Old-school game lovers have been in an SNES Classic drought for the past few months, with systems popping up here and there almost erratically. Even though Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s President, stated that production has been dramatically increased, the drought still stands.
Finding an SNES classic in retail stores is almost impossible, with GameStop, Best Buy, and other physical retailers. Online is a different story, but it still proves to be a challenge. Think Geek is currently selling their inventory of the consoles, but with twist. Each customer that wishes to buy one is entered into a raffle. If their email is pulled, then they will have the chance to buy an NES Classic or an SNES Classic, but are limited to one purchase. There are plenty of consoles to go around on ebay, however, but at drastically hiked prices, with some exceeding $200. This also runs the risk of encountering counterfeit consoles and scams, and the Nintendo of America President himself said that he would “strongly urge you not to over-bid on an SNES Classic on any of the auction sites.”
If you are brave enough to do some digging yourself, there is still hope to nab an SNES Classic for the holiday season at a reasonable price. The retail tracker, Now In Stock, can track the availability of the console from major online and physical retailers. It shows if the console is in stock, when it was last in stock, and what the last purchase price of the console was. It’s the most helpful, automatic way to keep track of the console so far and will ensure that you’re not getting ripped off. GameStop, Walmart, and B&H photo have all had the console in stock in the last 72 hours for the MSRP of $79.99.
While production might have been met with a drought still, Nintendo has promised to ship out even more consoles in 2018. Those who have been dying to get their hands on a console might soon be able to without giving in to price gougers. Until then, happy hunting!