How to Get Your Hands on the New SNES Classic Edition

Nintendo's Super NES Classic system, a pint-sized version of the iconic Super NES from the '90s, is highly anticipated in the gaming world. The retro system has already met its fair share of controversies and it's been a long journey to preorder. Finally, the Super NES Classic is officially available for preorder, but it's selling out fast.

A glitch in Walmart's system made it briefly available for preorder on July 21, but the retail giant said it was a mistake and eventually canceled all preorders. Some retailers outside of the US had actually made the system available to preorder, thus putting it in the hands of scalpers who have been taking an $80 system and charging over $200 for it on eBay. Now, official preorders have finally begun.

All the confusion and scandal has brought about the need for a comprehensive list of information regarding how to actually get your hands on a Super NES Classic. So, here's how you can find it.

The Basics

If you're planning on preordering the Classic Edition of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, you should know what you're getting. The game system is basically a reboot of the old Super NES from the '90s. Nintendo calls it "the return of the golden age of 16-bit gaming." It has the look and feel of the original, it's just much smaller.

Depending on where you live, the console will look different. In Europe, it's being marketed as the "Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Nintendo Entertainment System" and has a much sleeker appearance. This one looks just like the PAL version of the SNES, and even like the Japanese Super Famicom that came before it. It comes with a USB power cable, but not an AC power adapter, which is sold separately.

How to Get Your Hands on the New SNES Classic Edition — *Image via Nintendo*

In North America, you'll get the boxier "Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition" look that looks almost identical to the NTSC version we had in our living rooms. This version will include an AC power adapter, just like the US version of the NES Classic Edition did.

To get really nostalgic, it comes with 21 games including Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, F-ZERO, Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Super Castlevania IV, Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting, and a previously unreleased sequel to Star Fox. Each North American version comes with an HDMI cable, USB charging cable, AC adapter, and two wired game controllers. So if you're a fan of the classic style of gaming from the '90s, this game system is definitely for you.

The official release date of the Super NES Classic is September 29 of this year for $79.99, which is pretty soon and pretty cheap.

If you tried to get your hands on the NES Classic Edition system released back in November 2016, which is still selling for almost $200 over its MSRP in most shops, you know just how hard it will be to snag a console at the original price without being prepared.

Where You Can Pre-Order

Now that the Super NES Classic is available to preorder, here is a comprehensive list of all the places you can preorder your system. Many of these places are sold out for the moment (or haven't even started) but should be doing another round of pre-orders soon. Make sure you sign up for their email notifications if you haven't already to be certain that you know exactly when the next group opens up, in addition to continuously checking the links below:

More outlets will likely come forward with the product as time goes on, but for now, these are your best bets.

How to Keep Updated with Pre-Order Information

While you get ready to preorder, it's important to make sure that you're signed up to get notified immediately with updates and information about whether or not it has been sold out and when the next round of preorders is going to be. There are a few ways that you can do this, but you might want to try every one of them if you're really keen on making sure you get the Super NES Classic.

The easiest way (but perhaps not the most reliable) is to follow Nintendo of America's Facebook and Twitter accounts. If you're an avid member of the social media community, this way is a very good start. Of course, Nintendo will update their accounts when preorders begin, but following retail outlets like Target and Walmart on social media is another way to ensure that when that new preorder link goes up, you know. Other non-retail accounts to follow for updates are FatKidAlerts and Wario64.

Forums are also a good way to keep up with all the latest news on the Super NES Classic. Clicking the "new" tab on the unofficial Nintendo subreddit is a good way to get information from multiple different sources. Likely, when news on this system breaks, it will be all over that subreddit. The NeoGAF SNES Classic Pre-order Discussion Thread is also a good place to go for updates and information in general about the upcoming game system.

You can try making a Google Alert as well, which is a pretty simple way to get notified when SNES Classic information gets posted. Head to the Google Alerts website and enter "Super NES Classic" and "SNES Classic" in the "Create an Alert" bar.

The best way to know when the next round of pre-orders start is to sign up for pre order notifications. Here are some links that you can follow to sign up for updates on the SNES Classic:

Waiting to see if you can get your hands on a Nintendo SNES Classic is frustrating, and can be confusing. However, this game system sounds worth it. In the meantime, you can check out how to play SNES games on your Android device using the SuperRetro16 Lite emulator to hold you over until you get your hands on the SNES Classic. Happy hunting!