Movie-inspired footwear has generated plenty of excitement in 2016, and an equal amount of disappointment. Keep that in mind as you take a look at Nike’s Back to the Future-inspired HyperAdapt 1.0.
The self-lacing sneakers seem like a no-brainer for fans of the time-travel franchise, especially after hoverboard technology landed far short of where we imagined it would be back in 1985. But there are two big caveats likely to dampen excitement for Nike’s self-lacing shoes: price and availability.
You’ll have to lay down a cool $720 if you want to get your hands on a pair of these high-tech kicks. For the same money, you could buy a brand new PlayStation 4 Pro and an Xbox One holiday bundle, and still have cash left for a few packs of bubblegum. Not only does that put the shoes far outside the price range of most consumers, it also means you’d be a fool to actually wear them and risk degrading their value.
Something similar happened earlier this year when Aliens fans were disappointed to discover that just 426 pairs of Ripley’s “Alien Stomper” boots and 1,986 pairs of Bishop’s mid-top sneakers were available after Reebok hyped the shoes for weeks. The original price tag was a more manageable $174, but a quick sweep through eBay shows resale values in the $700-800 range.
What kind of market does that leave for the HyperAdapt 1.0? We’re pretty much down to hardcore sneakerheads.
Nike
Nike
If you fit into that category, there are a couple ways to nab a pair, and they’re just as discouraging as the price. The shoes will be available on Dec. 1 at Nike’s Soho store and the Nike+ ClubHouse in New York City. Be forewarned: Customers need to book appointments through the Nike+ app to try them on. A news release from Nike also states that a small group of Nike+ app users will get early access to purchase the shoes on Nov. 28, but it’s unclear what users (and how many of them) will get a shot at the sneakers.
Nike says both color variations of the shoes—black/white-blue lagoon and metallic silver/black-white—will be available at additional select stores and the Nike+ app later in December, but there’s no date or details on just how many pairs will be available. When the Daily Dot asked for more specific numbers, a representative for Nike responded only that the shoes are available in “limited quantities.”
Earlier this year Nike produced a total of 89 Nike Mag sneakers—more direct replicas of Marty McFly’s self-lacing shoes. The shoes were distributed via a charity lottery in partnership with the Michael J. Fox foundation.
