# Nintendo Entertainment System

16 Hacker News commenters recommended Nintendo Entertainment System and 5 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 10 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend the NES for its strong library and nostalgia, with the classic games still playing well today. Critics point to aging hardware that often needs repair.

## Why people recommend it

- Strong game library (3 comments): "By the end of the NES life, the games had gotten really good, some games could almost compete with the early SNES titles." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46281093)) "mario and Zelda on the nes played like nothing else" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50242263)) "Everyone, including the adults, knew a fun time when they saw it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45872518))
- Nostalgia and fond childhood memories (3 comments): "I inherited my grandmothers NES which I have fond memories of playing any time I visited her." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49111629)) "i can bring up my 40 yrs old NES and it works every time." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48256635)) "I got one about 1992ish I think." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47199472))
- Better than earlier consoles (2 comments): "The NES was a huge improvement over the previous console" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45876184)) "It felt almost like what going from a NES to a Super Nintendo to a N64 felt like." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47719213))

## What people warn about

- Mechanical and cartridge failures (3 comments): "the actual cause of failure in the NES was NOT the cartridge connector, but rather, the poorly implemented security chip" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48849799)) "the NES had mechanical problems" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48847113)) "the original nintendo cartridges we blew in and wiped with alcohol" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47907079))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Valve Steam Machine](https://hackerapproved.com/p/steam-machine.md): 326 recommend
- [PlayStation 5](https://hackerapproved.com/p/playstation-5.md): 121 recommend
- [Xbox console](https://hackerapproved.com/p/xbox.md): 62 recommend
- [Xbox 360](https://hackerapproved.com/p/xbox-360.md): 41 recommend
- [PlayStation 2](https://hackerapproved.com/p/playstation-2.md): 40 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Nintendo+Entertainment+System+NES+console&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Official site](https://www.nintendo.com/us/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Nintendo Entertainment System", https://hackerapproved.com/p/nintendo-entertainment-system/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).