NES Classic Discontinued: N64 Classic Edition should be Nintendo's follow-up

Yes, it's true, the NES Classic Edition has been discontinued. After first announcing the system in July and releasing the console in November, Nintendo has decided to put the new version of its 1985 console on the chopping block. 

The cancellation of Nintendo's NES Classic is softened by the fact that many NES games are available via the company's virtual console (not on Switch... cough). Though if you're really dying to have a physical miniature box in the style of one of Nintendo's retro consoles, I'd advise that you just wait. Nintendo would be crazy not to give every console the "Classic" treatment. 

NES Classic discontinued? An N64 Classic should be next

Much of Nintendo's business model is built on nostalgia, primarily in the games they create. From Mario and Kirby to Zelda's Link, Nintendo packs its titles with familiar faces from when you were a kid — whether that be five years ago or 25. 

Nintendo changed the nostalgia game when it announced it was bringing us the NES Classic Edition. Where some companies refresh and re-release games, Nintendo brought back the whole damn console. And it worked: The NES Classic sold 196,000 units at $60 a pop during the holidays. That's a noteworthy number for a piece of plastic full of games we've all played before.

196,000 units sold is a noteworthy number for a piece of plastic full of games we've all played before.

The NES Classic is a re-release success, but no company stops its re-releases at the first in the series. Nintendo knows this: it's constantly re-releasing Pokémon and Zelda games on newer hardware. If Nintendo likes money, the opportunity to offer a Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 or even GameCube Classic edition is too obvious to ignore, especially with the competition arming up. 

That's the sensible reason to do it, anyway. We're honestly just hoping the N64 Classic brings us a new one of these.

Check out more Nintendo news and coverage

Looking for more Nintendo Switch news? Check out how blind gamers are using the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo's left Joy-Con issue turns out to be a hardware problem — find out how to solve it. Find out how to buy a console amidst the recent restock. Learn why the Switch cartridges taste so bad. Check out our comparison photos sizing up the Switch to the Wii U GamePad (part one and part two), or find out how to make use of ethernet without the dock and the best way to get alerts when new stock arrives.