NES Classic timing?

[sao123]

So I am one of those still trying to find an NES classic unit... but first I have a question...

If you have ever played Tysons Punchout, or some of the other games which require exact timing sequence, how close is the new one to the original?

I know the timing on my PC based emulators just feel off (perhaps it is the usb controllers).
We know that the NES classic is an emulated device on linux...
How is the timing on this in relationship to the actual NES?

 

[drbrock]

I thought it was very close to the real thing. Punch out was one of the first titles I played when I turned it on. Got crushed at soda pop just like when I was a kid. I don't know what they are going for on ebay but for under 100 i think it is worth it. Only complaint I have is the length of the cord. It is stupid short.

 

[jcwagers]

I would not be surprised if that was done intentionally. They sell controller extensions to make the controller cords longer. I saw those a few months back and figured it was a way to milk a bit more money out of people.

 

[Sonikku]

Had they priced the thing at $99.99 they would have made more money and would still have no stock.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Had they priced the thing at $99.99 they would have made more money and would still have no stock.

They wanted to avoid people simply buying a used NES console. Once you start going into the $100 range, people will start to just buy a NES101, top loader, or emulated/knock-off consoles (like the RetroN 5), at which point Nintendo no longer makes any money.

 

[Dranoche]

They wanted to avoid people simply buying a used NES console. Once you start going into the $100 range, people will start to just buy a NES101, top loader, or emulated/knock-off consoles (like the RetroN 5), at which point Nintendo no longer makes any money.

Nintendo tends to overprice things, so I don't see them pricing something down to avoid competition with the classic gaming enthusiast market. And a higher price probably wouldn't change too much, because there probably isn't any competition there to begin with. Most of the market wants it for nostalgia or to hook up to a modern TV, and the enthusiasts who might buy it out of curiosity or as a collector already have their modded original or emulator-based console. At some point you would lose sales because of the price itself, but not because the potential alternatives are cheaper.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Moot point now. They won't be making/shipping any more. Sold 1.5 million units and can't keep up with demand. Perfect time to discontinue it.

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/entertainment/nintendo-nes-classic-cancelled-1.4070179

 

[HOOfan 1]

Moot point now. They won't be making/shipping any more. Sold 1.5 million units and can't keep up with demand. Perfect time to discontinue it.

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/entertainment/nintendo-nes-classic-cancelled-1.4070179

Also a perfect time, because their PR can't possibly look as bad as United Airlines.

I saw articles on main stream, non-gaming sites all over the web the day the NES Classic was announced. They had at least 6 months lead time to gauge public reaction to the NES Classic announcement, and they still came out with a paltry inventory.

 

[Sonikku]

Moot point now. They won't be making/shipping any more. Sold 1.5 million units and can't keep up with demand. Perfect time to discontinue it.

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/entertainment/nintendo-nes-classic-cancelled-1.4070179

If I had to offer a theory, it may be that it was only intended to help Nintendo get through the Winter when they basically had nothing. So what if the Switch is out now and doing great, surely having two great selling products is better than one, right? Not so fast. Nintendo price gouges at every opportunity. If you want to play your NES collection on whatever current Nintendo system is available you have to pay them for the privilege again and again. $5 for your favorite NES game on the Wii plus again on the WIi U and soon it will be $5 again to play it on the Switch. Hooking their fans into digital sales in this way every generation is more lucrative than giving them 30 nes games for $60. For this reason I'm beginning to think the Classic was only a stop gap.

God damn Nintendo. I love you but why must you torment me so?

 

[Nashemon]

Moot point now. They won't be making/shipping any more. Sold 1.5 million units and can't keep up with demand. Perfect time to discontinue it.

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/entertainment/nintendo-nes-classic-cancelled-1.4070179

Someone mentioned that to me yesterday. I told him he was out of his mind. That would be the stupidest thing for them to do. I guess I owe him an apology.

I honestly don't know what Nintendo is thinking right now. I've stuck by them and defended almost every decision they have made in recent years, despite the critics against them. They seem to have discontinued the Wii-U as well, instead of just lowing the price (I've been saying for years I will buy it the moment they lower the price (or put a better battery in the tablet controller)). I haven't seen one in a store in almost a year, and I know they aren't selling well, so no way they are simply sold out. I also work at Best Buy, so I'm aware of stock.

Unless Nintendo is planning on building up stock of the NES Classic, and doing a re-release near Christmas, or having more games on the next one, they are the ones out of their minds.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Someone mentioned that to me yesterday. I told him he was out of his mind. That would be the stupidest thing for them to do. I guess I owe him an apology.

I honestly don't know what Nintendo is thinking right now. I've stuck by them and defended almost every decision they have made in recent years, despite the critics against them. They seem to have discontinued the Wii-U as well, instead of just lowing the price (I've been saying for years I will buy it the moment they lower the price (or put a better battery in the tablet controller)). I haven't seen one in a store in almost a year, and I know they aren't selling well, so no way they are simply sold out. I also work at Best Buy, so I'm aware of stock.

Unless Nintendo is planning on building up stock of the NES Classic, and doing a re-release near Christmas, or having more games on the next one, they are the ones out of their minds.

