Fearing a repeat of last year’s NES Classic fiasco when the miniaturized version of Nintendo’s home console was virtually impossible to find in stores, and often sold for many times its asking price on auction sites? Well, you shouldn’t be – at least not if you take Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime at his word. Speaking to the Financial Times (opens in new tab), Fils-Aime said the company had “dramatically increased” production of the mini console.
Fils-Aime said that part of the problem with the first run, that of the NES Classic, was that the company based sales projections on lower-quality retro systems from other manufacturers, which typically sold far fewer units. He claimed that any hiccups in the SNES Classic launch (including Walmart’s mass cancellation of pre-orders due to what the retailer called a “technical glitch (opens in new tab)”) was due to factors outside the company’s control. “In this case it’s not [a supply issue],” Fils-Aime said.
In short, if you can’t find the SNES Classic on store shelves, don’t be so desperate to get one that you pay a large amount over MSRP. “I would strongly urge you not to over-bid on an SNES Classic on any of the auction sites,” Fils-Aime continued. ”You shouldn’t [have to] pay more than $79.99.”
Unfortunately, the situation is not so optimistic with regards to Nintendo’s other console, the Switch (opens in new tab). Fils-Aime said that while the company expects to sell 10 million units by March, being able to manage the supply chain has proven to be a challenge. “There is not one choke point, there are multiple choke points. I won’t go into any more detail but it’s not just one component.”
Nintendo seems to have largely recovered from the Wii U’s stain on the company’s image – hopefully supply issues won’t tarnish the goodwill generated in the meantime.