Topic: Online seems cheap? What if Virtual Console is an add-on?....

I can understand Nintendo not wanting to discuss their retro titles too early, given that brand new games are what's going to draw most peoples attention. But what if their plans for Virtual Console go beyond what we have seen before?

Reggie has skipped over this topic a number of times previously, saying only that more details will be announced in the future. It's got me thinking that Virtual Console could in fact be a separate subscription model to the regular online features. This way, those users who have no interest in retro titles could have a very competitively priced service, while those who do have interest could still, potentially, be paying a little less than Xbox Live or PS Plus.

What's more, when the Yen pricing was recently discussed during the investor meeting, it was described as a 'range'. Everyone is assuming that this is because Nintendo hasn't finalised a price; but it could also have been interpreted wrong. What if that range, in fact, was meant as "We have separate services, starting from X and going up to Y."

I may be barking up the wrong tree of course. I just find it hard to accept that Nintendo will, once again, have a slow rollout of retro titles that could take months to become more substantial.

I think that most of the subscription service will someway rotate around the "Exclusive deals". I think that virtual console will be part of it, and most of all My Nintendo will be an important part of it. Nintendo needs to showcase this aspect because it's one of the most dark in the online program and it can be a huge factor, maybe the one that can change the full perspective of it

@Emperor-Palpsy I've been saying for a while now I think they have big plans for VC,I'm not sure if it'll be like am extra subscription on top like you say but there is certainly more to it they're not telling us.It could be they've not said anything because it's just going to be the same as it was on Wii U,but I find it more likely it's because they're taking a new approach with it.The brief mention that online play will be added to NES/SNES points to this too.I doubt they'd make that a thing without making a song and dance about it.Considering how secretive Nintendo are,the fact they've told us about the online play part without going into any more details about it suggests to me,there is a lot more to it than that.There's going to be VC there for launch day surely,maybe not a lot but there will be some.Surely a NES or SNES game is going to feature amongst them.Maybe it'll just be a normal VC release with no online play or extras added and they're keeping that part back until the subscription service arrives.it's possible but what are they going to do,just release a load of single player only NES/SNES games for the next few months.They'd have to be very select in their VC releases if so.They couldn't release for example Super Mario Kart with local play only,then add online play when the subscription service arrives.No ones going to be happy the "free" game for the month is one they bought a few months previously on VC.Maybe they're only planning to add online play to a select few games and all other VC will be released in their original state,it's possible also but why would they tell us about it already.If it was only mentioned to try and justify the subscription fee,then it didn't work. Everything points to there being a lot more to it than we know.

I'm feeling optimistic about VC.It might mean it's going to be a slow trickle of VC again but if each one will have some sort of extras added,I'd take that over a huge rom dump of the same old titles we can already buy on Wii/Wii U.As well as online multi,single player games could have time attacks and leaderboards for example,or maybe even (my dream addition) remastered with widescreen and flicker removed from NES games,just like they did with Super Mario Maker.Classic Nintendo games brought into the modern age.That would go some way to justifying a subscription fee and help beef up the library of online games.And I doubt only NES/SNES games will receive this treatment.It's a good way for Nintendo to gauge interest in old IP's.Say Wavererace 64 online was a hit,then we can expect to see a new entry in future.I can't wait to find out what their plans are and i think we're going to find out soon in a Direct.

We know they will sell VC titles. In the online subscription you will have the option to buy a title after you have hired it for a month. This hints at a similar structure we have had in the past. If they would have Netflix-like service there is no point in buying a single title every month and it would decrease the value of the online sub.

I think Reggie probably doesn't want to speculate and is waiting for the official go from Nintendo Japan. He got burned when the WiiU came out saying he'd love to see Gamecube games on it. That was then continually quoted in speculative articles that predicted GC games were coming to the WiiU VC (all becoming doubly annoying when they never materialised and the home-brew guys showed the WiiU could natively run GC games).