I'm hoping you're right. My wife wanted one the second she saw it. Finds the modern consoles just too much for her. Would have been fun for us at night to just sit and have some stupid fun. Looked every week locally in a few spots. I'd hate to see what unopened units just jumped to on eBay.

Nintendo always seems to find new and interesting ways to confound when it comes to product launches etc... I don't think I will every fully understand it.

 

[Dranoche]

Perfect time to actually fix their supply chain issues, not discontinue without any real explanation, with demand still high, after apologizing about it and telling fans that you're working to increase production.

 

[HOOfan 1]

They seem to have discontinued the Wii-U as well, .

They announced back in November that they had ceased production of the Wii U.

 

[Nashemon]

Figured I'd bite the bullet and go on eBay since there's no chance or ever getting one at this point. It's just scalper haven at every turn. They are $300-$400 now. Nintendo seems to love it. They do it at every turn. Every new thing they release, they can never meet demand. Recently with Amiibo's they blamed a conflicts with the manufacturer. Same crap with the Master's Edition of Zelda. With this they offer a non explanation. "We have paid close attention to consumer feedback." What the heck does that mean if they then just cancel it? Who are they talking to? eBay scalpers?

"Please discontinue the NES Classic so we can jack up our prices. Thanks"

 

[Nashemon]

They announced back in November that they had ceased production of the Wii U.

I must have missed that. Was too busy looking for a price drop in stores like they want me to. "Keep checking stores, kids." - Reggie

Ya, I'm pissed right now.

 

[Sonikku]

They announced back in November that they had ceased production of the Wii U.

I reluctantly bought a Wii U for $300 with mario kart bundled in last year when it became clear they were never going to cut its price and were just going to stop production and let it trickle away to the last. I feel in hindsight I should have gotten it sooner, back when you got New Super Mario Bros for free bundled with the system. Right around when Mario Kart first came out for it especially as Nintendo gave you a free full price game of your choice just for buying it. Coupled with all the ways cheap ass gamer chained that promotion, in addition to Gamestops $200 trade in towards a purchase of a Switch, and you probably could have enjoyed the U all generation for hardly any money out of pocket before trading up to the Switch.

 

[Nashemon]

I reluctantly bought a Wii U for $300 with mario kart bundled in last year when it became clear they were never going to cut its price and were just going to stop production and let it trickle away to the last. I feel in hindsight I should have gotten it sooner, back when you got New Super Mario Bros for free bundled with the system. Right around when Mario Kart first came out for it especially as Nintendo gave you a free full price game of your choice just for buying it. Coupled with all the ways cheap ass gamer chained that promotion, in addition to Gamestops $200 trade in towards a purchase of a Switch, and you probably could have enjoyed the U all generation for hardly any money out of pocket before trading up to the Switch.

I never liked any of the digital bundles they chose to do instead of an actual price cut. I'm a collector, so if there's a physical copy of a game, I'd much rather have that (Steam being the exception because they are a fraction of the price). I think the New Mario/Luigi Bros bundle was a physical copy, but I was too focused on the price at the time. The 3DS XL had just received a serious price drop which I jumped on, so I was expecting Wii U to follow suit.

I guess there's still hope they'll come out with a Mini version like they did for Wii. I never bought one of those either, but at least I saw them in stores.

 

[Sonikku]

I very much doubt it. Nintendo just phoned it in with the U. The moment the 3DS didn't surge at launch they rushed to save it. With the Wii U they just left it to wither and die. They didn't even bother making a slimmer model or better tablet controller. I got it end of cycle and the tablet lasts about 2 and a half to 3 hours.

 

[CZroe]

If I had to offer a theory, it may be that it was only intended to help Nintendo get through the Winter when they basically had nothing. So what if the Switch is out now and doing great, surely having two great selling products is better than one, right? Not so fast. Nintendo price gouges at every opportunity. If you want to play your NES collection on whatever current Nintendo system is available you have to pay them for the privilege again and again. $5 for your favorite NES game on the Wii plus again on the WIi U and soon it will be $5 again to play it on the Switch. Hooking their fans into digital sales in this way every generation is more lucrative than giving them 30 nes games for $60. For this reason I'm beginning to think the Classic was only a stop gap.

God damn Nintendo. I love you but why must you torment me so?

My theory is that they had a bunch of new old stock of the WCP chip from the Wii Classic Controller Pro and that they knew that the Wii U was going to be gone by the end of the year. Since the Wii U was never going to sell those Wii Classic Controller Pros, they decided to slap them into the controllers for this thing along with all their extra female Wii Remote Nunchuk connectors. The chips ended up becoming a hard limit for how many they could produce, which is why they redirected supplies originally intended for spare controllers. The spare controllers never materialized in stores and, instead, more new consoles did. It explains why they appeared to be beholden to one slow controller producer in Germany while the console was ready to be pumped out from the Chinese factories en masse.

It doesn't explain why the German supplier couldn't make the controller faster, but I guess them not being a Chinese factory probably has a lot to do with that. One thing to note: the Famicom version has two built-in controllers ("ZOMG! TWICE as many WCP chips!") and has no reason to maintain backwards compatibility with Wii Classic Controllers and Classic Controller Pros. A minor software and hardware tweak to use off the shelf controller parts (USB?) and they could easily keep making those.