Nintendo's Classic SNES Mini Console To Hit Stores On Sep 29

Japanese video game giant, Nintendo Co (T:7974)., Ltd.‘s (OTC:NTDOY) latest console, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) Classic Edition will be available across the U.S. on Sep 29 for $80.

The SNES micro-console features a suite of 21 preloaded fan favorites games such as Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country and Mega Man X. Of the 21 pre-installed titles, a full 14 were published by Nintendo itself.

Alongside the classic titles, Nintendo will also bundle in an unreleased sequel to the original space-fighting game Star Fox. The first worldwide release of Star Fox 2 is one of the most attractive additions to the package.

Moreover, the plug-and-play, HDMI-enabled system will allow players to easily play retro games on high-definition televisions, like its predecessor the NES Classic.

Nintendo’s long-anticipated Super NES Classic follows the launch of the much-sought-after NES Classic, which went on sale in fall 2016 but was abruptly discontinued earlier this year in spite of immense popularity.

Notably, the limited run of the NES Classic Edition ignited accusations from the gaming community that Nintendo was engaging in so-called intentional scarcity. The marketing ploy was widely seen as intended to ramp up publicity for its newly-launched flagship console, the Nintendo Switch, in March this year.

However, the company has put out a statement promising to produce significantly more units of Super NES Classic Edition than they did of NES Classic Edition until the end of calendar year 2017.

Reportedly, retailers like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) UK and The Game have already sold out of their initial Mini SNES pre-order allocation. However, the official Nintendo Store has yet to open up pre-orders.

Nintendo’s upcoming second-generation machine reflects the company’s perspicacious initiative to cash in on its yesteryear gaming successes. Nintendo had been a pioneer of video gaming, riding on the back of its characters – Mario, Pokémon, Zelda and others. It is worth mentioning that the original Super Nintendo Entertainment System, launched in 1990, sold 50 million units globally.

Currently, Nintendo carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We note that Nintendo has vastly outperformed the Zacks Toys - Games - Hobbies industry in the last one year. While the stock returned 158.3%, the industry gained only 44.1%.

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