Nintendo
Nintendo signage is displayed at the company's booth at the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as E3, in Los Angeles, California June 11, 2014. Reuters/Kevork Djansezian

Now that it has been revealed that the NES Classic Edition managed to sell 1.5 million units worldwide, it is more or less evident that Nintendo has hit upon a money spinner for future micro-console releases. Interestingly, the console was always in short supply. Despite this, it managed to sell well.

Nintendo has apologised to its fans and retail partners on the supply shortage issue. It has revealed that it’s taking steps to increase production. Nintendo has wisely used nostalgia via its NES Classic Edition to lure more customers towards the Nintendo Switch.

“In November last year, we brought back the nostalgic Famicom and NES home consoles in palm sized versions and shipped the entire quantity of Nintendo Classic Mini Family Computer units we initially prepared for each market,” Nintendo said at its financial results briefing.

According to Forbes, the short supply of the NES Classic Edition was a deliberate move from Nintendo massive hype. It has used force shortage in the past as a marketing and publicity tactic. As already pointed out, the NES Classic Edition has brought more attention to the Nintendo Switch console, releasing this March. It has also hinted at Virtual Console support for Switch as well. The demand for retro-themed micro-consoles is there and fans hope Nintendo will make available more NES Classic Editions in future.

About three weeks ago, a NES Classic Edition with 84 games was spotted. Most people thought the number was already high for a hacked console. Now, a Nintendo Mini with over 700 games is possible, thanks to a new mod.

The NES Classic Edition comes with 30 classic Nintendo games pre-installed. The hit games include well-known titles such as “The Legend of Zelda,” “Metroid,” “Donkey Kong” and “Super Mario Bros.” Meanwhile, reports are suggesting that Switch’s online service may not be as expensive as previously thought. The paid subscription for multiplayer functionality was a big cause of worry for gamers. According to Nikkei, Nintendo's upcoming online service will cost will cost about $24-$32 annually.

Although little is known about Nintendo's proposed online service, there will reportedly be discounts on selective games and also a free classic NES or SNES game every month, writes Tech Radar. Nintendo has made “Fire Emblem Heroes” available on Android and iOS. It’s first of the three mobile games Nintendo promised its fans in 2017. Nintendo’s turn-based strategy game is the first game under Nintendo’s freemium model. Now, a free sticker price could drive thousands of Nintendo Switch fans to the mobile platforms.

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