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Nintendo Trademarks N64 for What Sure Sounds Like an N64 Classic Mini

Is Nintendo going to miniaturize the N64?

This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.

Nintendo has filed a trademark for the N64 name, possibly hinting that the Nintendo 64 Mini is coming soon.

The trademark filing was found by Nintendo blog, Japanese Nintendo, from a Japanese trademark filings site. The site itself prevents hot links to the trademark, but a screencap of the trademark was published on the blog.

The filing for the N64 name lists various purposes for the trademark including: a program for downloadable video games, a ROM for storing a program for home video games, a TV video game machine, a portable electronic game machine, and joysticks and controllers.

A previous trademark was filed for this N64 graphic.

So if there are any doubts about whether this trademark is simply for renewal of the N64 brand, there are specific purposes listed here that suggest the trademark listing will be used for some kind of new, portable gaming machine which stores games. So you know, kind of like a N64 Mini.

Keep in mind also that this isn't the first trademark Nintendo filed for the N64 Mini. Last year, Nintendo filed a trademark for a graphic design of a N64 controller that was similar to the designs found on the packaging for both the NES Classic and SNES Classic.

If the N64 Mini is real, it will be the third mini console Nintendo releases after 2016's NES Classic and 2017's SNES Classic consoles. The NES Classic was notoriously hard to find and supplies for the console ran out almost immediately. The SNES Classic's release was better managed and as a result prices for the SNES Classic were able to remain steady, unlike the huge price hikes the NES Classic underwent. Nintendo announced that it will be releasing more NES Classic consoles this summer.

As for the N64 Mini console itself, there's no word yet on the price of the system or what games will be included. You can check out our N64 Classic Mini guide for all the latest developments and release news for the system.

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