Last month, the gaming world saw the portable reissue of two of Nintendo’s best-loved ’80s consoles: the gray NES Classic Mini (the United States/European version) and the red-and-white Japan exclusive, the Famicom Mini. Originally priced at around US$60 and 6,000 yen for the NES and Famicom, respectively, both plug-and-play consoles come with 30 best-selling games and a buttload of nostalgia.
In terms of game offerings, there’s an 8-title difference between consoles. For us, the Famicom Mini gets two hearty (and slightly sore) thumbs-up as the Stocking Stuffer of 2016. Its biggest advantage over the NES is the two built-in controllers, especially since an extra NES controller seems to be much harder to obtain than the console itself. Although most of the games are in Japanese, the games are relatively easy to understand, and more fun to play in two-player mode.
Still, store personnel say that the demand for the NES Classic is higher despite the controller handicap. The NES comes several hundred pesos cheaper than the Famicom in the stores we’ve checked out. In that case, the Western console is the safer bet to buy, especially if you don’t understand Nippongo and you like playing solo anyway. Happy gaming!
