Japan's getting its own Mini NES/Famicom and it's even cuter than ours

Japan is getting its own NES Mini with 30 built-in games, but more importantly it's the most adorable thing ever made from molded plastic. The Nintendo Classic Mini Family Computer is equally faithful to its full-sized forebear as its NES cousin, right down to the huge (and now completely vestigial) eject lever.

Like the original, the mini Famicom's two controllers are hardwired to the system. This means you won't need to pay extra for two-player action, like you will with the NES Mini, but it also means you can't use the controllers for NES Virtual Console games on Wii U. Extra controllers are pretty cheap so I think us Westerners are getting the better end of the deal here, even if our little grey box of a console isn't quite as cute. And it looks like the microphone on controller 2 might not be functional, so careful about shouting yourself hoarse at Pols Voice in Zelda.

The baby Famicom will be released on November 10 in Japan, a day before the mini NES arrives out West. Here's the full list of included games, via Eurogamer. There's a good amount of crossover with the NES Mini's selection, though there's still a few weird exclusions. Really, Nintendo? Still no original Contra?

  • Mario Bros.
  • Super Mario Bros.
  • Donkey Kong
  • Ice Climber
  • Excitebike
  • Mega Man 2
  • River City Ransom
  • Balloon Fight
  • Yie Ar Kung Fu
  • Pac-Man
  • Ghosts n Goblins
  • Gradius
  • Solomon's Key
  • Tsuppari Oozumou (Sumo wrestling)
  • Super Mario Bros. 3
  • Final Fantasy 3
  • Galaga
  • Dr. Mario
  • Atlantis no Nazo
  • Kirby's Adventure
  • Downtown Nekketsu Soreyuke Daiundoukai (Kunio sports)
  • The Legend of Zelda
  • Zelda 2
  • Metroid
  • Castlevania
  • Ninja Gaiden
  • NES Open Tournament Golf
  • Super Mario USA (Super Mario Bros. 2)
  • Double Dragon 2
  • Super C

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Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.