NES Classic is a throwback to Nintendo's best days

Once upon a time — say, a couple hundred years ago — we didn't have smartphones or tablets for gaming. I'm talking life before Mirror's Edge. Before Pokémon Go. Way before the new Super Mario Run. Instead, those of us of a certain age were born into the era of the earliest consoles. When 8-bit was king. And while Nintendo wasn't the first to crack that market, it absolutely became the hottest thing an '80s kid could have.

I, however, was far from a hot '80s kid. And it's probably because I never owned a Nintendo. ... Until now.

The NES Classic is a reboot of the classic console. It's a little smaller than the original. And we don't need cartridges any more to get our game on. And we now know just how bad those boxy controllers were.

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But, man, this is some serious fun. And for $59, it's priced just right.

Music credit: "Sweet Self Satisfaction" by RoccoW

Phil Nickinson