By now, you have probably heard of the confirmation of the SNES Classic, the next nostalgia machine produced by Nintendo after the overwhelming success of their Mini SNES Classic. Furthermore, you may also be aware of the immense dissatisfaction at the lack of transperency of the NES Classics production cycle, supplied far short of demand. In an effort to be more transparent, Kotaku reports that Nintendo released a statement dictating that the system will only be in production until the end of the year, leaving you a window from September 29th until around January to kill your fellow man in an effort to weaken demand and strengthen your chance to get your bloody hands on one.

But this opinion piece isn’t about that. Today, I would like to express that this sales methodology is arguably poisonous to the overall health of Nintendo nostalgia products in general. The best part about both the NES and SNES’s legacy is how ubiquitous it was. That every other house had one and there was no shortage on the availability of the most popular titles (given time in the extreme cases), and that we all had a chance to equal enjoy it. In some kind of post-apocalyptic, sepia toned vision of the world, Nintendo fans are set against fans (and/or more rightly opportunists). The adopted tactic most have is to buy more than one and scalp the rest. With this new found transparency, we have unlocked a new level of collector fever. On the other hand, we know just how bloodthirsty we need to be.

What’s even more ridiculous is for years, there has been easy access to all of these games in and outside of Nintendo’s grasp. From the virtual console to roms, and from computers and cellphones to aftermarket SNES and resale shops, fans have had the ability to play any and all games from any region at any time. Yet the stamp and seal of a freshly minted Nintendo product, known to be in short supply by both the company and the public, is enough to throw the entire fandom into a frenzy. The frenzy isn’t unexpected, but that Nintendo would undercut their user base despite very clear demand makes me call into question the true value of a machine that I may never even have the heart to open knowing that its actual value is much greater than my desire to play it given that all the games are already easily obtainable in basically the same format. Just how many of these are even being opened and played?

Beyond that, how is an entire new generation supposed to enjoy these in as close to the way we did. If they are in such high demand, is the thought of even giving one of them to a kid is out of the question? It kind of subverts a big part of being a kid and enjoying these to begin with. It really puts a damper on playing it when you have to take a step back and look at how far you have to go just to be a fan. If I have to stare so deeply into the mirror just to come to terms with the kind of person I have to be to enjoy a sample of Nintendo produced nostalgia, I think I would rather live without. I think I would rather be a pirate or conversely own the original cartridges, whichever is easier to live with.