After the debacle that was Walmart’s preorder situation for SNES Classic Edition units, many of us were left wondering where to go next, or if there would even be the potential to preorder Nintendo’s upcoming miniature console. Since then, Nintendo has announced that it will indeed be allowing preorders from certain retailers. When and where you can expect to be able to preorder your shiny new console and what to expect from the process.
What Does the SNES Classic Come With?
For starters, if you’re interested in picking up one of these bad boys, consider what they come loaded with. The miniature console comes packed with 21 games from the heyday of the Super Nintendo, including the never-before-released StarFox 2. The full list is as follows:
- 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
Where to Preorder Your SNES Classic
While preorders have not gone live just yet, they could at any time. Make sure you bookmark several of the retailers’ landing pages for the SNES Classic and check them now and then for the moment of truth. Walmart’s SNES Classics went up without much warning at all, and though we didn’t end up getting the console, a lot of people were able to get their orders in.
Right now, you can set up alerts from the Amazon page for the SNES Classic, as well as Best Buy and GameStop, which both offer services that will notify you once an item is back in stock. Make sure none of their email delivery addresses are set to go to your spam folder and sign up for quick notifications, whether you choose mobile or email delivery. The in-stock notification could come at any time of the day, so you’d better be ready.
It’s a good idea to pick up each of the retailers’ mobile app, especially if you’re typically traveling. That way you can just log in when you get the notification and make your purchase quick. You may even want to put in some of your payment details to ensure a tap, tap, tap and you’re on your way. People will be fumbling around to do this so beat them to the punch.
Twitter Accounts You Should Follow
It’s not enough to have your in-stock alerts on, however. You might also want to make sure you’ve got several important Twitter accounts like @Wario64 followed, who will often break news that things are going down before the retailers make an announcement. You can set up special notifications to receive when that account posts tweets and receive emails accordingly, but a good cursory glance over the account every couple of hours if you’re really wanting this thing should do.
Make it a point to follow Target, Best Buy, GameStop, Amazon, and other retailers’ Twitter accounts as well, just in case. You never know who’s going to let something slip.
When Will Preorders Go Live?
Right now, your guess is as good as ours. Right now according to Nintendo, we should see something this month, but in true Nintendo fashion, we have no concrete date just yet. So what you’re going to have to do is sit and refresh, and refresh, and refresh, and hope something bites. And then savor the sweet taste of victory when and if it finally washes over you.
We’ll keep you abreast of any dates that get thrown out there, though.
