• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

NES Classic Edition Thread: Now You're Playing With Power* *Sold Separately in Europe

rav

Member
I for a while, had wanted to get one. But I don't care anymore.

If I see a ton in a store I might pick one up on a whim, but until then, count me as disinterested.
 

b3b0p

Member
Nintendo: *laughs*

I don't know.

It seems Nintendo had the estimates down perfectly. However, the scalpers, people buying without any intention of ever using, opening, or playing are what ruined chances of finding them in store. They are aplenty on eBay, Craig's List, and similar sites and services. I'm not sure it's Nintendo not supplying enough. Also, keep in mind that it's up to the retailers to make the orders, so we don't know if retailers didn't anticipate demand and not order enough in the beginning. Preorders though could have probably helped, but how many of those preorders again, are scalpers who will return it any way if they can't sell it for a substantial enough profit (which basically means no sale for Nintendo and the retailer).
 
I don't know.

It seems Nintendo had the estimates down perfectly. However, the scalpers, people buying without any intention of ever using, opening, or playing are what ruined chances of finding them in store. They are aplenty on eBay, Craig's List, and similar sites and services. I'm not sure it's Nintendo not supplying enough. Also, keep in mind that it's up to the retailers to make the orders, so we don't know if retailers didn't anticipate demand and not order enough in the beginning. Preorders though could have probably helped, but how many of those preorders again, are scalpers who will return it any way if they can't sell it for a substantial enough profit (which basically means no sale for Nintendo and the retailer).

What does any of this mean? The fact that scalpers are jumping all over this thing is because demand far outweighs supply.
 

The Ummah

Banned
I for a while, had wanted to get one. But I don't care anymore.

If I see a ton in a store I might pick one up on a whim, but until then, count me as disinterested.

This is me one day, but the next day I'm here and checking the deal sites for updates and possible stock. I'm about to just get another Nintendo 64 in a minute, I need my GoldenEye fix!
 

rav

Member
What does any of this mean? The fact that scalpers are jumping all over this thing is because demand far outweighs supply.

It's similar to when the Wii-U came out, tons of scalpers jumped in only to return them to the stores before the return window expired. Scalpers are an artificial demand, and due to the Wii being such a hot commodity, it's possible that there is more demand for scalping than actually using. It's hard to quantify this and show actual demand.
But if the demand for scalping is actually greater than the actual consumer demand, and if Nintendo did predict actual consumer demand, then they (the scalpers) are artificially inflating the market to make a profit.

I don't think Nintendo is playing the market by shorting it either.

I personally don't buy from scalpers. They are providing a service to people yes, but I don't wish to support that line of speculation.
 
Of course there is a supply issue. The scalpers are not just buying them and not selling them and just hoarding them. They are buying them and selling them so they have to be going to someone and there is still demand of people who want one..

Nintendo doesn't gain anything by not releasing enough. The reason it is in demand because it is a cool toy that lots of people want at a good value. They obviously missed the mark in the forecasting and then those that think they can just magically double production in a couple months time, you can not.

So the main problem really is that (most)...

people are not patient..

people don't understand supply chain management...

people just want something to bitch about...
 
I'm saying that if there weren't scalpers taking all the supply you could walk in the store and buy one easily.

The fact that the scalpers want them is itself evidence of short supply. This thing has been out for nearly 2 months now and is still fetching a ransom on the secondhand market. The Wii U comparison doesn't fly.
 

b3b0p

Member
Please follow your thought process to what happens to them after the scalpers buy them...

Many people, including many in this thread and myself refuse to pay inflated prices from scalpers. What will happen is scalpers will return the items with in their return period, which is often extended during holidays. If Nintendo starts ramping up production and scalpers start return their dead stock because no one or less people are paying inflated pricing there will be excess stock.

As mentioned above, it's complicated. The easy blame is Nintendo, but I highly doubt it's Nintendo at fault for this. It's a combination of people trying to scalp the hot item during the holidays, retailers not ordering enough, Nintendo perhaps not supplying enough or taking preorders to get a better idea of demand.
 
