Nintendo Releases NES Classic Edition, Discontinues Wii U
posted Saturday Nov 12, 2016 by Scott Ertz
This has been an interesting month for Nintendo. It was just a few weeks ago that the company let the lid off of the Nintendo Switch, the production name of their next console. The console has added a new twist to their current hardware, combining the Wii U and 3DS into a unique single device. This week, however, Nintendo both added and removed a product from their lineup.
The New
Earlier in the year, Nintendo announced a revival of their original home console, the Nintendo Entertainment System. The new device, the NES Classic Edition, looks a lot like the original console with similar controllers. It comes pre-loaded with a number of classic games and is perfect for gamers who do not own the original hardware itself.
This week, the retro console was released to much success. In fact, the device, which retails for $60, has sold so well that Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop and more are completely sold out. Because of the demand, consoles purchased early have been selling on eBay for as much as $300 each. For that price, you could go to a used game store and purchase an actual NES with most of the games included and get the real NES experience.
The Old
In preparation of the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo has confirmed that the Wii U generation is coming to a close. While we all expected that production of the Wii U would be coming to a close, we did not know what timeline the company might be planning. According to the company's Japanese website, the two remaining hardware bundles are both ending production. A Nintendo rep confirmed to Ars Technica,
As recently posted by Nintendo on the Wii U website in Japan, Wii U production will end in the near future for the Japanese domestic market.
We can confirm that as of today, all Wii U hardware that will be made available in the North American market for this fiscal year has already been shipped to our retail partners. We encourage anyone who wants Wii U to communicate with their preferred retail outlet to monitor availability.
While the wording of this quote does suggest that new hardware could be made available next year, it is certainly not encouraging. The only chance of new manufacturing, in all reality, is if sales pick up for the holidays, which is not terribly likely. So, with that, the Wii U generation has come to a close, leaving the world with the same whimper in which it entered.
