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(Image: NINTENDO)

Despite all the chaos surrounding SNES Mini Pre-Orders in the last few months, this week has been largely positive for Nintendo, as the press were able to finally dig into the system and see all of its unique quirks, such as the neat rewind feature.

However, that good mood could be about to change pretty quickly, as it looks as though the company could be heading towards another incredible catastrophe in the lead up to release.

For starters, several ToysRUs customers in the UK have reported receiving an email from ToysRUs Friday which explained stock had been delayed and would lead to orders being dispatched 2-3 weeks late.

"I am sorry to advise that there will be a slight delay in stock arriving from the manufacturer and your order will be despatched 2-3 weeks after launch.You will receive a despatch email once your order has been shipped from our warehouse.

The same email does go on to say that customers will receive a £20 voucher to use on a future order as a gesture of goodwill, but it will surely be frustrating for those who were expecting to get it right at launch.

This was then followed by Amazon customers in the US also receiving similar messages that read:

"We recently learned that we may miss your delivery promise and apologize for the inconvenience. You will still receive your order of Super NES Classic. We are working hard to ensure you get this item as soon as it is in stock. You can track the status of, or make any changes to, your order under Your Orders on Amazon.com."

For now, it's unclear exactly how many pre-order customers have been affected by this delay or how many retailers have been impacted.

Equally, there's no word on whether this issue will only impact ToysRUs and Amazon or if fellow retailers such as GAME, Tesco, Bestbuy and more could also find themselves in a similar situation.

It doesn't look good for Nintendo and we hope this isn't the start of mass delays across the board

This lack of SNES stock and now the delayed release, largely goes against the statement from Nintendo issued to Kotaku earlier this year, where the company confidently stated there would be more supply this time around, after the shambles that occurred with the NES last year.

“We aren’t providing specific numbers, but we will produce significantly more units of Super NES Classic Edition than we did of NES Classic Edition,” Nintendo said back in June.

For anyone that's forgotten, the SNES Launched in Europe in 1992 and introduced what many consider some of the greatest video games of all time – classics such as Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario Kart, Super Metroid and F-ZERO.

The Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Nintendo Entertainment System contains 21 pre-installed classic games, can easily be plugged into any high-definition TV using the included HDMI cable.

Plus, for the first time, players who pick up the system can enjoy the intergalactic adventure Star Fox 2, the sequel to the original Star Fox (originally titled Starwing upon release in Europe) game that was created during the Super Nintendo era but never released anywhere.

Here's a quick list of those 21 games included:

• Contra III: The Alien Wars™Donkey Kong Country™• EarthBound™• Final Fantasy III• F-ZERO™• Kirby™ Super Star• Kirby’s Dream Course™• The Legend of Zelda™: A Link to the Past™• Mega Man® X• Secret of Mana• Star Fox™• Star Fox™ 2• Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting• Super Castlevania IV™Super Ghouls ’n Ghosts®• Super Mario Kart™• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars™• Super Mario World™• Super Metroid™• Super Punch-Out!!™• Yoshi’s Island

While further stock for the SNES is looking less and less likely as we approach release, fans wanting to scratch their retro gaming itch could also look at alternatives.

Recently Atari revealed their new Ataribox, another retro console with a current twist that looks set to perfectly channel the feeling of the original Atari 2600.

At E3 this year Atari began teasing a “brand new Atari product.” and aired a 20-second trailer which hinted at an Atari reboot.

The released teaser hinted at a throwback to the original Atari 2600, showing a machine with the classic wooden shell.

Yesterday, fans were given their first look at the new console, along with a generous amount of new details.

Atari fans received a pleasant surprise yesterday morning when they received an email from Atari that revealed their intentions with the new console, it read: “our objective is to create something new, that stays true to our heritage while appealing to both old and new fans of Atari.” The new

This new 'Ataribox' features a sleek look, with sharp lines, a raised back, and a front panel that can either be glass or wood and allows for indicator lights to glow through the faceplate.

Atari also revealed that the console includes SD card support, a HDMI port, and four USB ports on the back.

For now, fans of the retro console haven't been given any details about the Ataribox's price, release dates or games that could be included.

Atari explained that they've opted to not disclose this information yet because they want to do things "step by step”, telling fans:

“We know you are hungry for more details; on specs, games, pricing, timing,” reads an Atari statement. “We’re not teasing you intentionally; we want to get this right, so we’ve opted to share things step by step as we bring this to life, and to listen closely to the Atari community feedback as we do so.”

That said, it does appear as though the console will play more than just games from Atari’s own extensive library of classic games.

It's said that the Ataribox will also be capable of playing “current gaming content” according to the company.

Writers for gadgets.ndtv.com have suggested - though cannot say for sure - that the machine could release with software similar to Android boxes like the Ouya or Nvidia Shield TV.

"Could this result in a console similar to the myriad of Android boxes such as the Ouya and the Nvidia Shield TV or akin to Nintendo’s retro efforts like the SNES or NES Classic? Only time will tell."