An NES [Classic] Is Not a Car

Most of you gave thanks and shared what it is you're thankful for. Following discreetly by a retail event we've known as "Black Friday," shopping is on everyone's minds. No matter what, people have money to spend. Then again, if you didn't have to fight over an $80 TV that may break down after 8 months of use, then by all means. However, now that it's the holiday season, after the putrid aggravation across the nation due to this year's presidential election (depending how you felt about it), and these alleged "staged protests," some will admit that shopping clears their minds. With that said, I want to advise you shoppers and parents looking for something that'll last a very long time, in this case, a Nintendo Entertainment System.

Released in November 11, 2016 with a respectable price of $59.99, it's classic retro gaming at its finest. From the outside, you can already tell: it's the NES we've all grew up with, and for those who don't have the time and energy to search and pick up the real console, this is the perfect choice. A smaller, compact-sized system compared to its original "gray toaster," and 30 built-in games all upscaled to 720p60 via HDMI, Nintendo couldn't have produced something exquisite. Also, releasing at a time like this makes the NES Classic Edition one of the hottest items on people's shopping list.

Now the downsides:

The controller wires are super short, compared to the actual controllers—the gray rectangle controller—released for the original console. I also said "built-in games" previously: there is no SD card nor are there any slots available to remove and/or add more games into the system; What you bought is what you get. Here's the official list of games built-in:

Balloon Fight
Castlevania
Donkey Kong
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Dr. Mario
Excitebike
Galaga
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Gradius
Ice Climber
Kirby's Adventure
Mario Bros.
Mega Man 2
Metroid
Ninja Gaiden
Pac-Man
Super C
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
The Legend of Zelda
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Not a bad list of classics, but I'm sure there are a bunch more that would love to be included and replace some titles here. My suggestion would likely be add games you can beat and complete. A game like Pac-Man doesn't really have an ending other than the game causing a glitch when you've reached the higher levels.

Looking at it, it's best for casual gamers who don't have the luxury, time and energy to do their research and shop for the real, authentic console with game cartridges, preventing from the dreading blinking screens and blowing on the cartridge pins to get the games to work. Saying that explains why someone like myself hasn't glued my face to the retail doors waiting for a new stock to be available. Online? Oh man, if you only knew...I took these screenshots to showcase the highest-priced systems currently available today:

"Seller does not offer returns" after purchasing? You can't get any more suspicious than that.

To the people 'watching' these items, I have a question: what kind of money do you folks have? If anything, the lowest I've seen were around the $100-$150 mark, while some average around the $220 range. (The art of capitalism: buy low, sell high.) However, even if you earn over $70,000 a year, wouldn't buying a simple console for the price of a Mercedes/BMW/Tesla seem overkill? I really don't want to be that person going online and telling social media that I was able to afford a console at a ridiculous price. Are the consoles autographed by the developers? Did famous celebrities or pro athletes play the system? Is the system modded and made out of authentic gold fresh out of Fort Knox?

Now, look, I'm not one to embellish on how much you spend on items, regardless of its brand, quality, and store location (yes, location makes a difference, and you can tell by looking at gas prices for example). However, for the average shopper, going all out to write this article to give you folks some second thought should tell you something. (I'm in the middle of a HUGE video project along with a podcast I'm attending to.) These sellers you see on the screenshots above charge the NES Classic as if what you're looking at is a hotter commodity than a car. In fact, you can pay off a chunk, if not all, of a car with these prices. Oh, and even retail stores like Wal-Mart charge $500 for this!

If the price is too high for you, scratch it off your list. I envision the time when Nintendo quietly releases more new stocks along with a classic variant of the Super Nintendo, causing anger among shoppers who were too desperate and/or suckered into being hard-sold into buying this system for a huge price (cell phone retail employees working off commission, rejoice). In other words, if doubts are creeping in, save yourself the likelihood of guilt later and save your money. Retro video game collectors are already miffed about the ridiculous reselling of old games being priced at such bank-breaking ranges, and adding this proves what kind of market video game collectors deal with all the time. We know: paying for a terrible game, cartridge only, in like new condition for $80 doesn't seem fun. I really don't know where profit-guzzling, desperate resellers get these prices from, especially if the game(s) they're hoping to resell is a bad game.

Shoppers, parents and video game collectors: Let the bloated market crash and don't buy the NES under these inflated prices. Think of your other necessities: bills, rent/mortgage, food, or for entertainment purposes, TV, computer, tablet, attending a concert, going to a sports game, or perhaps waiting on SEGA's work for the Genesis; Perhaps a new residence or a new car (maybe paying off your current one); Heck, go traveling out of the country; Lastly, if you've got something going already, launch your own business.

We've all worked at retail before. Saying that, you know how you privately admitted to yourself you wouldn't buy the items you're selling? Think of it like that because I'm willing to bet, these sellers wouldn't even buy their NES at the price they're selling to the masses. Something to remember when you folks go shopping this holiday season. This isn't to say that the NES Classic is an awful system, but look at the features, as it's unimpressive. Now, if this system included built-in games of EVERY NES GAME NINTENDO HAS LICENSED AND RELEASED, or maybe include the unlicensed NES games, holy crap, I need to get my wallet out and fast.

What I'm trying to say is, if the NES Classic is priced UNDER $100, then perfect: you've got one great stocking stuffer! Any higher, you may want to think twice and look at your budget. Like I said, if it's too high, let it be; The market will crash, forcing sellers to lower the price down to about 60%. Unrealistic? Well, so are the prices at three digits and higher. Just because something is priced high doesn't always mean it's a must-have nor does it mean it's something everyone wants. As debatable as that sounds, we're not talking two-story houses nor are we talking about a Bentley; No, this is a Nintendo Entertainment System with 30 built-in games. Think before you buy.

May this article deter you from making bad decisions when purchasing. Oh, and yes, the Force included.

Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he started blogging in late 2005. Officially back to doing computer programming, Kris enjoys reading books on Mathematics, Quantum Computing, Philosophy, plus playing old video/MS-DOS games, digital video archiving, listening to sports, public radio and classical music.

• About me • Contact me