Nintendo: Super NES Classic production has been “dramatically increased”

Enlarge / Though Nintendo has taken the NES Classic Edition off store shelves, it will soon be wiling to sell you this follow-up. (credit: Nintendo)

With early pre-orders for the Super NES Classic Edition selling out at record speed, and fears of limited supplies already driving up eBay prices for the upcoming plug-and-play system, Nintendo might have a repeat of the retail fiasco surrounding the hard-to-find NES Classic Edition. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé tried to downplay such concerns this week, though, when he told the Financial Times that the company has "dramatically increased" production of the Super NES Classic to try to satisfy demand.

It isn't clear from the context what baseline is being used for the "dramatic increase" in question. Fils-Aimé could simply be comparing Super NES Classic production to that of the NES Classic; the company had already promised it would "produce significantly more units of Super NES Classic Edition than we did of NES Classic Edition." Even so, the new language of a "dramatic increase" over the 2.3 million production run for the NES Classic would be welcome news to those hoping to get their hands on the new hardware.

If that's the case, why were initial pre-orders so hard to come by? Fils-Aimé passes the buck here, telling FT that the instant sell-outs were due to unspecified retailer issues "outside our control" rather than any overarching supply issues. "I would strongly urge you not to over-bid on an SNES Classic on any of the auction sites," Fils-Aimé told the paper. "You shouldn't [have to] pay more than $79.99."