The video game industry is an industry that is constantly looking to the future, to what is to come; however, there is a segment of the market that demand that which was part of the day-to-day players 20 or 30 years ago. Nintendo was the first company to respond to that stimulus there by 2016, with the Nintendo Classic Mini: NES, also known as the NES Mini. The figures have given them the reason (10 million units sold around the world) and, now, a few companies veterans who have not joined to this fever for consoles in the thumbnail.
The first thing to consider is what they are, what they seek and what they offer exactly. These are versions of the small size of classic systems, the first that came to the western homes of more multitudinous: NES, SNES, PlayStation, Mega Drive, Neo Geo… sounding Names in the minds of those who are now parents but who, in his day, holding those little knobs of plastic as they do now their offsprings.
nostalgia is a item that sells, that you know very well companies; for this reason, all these small consoles are recreations in miniature that respect, with great accuracy, the physical construction of the chassis of the original to the references. Details such as the buttons (Power, Reset…), the color, the embossed or silk-screen prints made to look like mock-ups collection are designed to be exposed in a showcase. In its interior there is a hardware very modest with which to run a limited selection and not expandable of video games of their respective catalogues, while the price, having regard to what has been seen, ranges between 60 and 100 euros. We know the main options available in Spain.
Nintendo Classic Mini: NES and SNES
In the middle of the summer of 2016, when Nintendo had not revealed if you want your current console hybrid, Nintendo, Switch, announced that for this holiday campaign was in their plans for the return of your console 8-bit thumbnail, NES Mini, with a built-in control and a catalogue of thirty video game classics like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda or Metroid, the original. A recreation for about 60 euros, which introduced, in addition, functions of rewind, points of suspension of games immediately, or other details such as visual filters that recreate the look of the tube tvs. Remember the old times at home via an HDMI port to play high-definition, 60 Hz, and only a USB port for power; that it can be connected directly to the tv. Easy, light, fast. As in years gone by. A demand higher than supply forced them to hang the sign “sold out” in stores all over the world, Spain included.
SNES Mini was inevitable. The successor, the home console of Nintendo in the era of 16-bit, did the same in September 2017 with a catalog of twenty-one games (one of them unpublished, Star Fox 2, which never came to market, the more others that have not seen the light in Europe in his time) as Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario Kart and Super Metroid, two controls are incorporated instead of one, and a price of around 80 euros.
Image of the Nintendo Classic Mini: SNES.
In agreement with Manuel Curdi, brand manager at Nintendo Ibérica, in declarations to THE COUNTRY, “the first thing that you can think of is that they are products created as a fan service to nostalgic people that played with these platforms decades ago. But between the two have been sold in Spain nearly 350,000 copies; so that, in reality, the target audience is much broader”. Not only the public before, also the of now: to make a few to discover the unknown while, at the same time, others recall what they grew up in.
“What is certain is that the games that come with them are still functioning very well because they are fun whatever the age or experience of the user with the video games,” adds Curdi, with faces recognizable to audiences of yesterday and today. “In addition, their protagonists are characters very alive today as Mario, Link, Donkey Kong or Kirby,” he concludes.
as it became known after the meeting with the group of shareholders of Nintendo celebrated the October 31, 2018 (Q2/FY2019), up to that date had sold more than 10 million units of the NES Mini SNES Mini combined throughout the world, figures that the company based in Kyoto qualifies as a success; in fact, the first of them was discontinued but returned to the factories of production by its high international demand.
PlayStation Classic, the return of “the play”
We take a leap in time, but this time away from Nintendo. Sony, another of the giants of the sector, could not leave aside an evidence: your public wanted a mini version of the first PlayStation, one of the greatest historic successes in the video game industry in Spain. In December, 2018 to reach the shops PlayStation Classic, a miniature version of the original (45% smaller) with a total of two controls —the version are joysticks— and a catalog of twenty classic titles such as Final Fantasy VII, Tekken 3, Gran Turismo and Metal Gear Solid.
these Are versions of the small size of classic systems, the first that came to the western homes of more massive
as in the offer of its competitor, the connectivity is HDMI output plus a power cable micro-USB. Otherwise, a recreation very faithful to the original model in buttons and physical construction more different emulation options on the screen. Its price, in this case, rondo initially 100 euros, although with the time lowered the price officially to 59,99 euros, matching well to the direct competition.
Mega Drive Mini, the console’s most successful SEGA
In countries such as Spain, or did you have SNES or did you have on the Mega Drive. The 16-bit console of the japanese SEGA was the biggest success of the company in which consoles are concerned, with titles that are part of the history books of the medium as Sonic the Hedgehog, Gunstar Heroes, Altered Beast or Alex Kidd. All of them are present in the Mega Drive Mini, whose presentation leaves no room for doubt: a miniature version (a 55% smaller) that respects all the aspects of the original. In this case, the newcomer to the stores offers forty two video games mythical of your original library pre-installed without the possibility of extension with two controls, HDMI cable (to play in HD at 60 Hz) and USB power. It is the largest amount of games including all the options available until now.
According to the analysis of specialized media, the amount of details is, in this case, particularly high, with even a theme sound of the renowned compositor Yuzo Koshiro to make the main menu selection; or others like that you can switch the covers of the menu depending on the region. Its price, in this case, it is of 79,95 euros.
Carolina Moreno, a spokeswoman for the distributor of the Mega Drive Mini, Koch Media, assured this newspaper that the console “obviously appeals as much to the nostalgic”, those who had a Mega Drive at the time; “they’re going to be able to remember the moments spent playing with the console and it also appeals to players who want to take an interest and know how were the games 25 years ago,” he adds. The vision repeated itself: to reach the largest number of players possible.
None of them is exempt from criticism. The waiver by bringing certain games in Spanish when some did originally, a selection debatable, some of the titles included, or the total amount of them —for some players less than that should be— are the fringe products imperfect but undeniably respectful care in aesthetic and, also, in the game experience to the controls. If you deserve it or not worth it for the price that you have are subjective aspects that depend on the use that he is going to give, but their commercial success demonstrates that, at least for now, the consoles in miniature have come to stay.
