Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System (Electronic Games)

It's back! After becoming impossible to find and being resold far above its market value on eBay, Nintendo have finally come back with a second run of the NES Classic Mini with enough stock for everyone. The NES was the console that brought home gaming back from the brink after the videogames crash of the early 80s. Nintendo was succesful in Japan and then started testing the water in various US cities. With all the positive reactions the NES was fully unleashed around the world - along with the classic Super Mario Bros. In Japan and the US the only game in town was the NES. In the UK (and most of Europe) Nintendo didn't do as well leaving the door open to Sega. Even so the NES was the quintessential console that most people aspired to until the release of the Megadrive. Now Nintendo has repackaged that classic console in miniature with 30 built-in games, including the stone-cold classics such as Mario 1-3, Zelda 1&2, Castlevania 1&2, Double Dragon 2, Mega Man 2 and more. The controllers are a full-scale replica of the originals and connect to the console via the standard Wii remote connector. This means that you can also use these controllers to play virtual console games on the Wii. One controller is included in the package and extra controllers can be bought separately (and amazingly, they're not a rip-off!). The menu system is a mixture of classic Nintendo pixel art and NES-style music. Each game has a few save slots allowing you to save your progress through the games (to access, press the reset button on the console and assign your state to one of the slots for the relevant game). The console is powered by USB (no AC adaptor in the box - you can use a phone charger or use a USB socket on your TV or games console). One word - the USB ports on the Nintendo Switch dock do not put out enough power; you need at least 1 amp. The system outputs AV via HDMI in 720p. USB and HDMI cables are included. Downsides? As has been noted the system is closed - it will not play NES/Famicon cartridges and there is no option to buy further games. If you look online there are some 'unofficial' options to load more games on but you can find these for yourself. It's been said before, but the controller cables are rediculously short - like not even three feet long. But, the games transcend these slight issues. Games play better than you remember - the games are the US NTSC versions (so Shadow Warriors regains its original name of Ninja Gaiden) meaning that they play full screen and full-speed unlike the original PAL console. The joys of finding a Mario warp zone or defeating a Mega Man boss still resonate today. Yes, there are some notable titles missing - Contra (Probotector in the UK), Snake Rattle n' Roll, the Turtles games, Castlevania 3, Mega Man 1 & 3 and more - but the titles that are there provide a masterclass of 80s classics and with the mini console and replica controller adds up to nostalgia in a box for anyone who player videogames in the late 80s.

I'm a huge gaming fan, I tend to purchase all the consoles when they are released, I've even scoured eBay for consoles that I didn't get first time round, I just love gaming. If I had to choose just one console to be my favourite then it is, without doubt, the NES - maybe the Gamecube, actually, the PS2 wasn't shabby at all, oh but the Megadrive... Okay, there's probably some doubt, but the original NES was my very first games console, and, as such, commands a lofty position in my list of favourite consoles. Now, I already own a NES, and some of the games that come with the Nintendo Classic Mini, but as soon as I heard about this I just had to have one. When it arrived I was hugely taken by how small the box was, the aesthetics of the packaging took me back to when I first received my original NES. Cracking open the box, I was struck by how tiny, wee, small the Mini was, then again, I suppose the clue is in the name of the device. This thing is tiny, I immediately had to compare it to my original NES, and posted the obligatory pictures to Instagram, naturally. Plugging it all in, I was disappointed at how close I had to sit next to my TV, thanks to the extremely short cables of the single controller that is provided. This is, of course, well known, and there are various extension cables you can buy, or wireless plug ins for controllers such as the ones by 8BitDo. Be that as it may, it's the games that count, and the list of 30 games contains gaming classics such as the original 'Super Mario Bros' trilogy, 'The Legends of Zelda', 'Castlevania', 'Punch-Out!', the list is endless - well the list is 30, but you know what I mean... Admittedly, some of these titles haven't stood the test of time (I remember 'Balloon Fight' to be tremendous fun as a child, now, not so much), but, overall, the Mini is a pure, unadulterated nostalgic trip to gaming yesteryear. As for pricing, thanks to its scarcity, sellers have ramped the price way, way up, which is a shame, as the original £50 price tag was just perfect. Gamers raised on the likes of 'COD' and 'GTA' might find these games a bit on the 'twee' side, but to me, they're gaming masterpieces.

