After last year’s disastrous launch of the NES Classic and the pre-order fiasco of this year’s SNES Classic, how the SNES Classic’s launch day would pan out was anyone’s guess. Yesterday’s launch, however, went relatively untroubled by most accounts.
Earlier this year, there were concerns that Nintendo has learned nothing from the launch of the NES Classic, which was a highly sought-after console with not anywhere close to enough units available for consumers. The SNES Classic is and will be in equally high demand, and in the months leading up to its release yesterday, its development has been followed by reports both promising and troubling. In June, it was reported that Nintendo was doubling their stock of the SNES Classic; in July, an apparent string of pre-order cancellations caused a great deal of confusion for people trying to buy the console.
Finally, the SNES Classic launched yesterday on the 29th of September, and although the high demand definitely caused some hefty lines and waiting periods for people coming out to buy the console, the general consensus is that, at least, it’s actually possible to go home with the console after the wait. The SNES Classic is extremely popular and absolutely selling out at retail locations, but according to those out to buy it, if you made a timely effort to go and get the console it generally wasn’t too hard to find a store with the SNES Classic in stock.
A report on Polygon read, “Today’s pattern seems clear: While the online pre-order meltdown was stressful, frustrating and seemed almost actively hostile, the retail experience was anything but. If you wanted system and were willing to get to a store kind of early, you likely got one.” Meanwhile, according to Kotaku on yesterday’s launch, “In June, when Nintendo announced the Super Nintendo Classic, the company promised that it would manufacture more consoles than it did for last year’s NES Classic….Today, things seem to be going well. Message boards and social media are full of people who were able to get SNES Classics without a problem…This is still a limited-edition system, and if you haven’t gotten your hands on one by now, you might be waiting for the next shipment. But as far as we can tell, Nintendo has kept its promises this time.”
Below you can find a list of retail stores that carry the SNES Classic. That being said, it’s largely sold out after the frenzy of yesterday, although most of these companies are also expecting to restock the console fairly quickly. You can find the SNES Classic at Gamestop, Target (currently, the web page is unavailable), Walmart, Toys R’ Us, and Best Buy. If you weren’t able to get your hands on the console on launch day, don’t panic: Nintendo has confirmed plans to continue distributing and selling the SNES Classic into 2018, with “subsequent shipments arriving in stores regularly.”
All in all, the SNES Classic’s launch has been infinitely smoother than its predecessor’s, and your chances of picking one up (if you haven’t already) are looking pretty good.