Topic: System Transfer from Wii?

My brother skipped over the Wii U, so if he ever gets a Switch, he wants to know if he can do a system transfer of his digital Wii games (Virtual Console and WiiWare) to the Switch without going through a Wii U?

If he can do that, he has a further issue: he has digital purchases spread across two different Wiis. Is it possible to somehow consolidate the two systems' worth of games into a single Nintendo account so that he doesn't have to repurchase half of them?

There is no system transfer option as the Switch is not backwards compatible with Wii or Wii U games. Even if the Switch were backwards compatible with the Wii U, it definitely would not have been backwards compatible with Wii titles. Even when WiiWare games are transferred to a Wii U, they remain within the Wii OS, which is partitioned separately from a Wii U (basically, the Wii U contains a "Wii" within it; the two are not merged and operate separately with their own separate hard drives within the unit). Basically, your brother's purchases are forever to remain in his Wii.

There may be some kind of discount scheme that could take place when Nintendo decides to launch Virtual Console on Switch (and that's a big if), but I strongly, strongly doubt that it will factor in Wii purchases in the discount scheme as I don't think that they are factored in one's Nintendo Account purchase history (correct me if I'm wrong), as my purchase history only factors 3DS and Wii U purchases when I last checked.

OK, yeah that makes sense for WiiWare games, but they should still allow us to re-download our previous VC purchases free of charge (or at least the ones on Wii U) rather than start over completely with the Virtual Console. On the Wii U we had to pay a little more, but that gave us added restore points, off-TV play functionality, and the ability to play straight from the menu without going into Wii mode. They'd better not be thinking of gouging us further on the same old games.

So anyway, they don't even have any kind of Virtual Console up yet? Man, aside from "Zelda" there's not much you can actually do with a Switch right now, is there? At least the Wii U and 3DS had backwards compatibility, pack-in titles (somewhat in the 3DS's case), and an Internet browser to tide us over when they launched with a poor selection of launch titles.

The 3DS internet browser wasn't available at launch (I believe it was the last major feature added to the console). I remember that I still carried around my DS Lite with the Internet Browser software around back in 2011 (how times change!) as I didn't have a smartphone or any other device for web browsing while on the move.

I strongly doubt that Virtual Console games can be upgraded free of charge as Nintendo are now arguably offering an even better value proposition to past systems, as we'll now be able to enjoy the software as a home console and portable title for one cost (mind you, Nintendo are still charging users full price on 3DS, even if they own the software on Wii U). They know die-hard and lapsed fans may cough up the goods, so I can't see Nintendo's stance on monetising their catalogue titles changing anytime soon.

But you're right, there really isn't very much to do with the Switch for non-Zelda fans (and I find it laughable that people bought the system for Super Bomberman R). I only bought one to spare myself the headache of hunting for a Switch when Mario Kart 8 Deluxe arrives. That is when the system will be able to shine commercially (and I'll have more incentive to carry the console around with me for local multiplayer).

Even if there was, is there any reason to get rid of the Wii? You'd get more from a used copy of Federation Force than you would for a Wii.