The NES Classic you can't find should have come with this

Despite still being nearly impossible to find, the NES Classic Edition is an unmitigated hit. The combination of a pure nostalgia play — a diminutive scaled-down NES paired with an exact NES controller — is too good to pass up. Well, except that controller has one notable, infuriating shortcoming: the cord clocks in at just 30-3/8 inches, more than five feet (!) shorter than the original NES controller.

That short controller cord means you’ll have to sit on the floor directly in front of your giant 60” LCD television, or pull the console out to meet you, stretching the HDMI and power cables across your living room. It’s ... inscrutable. But there is hope! Analogue — the outfit behind the beautiful, and expensive, Analogue NT NES console — is releasing one of its Retro Receivers, which brings with it Bluetooth controller connectivity, to the NES Classic Edition this year. In fact, I highlighted my frustration with the absence of this exact product in my NES Classic Edition review:

But beyond that, it’s painful to use a wired version of the NES controller when 8bitdo’s NES “Retro Receiver” brought wireless Bluetooth compatibility to the original NES earlier this year.

You can preorder it on Amazon today, and it will ship on Dec. 16, just in time to make it under the present bush. The $40 bundle includes a single Retro Receiver and a NES30 wireless Bluetooth gamepad. That Retro Receiver also works with other Bluetooth controllers, like the PlayStation DualShock 4, the Wiimote and a variety of other 8bitdo Bluetooth controllers.

The $40 price represents a notable savings relative to the NES Retro Receiver (the one that works with the 30-year-old NES) and NES30 controller sold separately, which are $25 and $35 each, respectively. Coupled with the $60 NES Classic Edition, this represents a significant increase but, if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one, you might be willing to make the plunge.