NES Classic Mini Unboxing First Look & Teardown

[MaximumRD]

[LeeJ07]

Oh my god I want one soooooooooo bad.

[Atari 5200 Guy]

Wow.  So does that mean that the console is actual modernized NES hardware?  That's a lot of chips just for emulation isn't it?

[RickR]

Wow.  So does that mean that the console is actual modernized NES hardware?  That's a lot of chips just for emulation isn't it?

I read somewhere that it's a Linux box.  So probably emulation.  Still, that interface looks really good.

[Kid A]

While I have little interest in the console itself, I had a HUGE interest in the controller knowing that it works on the wii and wii u as well. I managed to pick one up.

 

I did a bit of a teardown myself on the control. First about the controller itself. Out of the box, I noticed right away something didn't feel right with the DPad. To me it felt a bit mushy and the feel of all buttons weren't quite right. The feel of the controller as a whole is what you'd expect. It's the same shape and size as an original. I opened both the new and the old control and put them side by side.

 

 

The top half of the shell is very similar to one another and the bottom halves were a bit different. All the rubber pieces were shaped slightly different as well.

 

Another thing I noticed right away was that the DPads were different from one another. The first time I pressed the buttons on the new controller,I felt The DPad didn't really have that nice Center pivot point that an original control has. Upon closer inspection of the DPads, I noticed something.

 

 

One of the DPads is taller than the other. The taller one is from an old control.

 

As far as the shape goes all the plastic buttons can be swapped from one control to another being that they are pretty much molded the same.

 

My controller reassembled.

 

 

I HIGHLY recommend that you take the DPad out of a original controller and the red b and a buttons and put it in the new controller. That's what I did with mine. It feels SO MUCH better being that the old DPad is taller than the other. It's a world of difference. Now this thing actually feels like an original NES control. A lot of people are also saying that the wire is too short but for my use, it shouldn't be a problem.

Edited November 12, 2016 by KidA0723

[Atari 5200 Guy]

I like Linux.  Using it now  

[Atari 5200 Guy]

I did a quick rundown of the how much, in 2016 USD, all of the games included in the NES Classic Mini would cost if you were to purchase them separately for the original 1980's NES console.  I only visited two places online, Lukie Games and eStarland, and I know that prices can vary greatly between a brick and mortar building and the online experience.

 

But, for 29 of the 30 games from Lukie would be $630.49.  Most games were over $20 a title with a few hitting the $50 mark and over.  The only game I could not find here was a stand-alone copy of Super Mario Brothers.  At eStarland the prices of some games were less and others were more with a final total for all 30 games was $639.82.  While both purchases would be eligible for free shipping the costs of those games is astounding.

 

For some gamers the NES Classic Mini will be a way to get great games for cheap, for others it will be a trip back down memory lane.  In some ways the release of this console almost seems historic.  Here is a console that literally changed the video game industry 180 degrees, saved it from certain demise, and is giving a chance to show it still has a dominate place in video games with the release of the NES Classic Mini.  

 

$60 for 30 of the NES' most popular and best selling games.  What more could a retro gamer ask for?  OH yea...for Nintendo to not underrate its fan base and make sure they make enough to support the demands.  This has been going on for a decade now, give or take, and it Nintendo should have learned by now.  I guess not and it is possible that they may never learn to make sure they have enough for everyone on launch day.

 

I haven't got to play mine yet.  Wife opened up the box, took it out, let me mess with the controller for a minute, then took the controller away, placed everything back in the box, closed it up, and said I can't have it until Christmas.  That's a long time but I still have my NES to play with until then...although I don't have most of those games.  

 

I love Atari, don't get me wrong, but the NES had just as strong of an impact in my life as the Atari games did.  Truthfully, the NES and Atari go hand-in-hand.  If you want a game that will not take long to play pick up an Atari game.  But...if you want a game that will take a few hours to beat then the NES is where you want to go.  The NES will not disappoint for those that have not played it before and the NES Classic Mini captures the best that the best console of the late 1980's has to offer.

 

Was there a game that you would have liked to be on the console instead of others?  Are there games on the NES Classic Mini that are your favorite and least favorite?  

It's awesome to see the system get the attention its getting whether that attention is good or bad.  I believe this console made history today...and I am glad to have been able to be a part of it.

[MaximumRD]