks, Nintendo!)

Postby BanjoPickles » April 22nd, 2017, 2:24 am

There's a really good article on Game Informer's website that addresses the ridiculousness of Nintendo pulling the plug on the NES Classic. Part of the problem, as stated by the author, are Nintendo apologists; he makes a good point by mentioning that there's no such thing as an EA apologist, or an Ubisoft apologist. Devoted Nintendo fans are starting to come across as a weird cult that is doing nothing but harm to the company that they love. They are the same gamers who defend Nintendo's software droughts (Quality over quantity, which is absolutely bogus), the pulling of the NES Classic (that must mean that Virtual Console is coming.....why would anybody be okay with that, paying $5 per game? You would have to pay $150 to get the same library of games), antiquated technology (gameplay over graphics, which is why every game on PS4 and XBO is a beautiful, but absolutely joyless, endeavor. Apparently, Nintendo owns the patent on "fun"), the rumor of yet another classic edition that they won't be able to get their hands on, the Switch's empty library (it has Mario Kart 8 and Zelda! Yeah, I can't think of another system that also has those games). The author proposes the following question: what would it take for the devoted to step back and say "wow, that was a stupid decision?" I think that the Switch reveal was the first time, in thirty years, that I've actually been disgusted by my favorite game company, and they haven't let up since.

I'm refusing to partake in the SNES Classic, partly on principle (I refuse to line the pockets of a greedy scalper, and I will not stand in line and send the message to Nintendo that it's okay to dangle a carrot in front of my nose). There is no reason for the NES Classic not to sit on a shelf next to the Atari Flashback, the Sega Genesis Classic, or any of the other classic replicas available today. They state that it was never intended to be anything more than "limited edition," but----did they ever say that in the advertisements? Did they even offer a single hint, to the average consumer, that they would have a small window of time to buy one, and that they would be gouged for ridiculous sums of money if they chose to buy one? They promised more stock, but did that ever occur? I even remember Reggie stating that everybody who wanted the system would get the chance to own one, with time. Nope.

It's astounding, how inept this company has become!

Voor
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Re: R.I.P. NES Classic (Thanks, Nintendo!)

Postby Voor » April 22nd, 2017, 8:42 am

Yeah, I agree. I fully expected to stroll into Target, grab one off the shelf, grab a couple of grocery items, and go home. I arrive at target and there's a line of 30 people outside. I was shocked that that many people knew about it, much less wanted one.

After checking with two other stores to hear that they reached received TWO, I was done with it.

Eventually (3months later) got a new one online.

It's fun, but I honestly only play like 5 games, so I'm listing mine for sale. Gonna put the money towards a Switch I think.

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scotland
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Re: R.I.P. NES Classic (Thanks, Nintendo!)

Postby scotland » April 22nd, 2017, 10:37 am

BanjoPickles wrote:There's a really good article on Game Informer's website that addresses the ridiculousness of Nintendo pulling the plug on the NES Classic. Part of the problem, as stated by the author, are Nintendo apologists;


The article is here:
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/04/21/funny-to-a-point-dear-nintendo-you-re-blowing-it.aspx

The big quote of the article (rant) is
When we demand more from game companies, they typically listen


This forum as a group has seen the backflips to understand how conversations with such an apologist goes. "Nintendo doesn't do DLC - well, DLC is horrible, and its ruining gaming! Only Nintendo is doing what is good for gaming, while the other companies are profiteering bandits. Wait, Nintendo is doing DLC - well, its not the same at all. Nintendo does it right! What great quality and value! Nintendo is better than ever! Only Nintendo is doing what is good for gaming."

If the fanbase just makes excuses, instead of saying "we don't like that decision" loud and clear, how is it going to change?

BanjoPickles
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Re: R.I.P. NES Classic (Thanks, Nintendo!)

Postby BanjoPickles » April 22nd, 2017, 11:40 am

Exactly! Remember Steer? He was a perfect example of that mindset! He HATED DLC....until Nintendo started doing it.

I've seen so many of these devotees hold up BotW as the reason to own a Switch, and as proof that Nintendo are the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I counter that with this: in the past five months alone, the PS4 has received Horizon Zero Dawn (acclaimed), Yakuza 0 (acclaimed), Nioh (acclaimed), The Last Guardian (it has flaws, for sure, but it is a good game), Persona 5 (acclaimed), etc. For every one critically acclaimed game that appears on a Nintendo platform, three-to-five (or more) will crop up on the competition. That's the power of third parties. When people stopped supporting third parties, they stopped taking risks. Nioh sold over a million on PS4. How would the game have fared, had it been on Wii U? Bayonetta 2 anyone?

The article illustrates my frustrations with the company perfectly! They basically punish their fanbase for kissing their backside.

twilighthotel
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Re: R.I.P. NES Classic (Thanks, Nintendo!)

Postby twilighthotel » April 23rd, 2017, 11:25 am

Voor wrote:Yeah, I agree. I fully expected to stroll into Target, grab one off the shelf, grab a couple of grocery items, and go home. I arrive at target and there's a line of 30 people outside. I was shocked that that many people knew about it, much less wanted one.

After checking with two other stores to hear that they reached received TWO, I was done with it.

Eventually (3months later) got a new one online.

It's fun, but I honestly only play like 5 games, so I'm listing mine for sale. Gonna put the money towards a Switch I think.


Nintendo must have paid off some news sources as everyone on my Facebook page and at my work immediately knew about the NES Classic within a couple of hours of the headline dropping, including people who were hardly gamers. It was all I read about in my news feed for 2 weeks. Goes to show the product was nothing more than a Nintendo commercial :lol:


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