I’ll be curious to see what tinkerers can do with it
Nintendo is cashing in on nostalgia this November with a cute miniature NES that plays 30 games. The company has since clarified what the $60 system can and can’t do, and it’s about what you’d expect.
The NES Classic Edition is not compatible with your old game cartridges, nor does it support external storage or connect to the internet, so what you see is what you get. There is “technically” a USB port, Nintendo tells Polygon, but it is “only used to power the system with the included AC adapter.”
One interesting tidbit has to do with the system’s controller support: “In addition to the NES Classic Controller, the [Wii] Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro are also compatible with the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition. Both can be plugged directly into the console; however, when using two controllers, one of them must be the NES Classic Controller.”
I think CJ summed up the no-frills device perfectly today in chat when he said, “I imagine my parents will see that at Target this Christmas and buy one for me.” I will probably get one as well, but if Nintendo definitely, for sure wants my money, it should do a Game Boy Advance SP or Micro re-release.
Mini NES Classic Edition FAQ [Polygon]