SNES Classic Mini – the cutest system available
In 2016, Nintendo had a hit with a new product: a miniature NES that came with several full games pre-installed, for a decent price. The demand for the item was far beyond their expectations, and it became notoriously hard to find, resulting in exorbitantly high reseller prices. Despite its succes, Nintendo stopped production the following year.
But shortly after, in 2017, the company announced the successor to the NES Classis Mini: a miniature Super Nintendo. The SNES Classic Mini comes with two controllers, and 20 games plus one extra: Star Fox 2. This games, created in 1995, was never released, so this marks the first time it is playable to the general public, technically making it an exclusive for the system.
The system comes in a nice paper box that immediately tells you how small it is. Sure, it has the word mini in its name, but it’s still surprisingly small to see in real life, compared to its original ancestor. The system itself is about the size of a SNES cartridge, just slightly larger.
It’s impossible to look at this thing and not smile. It looks exactly like the original system down to every detail, only at a different scale. There’s no way around it, this console is simply cute. It really is the most appropriate word for it, strange as it may sound.
The controllers are still the same size as the originals for obvious reasons, and basically look exactly the same. The only difference here is the plugs used to connect them to the console. So those who played the SNES before should feel right at home with these new controllers.
The console itself hooks up the the screen using HDMI, and to the power socket using an USB cable. Plug those two in and you’re good to go.
The controller ports are hidden behind a door on the front that mimics the original controller ports.
As stated earlier the system comes with 21 games, and it include quite a few of all time favorites. They are:
- Contra III: The Alien Wars™
- Donkey Kong Country™
- EarthBound™
- Final Fantasy III
- F-ZERO™
- Kirby™ Super Star
- Kirby’s Dream Course™
- The Legend of Zelda™: A Link to the Past™
- Mega Man® X
- Secret of Mana
- Star Fox™
- Star Fox™ 2
- Street Fighter® II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
- Super Castlevania IV™
- Super Ghouls ’n Ghosts®
- Super Mario Kart™
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars™
- Super Mario World™
- Super Metroid™
- Super Punch-Out!!™
- Yoshi’s Island™
You have some options in the main menu, such as suspending software and making save files, sorting games (1 player or 2 players), and switching between resolution options. Returning to the home menu from any game can be done by pressing the reset button.
To conclude, this is a really nice product. Not only does it come with a generous selection of highly regarded classics, it’s also just a really nice item to have for collector’s purposes. There’s something magical about having a miniature system that actually works. And for Nintendo standards, the thing is actually pretty affordable… if you can still find it.
On a final note, Nintendo has stated more SNES Classis Mini systems will come in 2018, and they will also make more NES Classic Mini systems.