New Nintendo Trademark Filing Gives Hope For N64 Classic

Nintendo's next micro console, SNES Classic, is set to launch this fall, but that may not be the end of the company's retro plug-and-play line. A new trademark filing suggests that a miniature Nintendo 64 could also be on the way.

The filing in question is for a controller that appears identical to that of the Nintendo 64. Nintendo recently applied for a trademark for the distinctive three-pronged gamepad with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (via NeoGAF). The application is listed under goods and services, which suggests the trademark pertains to a physical product. You can see the image from the filing below.

Nintendo filed similar trademarks for NES and SNES controllers prior to the announcement of those respective micro consoles, which suggests that the company may also plan to release an N64 Classic at some point in the future. Some analysts have predicted that a plug-and-play version of the N64 could follow the SNES Classic, so this trademark application lends some weight to those theories.

The NES Classic was released in November 2016. It retailed for $60 and came pre-loaded with 30 classic games. Most fans, however, could not get their hands on one as the console sold out almost immediately as soon as new shipments were released. Despite its success, the NES Classic was discontinued globally only six months after it launched.

SNES Classic, meanwhile, releases in the US and Europe on September 29 and comes with 21 of the console's best titles, including the never-before-released Star Fox 2. A companion history book will also release alongside it on September 29. Like its predecessor, the SNES Classic will only be available for a limited time; Nintendo says it only plans to ship the micro console "until the end of the calendar year 2017," though it will produce "significantly more" units than it did for the NES Classic.

Plug-and-play versions of the Sega Genesis and Atari 2600 are also slated to release this fall from AtGames. The consoles will be available in multiple versions, with the higher-end Sega Genesis Flashback and Atari Flashback 8 Gold retailing for $80 each. Pre-orders for those two consoles begin later this month, on July 28.