Many people, including many in this thread and myself refuse to pay inflated prices from scalpers. What will happen is scalpers will return the items with in their return period, which is often extended during holidays. If Nintendo starts ramping up production and scalpers start return their dead stock because no one or less people are paying inflated pricing there will be excess stock.

As mentioned above, it's complicated. The easy blame is Nintendo, but I highly doubt it's Nintendo at fault for this. It's a combination of people trying to scalp the hot item during the holidays, retailers not ordering enough, Nintendo perhaps not supplying enough or taking preorders to get a better idea of demand.

A quick scan of eBay sold listings shows that prices are coming back closer to earth, but it's still going for well over MSRP. Looks like it's settling around $135 - $140 to me, with some selling a little lower and some still going for around $160. Given that the holidays are over, this is an indication that the product is still very much in-demand. There's no reason to assume that the crazy lady with an SUV stacked with these things is about to return them all to the store. That person can still make a tidy profit now.

Mind you, I get that scalping contributes to shortages for people wanting to pay MSRP. Every unit out there being sold on EB for 2 - 3 times cost is a unit you and I can't find in a store for MSRP. I'm not a fan of scalping. But any suggestion that scalping in and of itself entirely (or even mostly) creates these types of shortages just demonstrates a fundamental misread of market forces. If supply was adequate to the demand, scalpers wouldn't be successfully selling them for well above cost right now.
 

joeposh

Member
As long as scalpers can still double their money on this thing, they'll still auto buy them.

FYI -- I used zoolert to finally score this time. Just leave it open in a tab and it'll auto refresh all the sites who have stocked the NES Classic in the past and do an audio chime of your choosing when it comes into stock anywhere.
 

Lucent

Member
Finally managed to get one with the help of a coworker. The high ticket merchandise we put out around 7am was locked up and she bought one when she came in to work and sold it back to me for the same price. We only got TWO of them in. I think launch we got 12. Then we got 14 on the 4th of December? Then this time 2. I'm just glad to finally have one.
 

joeposh

Member
Finally managed to get one with the help of a coworker. The high ticket merchandise we put out around 7am was locked up and she bought one when she came in to work and sold it back to me for the same price. We only got TWO of them in. I think launch we got 12. Then we got 14 on the 4th of December? Then this time 2. I'm just glad to finally have one.

Careful now, some people are very sensitive about employees stashing systems to buy for themselves.
 

MrMephistoX

Member
I finally got one! Despite all my doubts, zoolert actually gave me the heads up.

Good luck to all gaffers still trying

Sold out already...honestly at this point I think I'm going to get a switch and call it a day. When these are dirt cheap and readily available I'll get it for a desk ornament.
 
Careful now, some people are very sensitive about employees stashing systems to buy for themselves.

Meh, those people who are sensitive to that should deal with it. Retail employees get the shit end of the stick from November to December and then plenty get fired right after the holidays. If one of the few perks of having to eat a mile of customer shit day in and day out is that you get the privilege to buy a $60 videogame, I think it's the least they can get.
 

wowzors

Member
Amazon has the NES30 in stock for anyone else interested. Picked one up for my dad, that controller cord is redick short.
 
Walmart in my area received 35 last night. Someone came in and bought 25+ within 20 minutes of it getting listed on brickseek.

As much as I hate scalpers I really find anecdotal stories like this really hard to believe. Any manager worth their salt would never sell that many units to a single person. At least I would like to believe that. Like it's clear that this is a hot item, why would you sell it to 1 individual that clearly all that wants is to make a profit.

That and all the stores around me have a limit per person. What makes this Walmart any different? Unless the managers/employers are in it too.

Amazon has the NES30 in stock for anyone else interested. Picked one up for my dad, that controller cord is redick short.

Link?
 
See this is the crap you cant blame Nintendo for, 35 units is a good amount for a store after Christmas, but Walmart let somebody buy 25 units smh

If there were enough units everywhere the dude with 25 units wouldn't turn profit. It is still on Nintendo.
 

wowzors

Member
As much as I hate scalpers I really find anecdotal stories like this really hard to believe. Any manager worth their salt would never sell that many units to a single person. At least I would like to believe that. Like it's clear that this is a hot item, why would you sell it to 1 individual that clearly all that wants is to make a profit.

