For gamers who are still in the market to grab a NES Classic Edition, a retailer has confirmed that they will have stocks available in store this week. According to reports, Best Buy has announced that they will have the retro game system available on hand in most of their physical retail stores. However, it was not specified how many units will be available and appears to be, until stocks last.
Moreover, the availability of the NES Classic Edition is reportedly for in-store purchases only and will remain unavailable for online transactions. Game Rant has noted that some of the branches are prepared to use a ticketing system to allocate the product for some customers. It seems like the retailer is anticipating a rush of consumers akin to the last year's holiday season.
After its official launch last year, the NES Classic Edition was a hot commodity among video enthusiasts and collectors. Some gamers who wanted a piece of nostalgia for Christmas have supposedly asked loved ones for the console as a gift. Resellers were notably the bulk of the purchasers as they have anticipated the demand for the game system and kept extra units to resell for a higher price. Desperate buyers have even resorted to purchasing their systems from these sellers, as reported by Gamenguide.
Analysts suspect that the recent restocks from varying retailers might be the last chance for consumers to get their hands on the NES Classic Edition. After rumors have floated around claiming the device will be discontinued, Nintendo has officially confirmed that they already have plans to stop its production. Even the counterpart of the game system will be subject to discontinuation despite its continued popularity in Japan.
Meanwhile, one of the popular speculations as to why Nintendo is ceasing its production of the NES Classic Edition is due to a follow-up product. Sources have long rumored that the Japanese gaming giant is planning to release the SNES Classic Edition soon this year. However, the popularity of last year's model still continues to drive consumers to purchase one before it becomes unavailable.
