NES Classic is a throwback to Nintendo's best days

For a kid who never had a Nintendo growing up in the 1980s, the NES Classic is a perfect retro console at the perfect price.

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.

Subscribe to Modern Dad!

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

See the NES Classic See the NES Classic controller extension

Music credit: "Sweet Self Satisfaction" by RoccoW