Nintendo will stop making its NES Classic Edition console, a retro gaming device introduced in November that reprised older games like Super Mario Bros. And The Legend of Zelda.
The video game giant said Thursday that the device “wasn’t intended to be an ongoing, long-term product” despite being a hit with consumers, according to videogame publication IGN.
Nintendo’s decision to stop producing the console, which cost $60, is a puzzling decision, considering that it’s been an unexpected hit for the company. Demand for the NES: Classic was so high that a number of retailers like Walmart had trouble keeping enough in stock despite competition from more expensive consoles with more advanced technology like Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro and Microsoft’s (MSFT) Xbox One.
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Although the console was essentially a sleeker version of the original NES gaming console, released in 1983, it was built to accommodate modern televisions and came bundled with 30 video games from the 1980s.
It’s possible that Nintendo stopped producing the NES: Classic because it doesn’t the want the console to cannibalize sales from the company’s higher-priced and more cutting-edge Nintendo Switch, released in March. Nintendo is hoping that the Switch becomes a blockbuster hit, considering the company’s previous console, the Wii U, was a dud.
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The Nintendo Switch costs $300 and can be connected to televisions or it can function like a mobile gaming console.
