Department of Corrections Orders 50,000 SNES Classic Editions

Getting a SNES Classic Edition may have just gotten more difficult as the Department of Corrections has just completed a massive purchase of 50,000 units of the hot Nintendo item.

Released on September 29th, fans of the retro system flocked to major retailers to get their hands on the $80 unit.  They sold out very quickly despite Nintendo’s efforts to ensure plenty of stock for the holidays.  Exacerbating the problem are scalpers who purchase multiple systems at once then resell them at a profit.

So why are prisoners getting the console for free?

Under an Obama-era humanitarian mandate the Department of Corrections was allocated a budget of $8 million to meet the entertainment needs of felons and the SNES classic was deemed the most appropriate form of entertainment due to the lack of internet connectivity, lack of violence in the games, and the fact that most incarcerated prisoners grew up with the system.

In addition to the game console which features only an HDMI output, select prisoners will receive a tiny 36 inch LCD TV to connect the systems to.