If you managed to secure yourself an NES Classic Edition during the holidays, then good for you. However, if you failed to acquire one, let's just fantasize, for a moment, that you were among the lucky ones to get your hands on 2016's most elusive gift.
The mini console features 30 classic mid-'80s games all packed into a tiny replica of the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Yes, it's just as fun as it sounds, especially considering it's reasonable $60/£50/AU$100 retail prices.
Making your gameplay a lot better with the NES Classic
The NES Classic is a plug-and-play console. Just connect it to your HDTV and the wall's power socket, and you're good to go. For the most part, we have managed to round up five tips & tricks that you should know that will make your nostalgic gaming experience a lot better.
Acquire an extension cable
Like the 1980s original, the Mini NES features an old-fashioned wired gamepad. But unlike the original NES, the cable on the Classic's gamepad is only about a third long, which is under 3 feet versus around 7.5 feet of the old one.
If you think that it's a bit too short for your liking, you can definitely correct that oversight by investing yourself in a third-party extension cable. Variants that go to up to 10 feet would go for about $10 or $11 in the US, and about £9 or AU$14.
Another alternative is getting a longer HDMI and micro-USB power cable instead.
Acquire a second controller
This is especially needed for two-player games. Games like the original Mario Bros., Double Dragon, and Tecmo Bowl require a second controller if you want to play head-to-head with another player, but the NES Classic includes only one in the box. Spare controllers cost only $10, or £8 or AU$20.
But keep in mind that they're as hard to find as the console itself. If you've managed to acquire the console, it would be a no-brainer for you to acquire a second controller as well.
The old cheat codes are still working
Keep in mind that the 30 games built-in to the NES Classic are very accurate to the original games itself that even the old-school cheat codes still work on them. These cheat codes are still available online if you want to know them.
IGN has cataloged dozens of them, where they have tried a select handful of codes, and, according to them, they all worked just fine. The same goes for every warp zones and shortcuts in Super Mario Bros.
It also goes to show that everything has survived during its transition towards the 21st century intact.
Games will stay saved even when you power off
A very useful change from the original NES is that the NES Classic features four save slots for every game. What's great is that these save slots can be accessed again even after you power down, unplug the console, or move it to another TV.
This is just one of the conveniences that Nintendo has incorporated on the NES Classic, which also contributed to its appeal.