This is a real blast from the past. It's like the 1980's all over again. I am old enough to remember these games first time around. I still have my Super Mario 3 Bros. cartridge sitting in its box on my bookshelf. After seeing the not so wonderful emulations on my Wii and the limited PC emulations these games look wonderfully fresh on this teensy console. You will say 'Awww' when you open the box. Like others will have said the controllers cord is painfully short. However after seeing advance reviews on YouTube I had invested in a 5m HDMI cable. The console now plugs into a power adapter beside my armchair. That way the console itself sits on my coffee table right in front of my. Now the controller cord is no longer a problem. I do have yards of HDMI cable looping across my lounge but I can live with that. The lack of a plug is a real shame which is why my review has dropped a star. The US version has one, so why not UK players? Ok with the plethora of mobiles, iPods and other gadgets finding a 5v adapter wasn't hard but that is not the point. You should be able to open the box, plug in and go. However you can't which is a shame. Apart from that minor gripe the games look amazing. I am playing on the 4:3 mode. I have seen enough blurry CRT games to know I never want to see one again. I might give the pixel perfect mode a whirl but the 4:3 looks grand on my 42" widescreen TV. Beautifully sharp, everything moves smoothly. Nintendo have replicated the original games precisely, even the glitchy background graphics as Kirby' scenery lurches left to right. I have spent about thirty minutes on Kirby and a little less on Megaman 2 and Metroid. Kirby was as easy as ever but I had forgotten about how difficult the other two were. Modern games are mostly very easy (except the odd franchise like Dark Souls). These babies however are hard but fair. I will be avoiding sports games like Punchout and Tecmo Bowl but the other 28 I am really keen to get to grips with. I have always maintained that graphics do not make a game but gameplay does. These games might be crude looking by modern standards but they are a real joy to play. Older players like myself will feel a real rush of nostalgia whereas younger players will hopefully see past the graphical faults and instead revel in the solid rewarding gameplay. Ace.

My wife bought me this as a gift and although the inflated price tag is really shameful, I genuinely cannot fault Nintendo for the quality of the product. The game emulation looks glorious on on the Modern TV and the interface is polished and does the legacy of the NES justice. The unit is really small and lightweight but it is well detailed and a joy to use. The controller is a perfect replica of the original, feels good in the hand and although there has been a lot of noise about the cord length, it is supposed to be a scaled down replica so I can actually see Nintendo's thought process, although it does make it pretty much unusable as you cannot sit that close to the TV for longer than 5 mins without eye strain of some kind. Plenty of cheap offerings on Amazon to resolve this issue though. The packaging is great and a collector's dream. From a collector's point of view it is great that this is a genuine Nintendo product unlike the SEGA & Atari flashback etc. offerings which are 3rd party or from those who have bought the name of the company which has long been abandoned. If you are not into collecting and just want to have a blast on some retro gaming now & then, I do recommend a raspberry Pi setup as you can emulate generations of consoles. For me it's a brilliant product but the re-sellers charging over the odds need to have a long hard look in the mirror as it's the end user that ultimately suffers due to the sharks buying up all the stock for profit and not allowing those who want to enjoy the product be able to purchase one at the correct price.

I was one of the lucky ones to get a pre-order in on the day of announcement. I'm pretty glad I did as it looks like they'll be scarce for a while. But please don't pay third party sellers more than retail for this, it'll be back in stock soon. Be patient and you'll save £100. The package itself is pretty amazing. It's small & light but with no compromise on build quality or aesthetic. It comes with HDMI and USB (micro) cables in the box but no USB power adapter (US gets one, but not EU, nor the snazzy poster). However, you can power the system from a USB slot on your TV if it has one. I've done this and can confirm it works. The controller is fine but is let down by 30" cable length and no way to go to the main menu. You have to use the reset button on the console for this. HOWEVER, I picked up a Wii classic controller and will be using this from now on. The cable length is not much better but it has a home button that works and most amazingly... the analogue sticks work!!! You don't get full analogue control but you can use them for up, down, left & right instead of the D-pad. But what about the games? I've been gaming since the Commodore64. I'd played Ocarina of time & Goldeneye on a borrowed N64 but that's it, I've never owned a Nintendo console. The nes classic represents a pretty serious gap in my gaming cv. I'd played loads of 80's games on C64 & megadrive but no Mario, Megaman, Castlevania etc. The only game on this I have played is a C64 version of Bubble Bobble and that feels just like I remember. I've still not sampled all the games on this yet but so far they look and feel like 80's games. With all the good and bad that comes with that. Anyone who never played games like these or if it's been so long you've forgot, you may struggle at first to get into the catalogue. I did. But after a couple of hours hopping from game to game, I'm discovering really fun games I'd missed over a lifetime of gaming.

