Blast From the Past: Nintendo to Relaunch Classic NES

If you’re a little older (not a young 20-something), you probably find yourself shaking your head as the rest of the country — and gamers across the globe — walk around looking lost while staring at their phone screens, totally immersed in playing Pokémon Go. I know I do.

But the most recent news from Nintendo — the company that brought us Pokémon Go — actually made me squeal with excitement.

Nintendo plans to re-release the classic Nintendo Entertainment System (circa 1985) this fall. The new NES will look identical to the old NES, but it’s smaller and you can hook it up to high-definition televisions.

The new system will come preloaded with 30 of the most popular old NES games — including “The Legend of Zelda,” “Super Mario Bros.,” “PAC-MAN,” “Donkey Kong,” “Excitebike” and “Punch-Out!”

That means you can take on Bowser and King Koopa again. Or maybe you want to fight boxer Mike Tyson as Little Mac. What’s old is truly new again.

Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America president and COO, says in a statement:

“We wanted to give fans of all ages the opportunity to revisit Nintendo’s original system and rediscover why they fell in love with Nintendo in the first place.”

Now, I am the furthest thing from a gamer, but back in the 1980s and 1990s, I spent countless hours playing Nintendo with my brother. I still get excited if I get a chance to play the old-school Nintendo games, like” Super Mario Bros.” or “The Legend of Zelda.”

Nintendo hopes re-releasing the classic NES will allow it to tap into the nostalgia market again, just like it did with Pokémon Go.

The NES, which is now small enough to hold in your hand, will hit stores on Nov. 11 for $59.99. It will include the mini-console and preloaded games, HDMI cable, AC adapter, and one NES classic controller. You can buy a second controller for $9.99.

Did you play the original NES back in the day? What do you think about Nintendo relaunching it? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.