NES Classic Edition can save retro gamers hundreds of dollars

Retro gaming isn’t cheap.

The NES Classic Edition is now available (if you can find one). The miniature device has 30 built-in games from Nintendo’s classic system and comes with a controller … even if its cord is incredibly short. The whole thing costs $60.

Now, you may think, “Why should pay that much money for a bunch of old games?” Well, after doing some math, it turns out that the NES Classic Edition is quite a bargain. I used the site Price Charting to look at the loose item (that meaning it’s just the cartridge, no box or manual) average price of each NES game included in the Classic Edition, along with the cost of an original NES system and controller.

It turns out that just getting the games will set you back hundreds of dollars. If you went on eBay or some other store for second-hand products, you would have to spend around $425.70 to buy all of the games that come in the Classic Edition. A console will cost about $61 while a controller goes for $15.79.

Together, that’s $502.49. You save $442.49 by getting a Classic Edition instead.

Now, that’s not to say that owning the originals isn’t worth it. They’re certainly more collectible, and you can’t display digital versions of games on a shelf. I myself love to buy old games and have happily spent hundreds of dollars this year on everything from a Chrono Trigger cartridge for the Super Nintendo that cost $100 to a copy of Barkley: Shut Up and Jam! for the Genesis that went for about $2.

But this definitely shows that despite any flaws (that stupid controller cord really being the only one), the NES Classic Edition is definitely a good deal. And if you tell me it’s still cheaper to download ROMs onto your computer, you’re a bad person and shame on you.