Thoughts on the SNES Classic Edition

If you are reading this, I want you to be happy. Games make me happy. Games make you happy. I want you to have the games that make you happy.

But stop with the shock and surprise that Nintendo “didn’t learn anything” from the NES Classic; enough of the loud “oh my stars and garters” disappointment that the classic Nintendo hardware-shortage cycle has begun anew. This is the same “limited quantities” trick Nintendo has played on you for not just years but decades. From the moment George Harrison looked me in the eye as we discussed a pre-launch N64 and said “Well, sometimes, a shortage is a good thing,” I knew it wasn’t about making me happy. It hurt, but I knew.

Sony, Microsoft, Sega — they pull something like this, and you’d walk away, forever, holding a very loud grudge. But Nintendo does this repeatedly, and your own sense of self-preservation just goes away. That’s what love makes you do. It’s just that the SNES Classic is not about Nintendo’s love for you, but your love for them. Worse, they know it.

So, I’m sorry, but they do not care if you get one or not. They don’t care if they are hard to find or if the people who really would appreciate one the most actually get one. They don’t care that the units will be scalped for several multitudes over MSRP. You getting what you want was not part of their business plan.

“They didn’t learn from last time”? They learned that scarcity equals headlines and that people will fall all over themselves to be associated with their brand. They learned they can charge $20 more this time around. They learned from the NES Classic. What did you learn?

If you are reading this, I want you to be happy. I want you to get this $80 thing that reaffirms and validates your love (especially if you couldn’t get the $60 thing that reaffirms and validates your love last time). But this looks like an abusive relationship, and you deserve better than Nintendo is giving you.

Keep playing their games, but stop playing their game.

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