If you’re talking about VC games from (potentially) Gamecube and back, it still might… Reggie said there was more to come on that before launch, and there have been reports (possibly inaccurate) that VC is now tied to your account (though maybe not retroactively).
If you’re talking about a console slightly more powerful than a Wii-U successfully emulating a Wii-U, or containing additional Wii-U hardware, I think your expectations may be a little unrealistic. :)
Not to mention that you can’t (easily) move Wii U or 3DS titles to the Switch, since it doesn’t have a dual-screen setup. I suppose you could port a subset of those games, but they might just go ahead and release those as all-new games, a la Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Yes, not Wii U games. I wouldn’t ever expect that, the formats are so different.
But the fact that emulated titles I downloaded on the Wii U and 3DS not transferring to the new VC is shockingly possible.
Indeed but there is still hope.
This is from a Gamespot interview:
“We have not shared a lot of information regarding Virtual Console. We will be sharing more information at a later date. What I can tell you is that, with the introduction of Nintendo Account, we now have the capability to tie consumers’ purchases to their particular account. So that opens up a range of executions for us to address that consumer desire, that consumer need. So we hear it, we’re working on it, more information to come.”
I really do hope so, because, as I said, if I can play all of my 3ds and Wii U VC purchases for free on the Switch, I will buy one.
I did see one rumour saying it would be like Wii to Wii-U, costing the $1 or so they charged to re-purchase Wii-U versions of Wii VC. Titles already re-purchased in this way would be free on Switch though. Take with a grain of salt.
“Being considered” is unacceptable. Media streaming is a perfect fit for the Switch’s form factor, plus every console and handheld in the past two generations has had these apps.
God damn:
100% on the money IMO. Death by 1000 cuts.
That video puts into words all the angst I’ve been venting in this thread the last few days. I’ve never heard of that guy before, but it’s nice to see someone share my opinion so thoroughly.
I’m not sure how useful it would be when the battery life probably isnt even good enough to watch a 2 hour movie.
I really wish they had made the console $200, maybe $250, instead of adding all of those gimmicks to the gamepad that will only probably be featured in 1-2 switch.
I might get zelda for my wii U since the switch version doesn’t sound much better at all. I will probably get a switch eventually, so the temptation to hold out is there, but the switch library is going to be almost zero for 1-2 years, so i see no reason to get one now.
Kotaku: Nintendo Answers (And Avoids) Our Switch Questions
Is Switch backwards compatible in any way? Will you be able to download or play Wii, Wii U, or 3DS games?
The Nintendo Switch system is not backward compatible with games designed for other systems, and is not currently compatible with controllers designed for other systems. Support for certain controllers may be considered for a future update. We have nothing to announce regarding Virtual Console or other types of digital purchases at this time.
How if at all does the Switch connect to Wii U and 3DS owners’ existing accounts?
We have nothing to announce at this time.
Will the Switch be compatible with existing Virtual Console purchases?
We have nothing to announce at this time.
Will the Switch have its own library of Virtual Console games that starts from scratch, or will it bring over the Virtual Console library from 3DS and Wii U?
We have nothing to announce at this time.
How will SNES online functionality work? Which games will it support?
We have nothing to announce at this time.
On the one hand, these may all be related to financial questions of what things might cost. How much you decide to charge for something is one of the things you can wait the longest to decide when developing something like a console. So maybe the reason they have absolutely nothing to say about VC/BC stuff is that simple.
But even in that case, Nintendo must have known these questions would come up, and it’s weird that they didn’t have better answers ready one way or another for a system coming so soon. “Nope, this isn’t going to happen because of reasons X and Y”. Rip the band-aid off early, let the press rail about it, and get the story out of the way so that’s not the story at launch time. Or "Hey, we’re still hammering out some deals on pricing/availability/etc., but we will at least have <some kind of reassurance, no matter how vague, of some VC features>. Get out a positive message about more incoming games to support the otherwise meager lineup out of the gate.
Whatever the actual situation ends up being with the Virtual Console, it seems foolish and conspicuous that they didn’t have a better answer ready when they spilled the details on everything else.
At the very least it’d be usable in dock mode and I reckon you’d get more than the low end of battery life with a video app when compared to a game.
He used to write for IGN then broke off with a couple others to start their own thing, Kinda Funny. They cover everything but lean Playstation. I really enjoy their PS podcast.
Personally, my prediction is both the simplest and most cynical.
There will be a Virtual Console, but it won’t emulate anything newer than original Wii, and even that’s a question mark.
They will introduce an improved plan for moving your purchases around to different hardware going forward, tying things to an ID instead of a machine, but it won’t apply to the stuff you already bought on previous systems.
There won’t be a subscription service any time soon, though they may eventually come around to something along those lines.
All just guesses, posting them for my own amusement later on.
LOL didn’t even the Wii U launch with Netflix/Hulu support? It’s not like this is new territory.
I think Gamecube is the new thing it will emulate, as they’ve only just done the N64. Doubt it will do Wii.
It’s entirely possible Nintendo doesn’t have anything concrete laid out as far as video apps, since Nintendo wouldn’t be the one developing things like a Netflix app or a Twitch app (and remember, the Wii U doesn’t have the latter).
Note that those services have been known to be fickle in the past with regards to what they support - remember that the Vita lost its Netflix app out of nowhere, despite the Vita still being actively supported in the west at the time - so I don’t blame Nintendo for playing it safe and waiting to confirm that stuff until everything’s set in stone.
I know there are a lot of supporters of Nintendo here… I am one of them. I have two of their somewhat recent consoles but this just doesn’t make me want to jump in like I do the others.
It feels like a lack of support the moment they move onto a new console, and the other two don’t really do that.
You can blame them for not pursuing those relationships soon enough to have something set in stone already though.
