Hardware

I have an SNES Classic Edition, and it rules

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Just in time for a weekend during which I had already planned to do nothing productive, a small package from Nintendo containing what will likely be its hottest item since the NES Classic Edition… which is to say, of course, the SNES Classic Edition.

A full review is now underway, but I thought it worthwhile to point out a few things.

  • It’s just as tiny as the NES Classic edition. It has a larger footprint but it’s flatter.
  • You can’t open the cartridge slot. Playing without anything there looks a little weird; Nintendo should have sold vanity cartridges that do nothing but stick up.
  • The new 16-bit menu chiptune is solid but I prefer the NES one.
  • Having to swing the little door down to plug in controllers is a bummer. And the eject button, it does nothing! 😢
  • The controllers are nearly indistinguishable from the originals. I’ve been playing on the same ones for 25 years (you can tell from the bite marks), so I know and love the feel. Hopefully these new ones will last as long.
  • You can also plug the SNES controllers into the NES Classic Mini. It definitely feels strange, though. The NES controllers work in the SNES as well, but you’ll be missing 4 buttons.
  • Star Fox 2 is insane.
  • Technically me sitting in my apartment playing F-Zero covered in crumbs is “work.”

Jealous? Don’t worry, it won’t be long before you’ll have one of your own. Yeah, supply has been “super” limited, but Nintendo plans to make more and continue selling them well into next year — so this isn’t just a winter treat.

Keep an eye out next week for our full review of the SNES and the games it comes with. Now if you’ll excuse me, some whale noises just came out of my TV, which reminds me that this thing has Secret of Mana on it. Bye forever!

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