Just got it in the post the other day and now have been playing it like mad since. Fabulous piece of equipment for anyone who is a big nintendo fan and who likes to collect the memorabilia, one well worth adding to your collection. It has all of those important nes games which are as everyone with sense knows the first three mario games, most of all the third the world over. I had such a great time playing sm 3 the other day there. Kirby's dreamland was pretty fun too. Theres some other cool titles there for consideration too. Many people's excuse for a complaint would be that there is only thirty games on it when on other emulator consoles (unofficial ones of course) there is above the limit of 200 or more. All of that is fine but if you like certain genres and are a fan of them like me and lots of others out there then you might at the same time just consider this one too. Another issue for people is that the cables are quite short as well. They will barely reach as far as you that player so word of warning for any buying this machine, you may just want to consider buying an extended cable to with it rather than relying on the smaller one provided. Though quite fragile its also a very stylish device, nice and small as well. So much that it will literally fit in the palm of your hand.

One of the greatest products ever made. The quality of the finish is exactly like the original NES. The controller and console are just perfection. Only negatives are the length of the controller cable is it is very short, the weight of the unit, means that it moves about too easily, if you accidentally pull the controller cord and the game screen is 4:3, which doesn't look as good as if it were full screen.... BUT they are small issues. For £49 this is an absolute bargain, 30 classic games, designed to perfection and not just made quickly as a cash cow. You can tell it has been well thought and made without compromise. Nintendo prove again that they are the best at making enjoyable gaming experiences. a+++++++ :) **Update**. Why reviews are being negative about the non inclusion of a socket is beyond me. You can power the mini nes with a AV receiver USB socket, and most probably on the side of a TV too.... this is a design bonus for me, as I already have too many plugs and not enough space on my surge protector !

A fantastic retro console from Nintendo that delivers everything it sets out to with aplomb but might leave you wishing it had set out to do more. Chief among these omissions is the lack of any internet connection and ability to download further games from Nintendo's eShop. Surely an own goal for them and a disappointment to fans of the games that didn't make the cut. Similarly, online leaderboards could have added a new dimension and limitless lifespan to many of these titles. The argument against including any of that is cost, obviously, which on release day when scalpers are selling these things for over £100 to loyal Nintendo fans is something of a moot point. Fool that I am, instead of trying to sell mine to you, I've been playing it. So, while I'm getting the negativity out of the way, I'll explain the most legitimate reason for taking a star away. The lead for the controller is woefully short, around 30 inches. This could cause slight issues with many set ups. Realistically, the Mini NES has to be sitting by your side in order for you to play, or, to go truly oldskool, you'll need sit in front of the television - unless you can find an extension cable (Nintendo aren't making any at the time of writing). And with that out of the way, time to focus on the goodness of the four stars. The production values of the console itself are immaculate, it is a thing of beauty and as easy as you could ever hope to set up. You've got an HDMI cable to plug into the TV, a USB lead to power the thing, a power button on the front of the console to start it up and you're good to go. Ah, dammit, I've just remembered another negative: there's no AC adapter in the box. Shouldn't be an issue if you have a mobile phone and/or tablet charger in the house. I'm running mine straight off the USB socket on this surge protector Belkin BSV804 8 Way 2 m Surge Protection Strip with 2 x 2.4 A Shared USB Charging Right, the games. I think you can say emulation is perfect, right down to the slowdown being kept in tact from the originals. You're getting what would be on the original cartridges and the Mini NES displays them on HDTVs quite magnificently. Never looked better. There are three screen modes: 4:3, pixel perfect mode which is how the games were originally designed but a bit a bit narrower and then you've the ability to add scanlines to give it that old CRT look. And for us here in Europe, the games are improvements over what we remember thanks to Nintendo opting for the American 60hz games, full speed and... well, can't really say full screen anymore in the days of widescreen TVs. The decision to go with American games also means we get Super C instead of the more familiar to us Probotector 2. In either guise, I love this game and it's the one I've been playing most but have to admit I'm grateful for the added save state function which means I can finish it and the 29 others without tears. To get to the Mini NES's home menu in order to save progress, you press the Reset button on the console, which in a way makes the short controller lead more understandable. Otherwise you'd have to get up to save or change your games. Imagine that! In conclusion, the 30 games included represent a good chunk of NES's greatest hits. Maybe not perfect, licensing issues most likely prevent the inclusion of anything from Xbox One's Rare Replay (Battletoads, R.C. Pro-Am, Snake Rattle 'n Roll) and some of Capcom and Konami's big hitters (Duck Tales, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Nevertheless, Nintendo have done a superb job with the remit they gave themselves and hopefully the inevitable SNES Classic Mini will come with a longer controller lead even if eShop downloads are too much to ask for. Great piece of nostalgia, great Christmas gift and great fun. That's me done. I'm off to play some Mega Man 2.

