The NES Classic (aka NES mini) is an awesome little console filled with nostalgia, but it does have an annoying little problem: the controller cables are incredibly short.
In an age of wireless controllers where we are free to move where ever we want, we are forced to sit 3 feet from the NES Mini in order to play it.
A Redditor recently tried to explain why: because Nintendo uses a communication protocol from 1982, called “I2C”. While this communication offers fast speed, it does have a limit: cable length.
In longer cables, the data can send errors, which isn’t ideal for a high precision use like a game controller. The only solution to this is a thicker, higher gauge cable, which costs more.
How about those extension cables? They’re actually just extending the cable without boosting the signal, meaning that it’s likely that using extension cables will result in some communication errors.
Nintendo opted for the simple solution instead of creating a new protocol, which would have meant designing new controllers for the NES mini that were not compatible with Wii and Wii U.