That and all the stores around me have a limit per person. What makes this Walmart any different? Unless the managers/employers are in it too.



Link?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MTQ9QPB/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 

gappvembe

Member
0gHrDKd.jpg


Fucking GameStop. They upped the receipt price of the Classic, so if I wanted to return the book, I'd get less for it.
 

Feeroper

Member
Has anyone read the book Console Wars? Nintendo has been intentionally under-delivering on product since they got into the video game business.

They will eventually put a larger number of these units out, but they will ride this out as far as possible.
 

mattiewheels

And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
I checked on controllers just now, and I got excited until I noticed that the flood of regular priced ones are knockoffs. I knew the second I saw that I just wanted this to play Wii VC I would never, ever see one list price due to shenanigans.
 

bengraven

Member
I for a while, had wanted to get one. But I don't care anymore.

If I see a ton in a store I might pick one up on a whim, but until then, count me as disinterested.

This is kind of me, but it's more like "I really want one but my obsessive need was killed by being to busy working to invest the necessary work in finding one - I'll pick one up when it's on a shelf and I'm not fighting people over them".
 

compo

Banned
I traded in my Wii U for an Xbone last week, and not to start a flame war or anything, but the NES classic fiaso is the straw the broke the camels back in that decision.

So at first I was thinking of trading in my Wii U for a Switch when it comes out. But then I got to thinking that the Wii U pretty much has no games coming out for it anymore, besides Zelda, which I'm not particularly interested in. Then I got to thinking that the Switch doesn't really appeal to me, because I'm not too fond of handhelds, and the limited power of the thing is most likely going to lead to another console generation of limited third party games.

And maybe if it was just that, I still would have kept to my plan of going from Wii U to Switch. But then I wanted one of these mini NESs so bad, and Nintendo just completely screwed us over. I'm sure that's going to happen again with the Switch, so even if I did want a Switch, I doubt I'd get one for like 3-4 months after release, and I'd have to go through all this heartache again.

So fuck it, I've switched to Xbone for a while. I'm still getting a mini NES, but I'm just a little weary of Nintendo now. I am going to miss Mario Kart and the next Mario platformers, though.
 

DeathPeak

Member
So has this thing even shown up at Toys R Us, Best Buy or Gamestops since the like one time they were in stock before Christmas? Target seems to be the only reported place getting any kind of restocks. Wal-Marts haven't really received any but maybe 1 here and there (with the exception of the person that said 35) and Best Buy put some up online but no one has said if they've seen them instore.
 
Is this legal? I guess it's kinda a grey area since it was technically part of a bundle with a total price, not individually priced.

Why would it be illegal? What do you think the S in MSRP stands for? ;)

So has this thing even shown up at Toys R Us, Best Buy or Gamestops since the like one time they were in stock before Christmas? Target seems to be the only reported place getting any kind of restocks. Wal-Marts haven't really received any but maybe 1 here and there (with the exception of the person that said 35) and Best Buy put some up online but no one has said if they've seen them instore.

They are showing up across NJ in small batches.
 
So fuck it, I've switched to Xbone for a while. I'm still getting a mini NES, but I'm just a little weary of Nintendo now. I am going to miss Mario Kart and the next Mario platformers, though.

Then you'll probably get a Switch. If the games look appealing enough to buy the console, then you'll buy the console. There is zero chance that being stung by the unavailability of a retro novelty will affect your purchasing decision when the Switch is out. One has nothing to do with the other. If it's making you hold off on pre-ordering, then it's just preventing you from making an impulse purchase for a system you weren't sure you wanted yet. If there are Switch consoles readily available down the line and Mario Switch looks amazing to you, you're not going to say, "well fuck them because of the NES Classic."

(Also kind of funny that you're still getting an NES Classic.)
 
Top Bottom