It hasn’t been an easy couple of years for Nintendo. One moment, they’re raking in the dough as the world gleefully swings controllers at virtual tennis balls with the Wii; the next, they’re making excuses for a pseudo-tablet connected to a console with the Wii U.

But gamers stick with the company — obsess over it, even — because Nintendo is part of our DNA. And most of its classics date back to its very first home console, the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES.

Playing those classic games is easier said than done these days. You can try hooking up an old NES, but you’ll need a fair bit of luck that everything is working as it should. Sure, you can download emulated games for various systems, but that gets pricey, and just doesn’t feel right.

The NES Classic Edition, however, does. Available for $60, the Classic Edition is a pint-sized, plug-and-play replica of the old-school NES that delivers 30 picture-perfect NES games. Revolutionary? No. Totally awesome? Yes, sir.

Of course, the NES Classic Edition isn’t an exact clone of its ancestor. Nintendo added a few modern-day tweaks to the tiny system, including an HDMI out that lets you quickly connect the Classic Edition to your TV via HDMI cable. That’s a big step up from the crummy component cables packed with similar plug-and-play units.

A USB connector and AC adapter power the NES Classic Edition, though you can plug it into any powered USB port, such as the one on a laptop, console, or newish TV. Two controller ports on the front let you connect a slightly smaller, wired version of the original NES gamepad (only one comes with the system). But these ports are proprietary, so don’t think about using your old NES controllers.

For that matter, don’t think about adding new games or digging through your garage for your old carts. That’s because the cartridge cover is sealed shut since the game themselves are stored on the system’s internal memory. To get them working, you simply press the power button and boom, 30 NES games appear on screen, waiting for you to play.

Other companies have released these sorts of plug-and-play systems before, but they’re typically low-quality devices. I bought one of those janky Atari plug-and-play units on impulse while waiting in the checkout line at a Bed, Bath and Beyond, and it’s terrible. Most plug-and-play systems are a frustrating waste of money slapped together by third-party manufacturers who don’t care much for good emulation or sturdy hardware.

The Classic Edition, however, is a high-quality Nintendo jam through and through, and it shows. The game lineup is tremendous: the first two “Legend of Zeldas,” “Punch Out!!,” all three NES “Super Mario Bros.,” two “Castlevanias,” “Mega Man 2,” “Metroid,” “Kid Icarus”, even overlooked gems like “Gradius” and “StarTropics” are here. It’s a smart library that delivers enough epic NES games that you’ll easily forgive the fact that “River City Ransom” and “Metal Gear” were somehow overlooked.