Nintendo NES Classic Edition Launches In November, NX Could be Announced Earlier
The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition console, launches on Nov. 11 at a suggested retail price of $59.99. In related news, the highly anticiated Nintendo NX console could be announced as early as next month, and has been praised by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. The NES Classic Edition includes 30 classic NES games like Super Mario Bros. 3, Metroid and The Legend of Zelda, plus a replica of the original NES controller that can also be used with NES Virtual Console games on the Wii or Wii U systems. And the games look sharp using the included HDMI cable.
The system can be played in three different display modes, and games can be saved at any time using Suspend Points. In addition, all of the games' original manuals can be viewed by scanning an on-screen QR Code with a smart device.
The hub of the NES Classic Edition is the HOME Menu, which can be used to access all 30 of the classic NES games. From here, you can adjust various settings or just dive into a game and start playing. To help locate games quickly, you can press the Select button to sort by title, two-player games, recently played games, number of times played, release date and publisher.
To make sure every Goomba stomp looks as authentic as possible, all games can be played in three display modes. With the CRT filter, a scan-line effect is added to the screen to give everything that oh-so-retro look and feel. 4:3 is a sharp, clean look that adheres to the original aspect ratio used by the NES. And when playing in Pixel Perfect mode, every pixel is shown as a perfect square, providing the most accurate representation of the games as they were originally designed.
Retro gaming is defined in part by the search for save spots and the need to enter long passwords, but in practice, those tasks can definitely be a little … um … time consuming. While all aspects of the original 30 NES games are intact, Suspend Points have been added. At any point during gameplay, press the console's Reset button to return to the HOME Menu and save a Suspend Point that will let you pick up right where you left off. Up to four Suspend Points can be saved per game, so you can track the progress of multiple players or file away your favorite moments.
But the most intersting news today are related to the Nintento NX system, which could put Nintendo back in the spotlight as it relates to hardware, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said this week. "I believe Nintendo will be back in the race with the NX," Guillemot said during a meeting with investors, according to French journalist Chloe Woitier.
Earlier this month, Guillemot said the system will be "easy to use" and one that allows for "a different experience from what exists today."
In a presentation attended by GameSpot, Guillemot said even more about the NX. He showered it with praise on it, saying the console represents a "new approach."
"The new Nintendo [console] is a fantastic machine," he said. "It's really a new approach, it's really Nintendo, [which is] coming with something new again. We love it."
Ubisoft is working to release the Just Dance 2017 game title along with "some [other] projects" for the new console.
The system is rumored to be a handheld/console hybrid, a possibility that The Pokemon Company recently lent credence to. It's also said to use cartridges.
According to analysts speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Nintendo may finally officially reveal the system in early October. The console is set to launch in March 2017, which is only six months away.