Last week was a pretty sad week for any Nintendo fans out there who have been actively searching for an NES Classic Edition to get their hands on, as Nintendo confirmed that April would be the last month which the company would continue shipments for the system as it will be discontinued at the end of the month. While gamer’s have about a week left to hopefully find one, talks of a potential SNES Classic Edition have surfaced – which is likely to be the next big craze if it turns out to be true.
According to Eurogamer, the SNES Classic Edition is still currently in-development, and is one of the major factors why Nintendo decided to ultimately discontinue the NES Classic Edition. Eurogamer also claims that the system will “launch in time for Christmas this year.”
While a SNES Classic Edition would be yet another beloved system for collectors to get their hands, the question stands a bit more strongly now is if we really need one at all? With the NES Classic Edition was a nice nostalgic release to commemorate Nintendo’s first major splash in the gaming industry, just as the company was readying to make yet another splash with the Nintendo Switch; a SNES Classic Edition seems a bit too extra, and will probably a bit less appealing considering it’s timing.
As we know, Virtual Console for the Nintendo Switch is likely to arrive sometime before the Summers end, Autumn at the very latest. With that in mind, NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, and quite possibly even GameCube titles will all be more accessible one a single device than they have ever have been on a Nintendo platforms before. With the Virtual Console on the Nintendo Switch, owners will finally be able to play a wide array of their favorite classics not only in higher definition at home, but also on-the-go! This returns us to the question if having a SNES Classic Edition is really necessary. For collectors, a SNES Classic Edition will likely be a day one purchase for most, but for the average Nintendo consumer; spending $50, possibly a tad more, for a system you can just obtain games for via Virtual Console and play them with the highest of accessibility on the Nintendo Switch console – will likely be a bit unappealing.
It all seems like a coin toss though, and while it’s always nice to see Nintendo offer different kinds of gaming hardware, I honestly wish they’d be putting that effort into something else – such as making the Nintendo Switch as great as it possibly can be. The NES Classic Edition was a great treat, but in my opinion, an SNES Classic Edition is a bit extra; sooner than later, fans will be wanting a N64 Classic Edition and possibly so on…
