Following the recent announcement of the PlayStation Classic, Sony's mini-console packing 20 titles released for the original PlayStation, excitement has grown for a potential showdown with the Nintendo 64 this holiday season. But the hype has gotten ahead of itself for the time being, as it appears to ignore one important detail: Nintendo has yet to announce the Nintendo 64 Classic Edition.

For now, no Nintendo 64 Classic Edition is known to be in development, let alone ready to be released this holiday season in order to compete with the PlayStation Classic. There's a possibility that Nintendo could make a surprise announcement soon, but the likely window for such an announcement is fading away. For comparison, in 2017 Nintendo revealed the SNES Classic in June and released it in September. The NES Classic Edition had a four-month window between announcement and launch. Every day that passes makes a 2018 release of a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition less likely.

Could a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition still be in the works, whether it launches in 2018 or beyond? Absolutely. A trademark registered by Nintendo in Europe over a year ago hinted at the console's existence. The trademark features a stylized logo of the Nintendo 64 controller, a logo similar to those that are emblazoned on both the NES and SNES Classic Editions' packaging. But given the trademark's age and the lack of an announcement since, it's difficult to make any assumptions based off the trademark's existence.

Sony's announcement of the PlayStation Classic, if anything, likely indicates that no Nintendo 64 Classic Edition is coming in the near future. For one, it would be particularly brave of Sony to launch the PlayStation Classic into the Nintendo 64 given Nintendo's proven track record with both the NES and SNES Classic Edition. A head-to-head match-up benefits neither when releasing at different times for the success of all.

Nintendo may instead allow the Nintendo Switch and its two already available Classic Edition consoles to maintain the spotlight through 2018. Perhaps spring 2019 will prove a better opportunity for the launch of the new console, following in the footsteps of the Nintendo Switch's successful spring launch in 2017. Alternatively, Nintendo could announce the console tomorrow, making the Nintendo 64 vs. PlayStation rematch everyone would love to see a reality. For now, however, the Nintendo 64 Classic Edition remains just a rumor. And all of the hype building around when it could launch is unsubstantiated.