Oh console légendaire tu est de retour parmi le tiens... Saut à tous amis Nintendiens ;) petit test rapide et efficace de notre console préféré, allez let's go!! 1- bonne sensation niveau qualité du produit au déballage (Nintendo Oblige...) 2- une seule manette filaire de 70cm de longueur ( pas bien!!) 3- branchement simple avec tout les cables disponible (un cable USB pour alimentation) (un cable HDMI pour l'image) PS: pas de bloque d'alimentation, mais ont s'en passe avec grand plaisir en branchant directement l'usb dans la télé et tac plug & play!!! 4- ont appuis surPOWER comme à l'ancienne et c'est parti pour une playlist de 30 jeux parmi les plus grand classique. 5- contrairement à ce que j'ai pu entendre; PAS DE TEMPS DE LATENCE niveau de la réaction des boutons qui sont impec!!! 6- contrairement à ce que j'ai encore pu entendre (beaucoup de connerie dites par les commenteur Pro méfiez vous des faussaire de commentaire sur Amazon..) il y'a bien les petit bugs d'origine, du style une très légère transparence des perso et ralentissement quand il y'a plusieurs perso en même temps sur l'image. 7- sauvegardez n'importe où n'importe quand, excellent!!! (4 sauvegarde par jeu maximum) 8- les images et les musiques sont excellente ( mais il y'a UN MAIS pour les vrais puristes, vous ne retrouverez jamais la même sensation à l'identique que sur bécane NES originel avec Tv cathodique et cela va de soi...mais ont s'en rapproche très près) 9- franchement pour 60e c'est un excellent rapport qualité prix et le cadeau de Noel idéal pour une très large tranche d'âge (de 7 à 60 ans au moins) puisque le retro touche aussi à présent les plus jeunes qui veulent également découvrir les origines des jeux culte comme Zelda ou Mario...(pour ma part j'ai 35 ans, donc baigné dedant dés l'age 8 ans en 87 je pense.) 10- N'acheté pas cette console chez les escroc qui la vende à plus de 150e. Attendez quelque jours car le président de Nintendo France à déclaré au journal "Le Monde" qu'il y'aura bien réapro des stocks par plusieurs autres arrivages qui arriveront pour début décembre et encore début 2017, alors soyez patient car il à déclaré que tous le monde aura sa NES pour Noel ou juste après, il vont faire le maximum au niveau chaines de production (qui tourne déjà à fond puisque la deuxième série de début décembre commence à arriver sur Amazon et déjà en parti épuisé le 12 au matin vers 9h) pour l'europe et les US. Voilà j' espère avoir été suffisamment clair, simple et efficace, j'ai mis une photo de la version Megadrive mini, pour vous donnez une idée comparative et oui la manette est sans fil chez Sega mais cable HDMI chez Nintendo que la magadrive mini n'a pas ;) Si vous avez des questions plus technique, n'hésitez pas ;)

Le encantó a mi hijo, y eso es suficiente para mi. Funciona a la perfección, solo el cable del control es muy corto. Le compre otro control con 3 metros de largo.

Trae suficientes variedad de juegos, para los amantes de los juegos de Nintendo es una gran opción, me encantó

