Nintendo Set to Launch a Mini Version of SNES This Year

According to a Eurogamer report, sources close to the company have confirmed that Nintendo is launching a mini version of the SNES later this year. Development of the SNES mini is already under way, and is currently scheduled to launch in time for Christmas. Nintendo is expected to stick with the NES mini’s plug-and-play setup, and its array of games which come preinstalled and ready to play.

Nintendo’s plans for SNES mini are also a major reason why last year’s NES mini did not see a reprieve from discontinuation, Eurogamer understands, despite the latter’s continued popularity and sell-out status.

The reality of a SNES mini is certainly exciting – while the NES was unique for being Nintendo’s first home console, the SNES arguably boasts the better software line-up, and a catalogue of classics far more advanced than their NES forebears. Compare The Legend of Zelda on NES to A Link to the Past, for example, or Donkey Kong to Donkey Kong Country.

Some of the best-selling SNES games from Nintendo include Super Metroid, Super Mario Kart and Super Mario World, as well as Earthbound, Star Fox and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. The console also had some of the best RPGs of the era, including Square’s Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana.

Nintendo declined to issue an official comment when contacted by the source.