We speculate on when the N64 Classic Edition will debut
The news that the NES Classic Edition will arrive back in stores just after E3 2018 has every Nintendo fan excited. Of course, we’ve had our shot at buying this ball of retro goodness before, though the opportunity was brief and tumultuous. What we haven’t had a chance to buy yet are all those glorious N64 titles we’re all nostalgic for. So now I’m wondering if that release is on the horizon as well. Could the N64 Classic Edition be Nintendo’s big surprise for E3 2018?
It’s not likely, necessarily, but it is still firmly within the realm of possibility. The SNES Classic was announced a year ago this June, actually being officially revealed on the 26th, just a few days before the planned re-release of the NES Classic on June 29th. This means we’re now a year beyond the last release of a retro console by Nintendo, so the time is definitely right. The SNES was a big surprise at the time, since the NES Classic Edition had just come off a ridiculously poor holiday season in terms of satisfying demand.
Christmas 2016 was all about the NES Classic Edition, with stores selling out shipments the moment they arrived. Fans were lining up, calling stores, and camping out to get the hot item. Surprisingly demand was never fully satisfied, even beyond the holiday season, so when Nintendo announced the SNES Classic would arrive later that year, with the NES being temporarily phased out, everyone was pretty shocked.
The SNES did seem to fulfill most of its demand though, with stores still mostly sold out, but new arrivals not being immediately gobbled up like before. The NES Classic Edition restock should hopefully put that system in the same situation. Which means it’s time for even more Nintendo craziness to come this holiday, and the N64 Classic would be the perfect fit.
While the original console wasn’t quite as popular as its 8 and 16 bit predecessors, there’s still a big fervor for the platform. Time seems to have done good things for the N64’s reputation, mostly thanks to its extremely high quality entries from Nintendo, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, and the original Super Smash Bros., all of which would be expected on an N64 Classic Edition release.
So, will the N64 Classic Edition be revealed at E3 2018? I’m thinking so, but there’s been no leak or official confirmation just yet. So as Nintendo fans we just get to do the usual: wait, hope, and get ready to preorder.
- This article was updated on May 15th, 2018
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