Nicht dass ich wieder böswillige Mails kriege, dass ich von Nintendo für diese Rezession bezahlt werden würde, was aber nett wäre. Nein im ernst, das ist ein TOP Preis-Leistungsverhältnis und ich bin wieder wie ein kleines Kind höchst erfreut und fühle mich wie damals als der erste NES heraus kam. Ich selbst bekam leider nie einen weil es zu teuer war für meine Eltern. Ich bekam allerdings den Gameboy und für mich waren NES und Gameboy DIE Konsolen neben dem Amiga 500. Als ich von diesem Angebot hörte, freute ich mich natürlich darüber endlich die alten Sachen wie Metroid und Megaman 2 wieder spielen zu können! Ein Traum! Man schließt die Konsole per HDMI an und mit dem USB-Kabel kann man, falls vorhanden, den Strom direkt auch aus dem USB-Port vom Fernseher beziehen. Man braucht also keine weitere Steckdose, außer der Fernseher hat halt keinen USB-Port. Man hätte hier natürlich einen Strecker dazulegen können, dafür würde ich aber keinen Stern in der Bewertung abziehen. Alles intuitiv bedienbar, einschalten, es geht sofort los! Man kann jetzt meckern über die Kürze des Kabels vom Controller und Nintendo unterstellen, sie würden da Geldmacherei betreiben. Zuerst dachte ich das, muss aber im Nachgang feststellen, dass die Idee auch eine andere sein könnte: Neben der herkömmlichen Form Spiele zu speichern oder per Code von einem bestimmten Spielstand aus fortzusetzen, bietet Nintendo die Möglichkeit für jedes Spiel einen individuellen Spielstand speichern zu können und zwar an jedem Punkt im Spiel. Dafür einfach die "Reset" Taste am Gerät drücken an dem Punkt wo man das Spiel in dem man grad ist speichern will und schon ist man wieder im Hauptmenü und kann die Speicherung vornehmen. 4 Speicherpunkte hat jedes Spiel. Spielt man jetzt z.B. Metroid weiß jeder der es kennt, dass man schnell mal stirbt, weil man nur genau ein Leben hat. Um jetzt wieder an der Position weiterspielen zu wollen wo man zuvor gespeichert hat, muss man also wieder "Reset" drücken und erneut den gewünschten Spielstand anwählen. Dann macht es natürlich Sinn den NES in greifbarer Nähe zu haben, um nicht jedes Mal zum TV rennen zu müssen um "Reset" zu drücken. Ein weiterer Punkt den ich noch aber noch nicht getestet habe könnte sein, dass man den NES auch an jeden herkömmlichen Computerbildschirm anhängen kann vor dem man dann am Schreibtisch zocken kann und auch hier ist ein längeres Kabel dann nicht unbedingt nötig. Gemein ist aber tatsächlich, dass Nintendo nur genau einen Controller dazu legt. Selbst beim teuren NES damals gab es immer zwei Controller mit langem Kabel. Das finde ich persönlich schon blöd, weil wenn man zu zweit spielen will, muss man sich nochmal Controller kaufen. Für unter 30 Euro gibt es hier eine nette Bluthooth Lösung, kabellos, schnell verbunden und funktionieren wunderbar. Die kabellosen NES Controller gibt es auch hier bei Amazon. Wer die alten Retrospiele liebt und wie ich ein alter NES Fan ist, muss sich das Teil unbedingt kaufen. Der Preis ist fair, für ca. 100 Euro gesamt hat man dann auch noch die kabellosen Controller und 30 NES Spiele mit Konsole für unter 100 Euro finde ich in Ordnung. Zudem die Speicherung der Spiele gegeben ist und sie sehr gut umgesetzt wurden, dass man wirklich in die Vergangenheit reisen kann. Selbst die Bildschirmauflösung kann man der Freude halber auf den alten Flimmerkasten umstellen. Ich belasse sie doch lieber gestochen scharf. Jedem wie er/sie mag. Blöd ist halt, dass es "nur" die 30 Spiele gibt und wohl auch keine Möglichkeit hier diese zu erweitern oder zu ändern. Wenn jetzt also deine Lieblingsspiele nicht dabei sind und da gab's ja doch vieles mehr wie Ryger oder Robo Warrior oder Knight Rider und Track & Field und wie sie alle heißen, dem kann hier nicht geholfen werden. Zumindest wüsste ich nicht wie. Ich weiß nicht ob ich das jetzt hier sagen darf aber ich habe auch mal gelesen, es gibt wohl die Möglichkeit mit einem PC sich Spiele zu ziehen und im entsprechendem Format und mit der richtigen Software diese auf die Konsole zu ziehen. Das dürfte dann eben so ein Murks sein wie ein Jailbreak auf einem iPhone was zwar technisch geht, jedoch nicht vom Hersteller gewünscht ist. Soweit ich weiß ist es nicht einmal illegal, nur würde einem Apple und vermutlich auch Nintendo nicht mehr helfen, wenn die Konsole oder das Telefon dann nicht mehr funktionieren. Das habt ihr aber nicht von mir :) Wie dem auch sei. Für mich ist das wie früher dieselbe Freude und derselbe Spaß und obwohl ich wenig Zeit habe für so etwas, ertappe ich mich doch sehr oft am Spielen und an der Freude an der guten alten Gamezeit. Meine Empfehlung ganz klar KAUFEN und SPIELEN!

Very impressed with the quality of the consoles. Also all the major blockbusters that I remember from childhood are included in this console so you don’t really need to buy anything extra to relive the glorious NES era. It worked very well on my 60 inch HDTV with HDMI cable. The quality of colours and overall graphics are surprisingly pretty good despite the pixels. Quite impressed and happy with my purchase.