[Update: The SNES Classic Edition pre-orders have been cancelled by Walmart… for now.]
Ahead of the September release of the SNES Classic Edition, Walmart has opened up pre-orders for the highly anticipated micro-console from Nintendo. You can currently pre-order the device right now for $79.99 from over on the Walmart shopping page.
The availability of the pre-order instantly began trending on social media, with some people pre-ordering multiple units in order to ensure that they get theirs, and then some.
The reason for the excitement over the pre-orders is because previously the NES Classic Edition was all sold out and it stayed sold out ever since it became available last fall.
Gamers – both hardcore and casual – aren’t falling for Nintendo’s tricks this time around. They’ve prepped and have put forth a lot of effort in making sure that they get their hands on the SNES Classic Edition unlike last time.
In hopes of meeting the demand this time around, Nintendo did announce that they would be amplyfing the production supply up until the end of 2017 to hopefully meet demand.
They’ve been having some issues with production and manufacturing lately, especially regarding getting out enough units of the Nintendo Switch, which has stayed sold out across the nation. Supply shortages have also been harming Nintendo’s overall goals for the Nintendo Switch, as they’ve been unable to deliver as many goods to store shelves as they’ve intended, which could severely hamper their overall install base leading into 2018.
Nintendo didn’t say how many SNES Classic Editions they will be making but they sold over 2.3 million NES Classic Editions from fall 2016 to spring 2017.
Given that the NES Classic Edition came with a bunch of uninteresting games, it will be interesting to see how well something like the SNES Classic Edition sells with something as rare as a complete and fully functional version of Star Fox 2 packaged in. You can look for the micro console emulating 16-bit SNES games to launch in late September.