Topic: Theory - Virtual Console in some form will come to the Switch next year

Multiple things are lead to this. First, this is the last holiday season the mini consoles will be available, so it makes sense that Nintendo would hold off until those are out of the picture. Second, virtual console items have been data mined from the switch. And third is the recent leak of the rebranding of the eshop to the NS online store, which would make sense to make the nes games purchasable from this new store. Anyone else think this might be a possibility?

Not saying that this would be a full virtual console service like on past systems. Just that they would make the nes games on it available for purchase to everyone

Doubtful. Despite Nintendo Switch Online not being as good as VC, it's all Switch owners are getting from this point forward. Nintendo might add SNES, GBC, GC to the service eventually, but it'll be a while. Nintendo sees the money XBL and PSN are making and they want a piece of that pie.

Unfortunately NSO's value-for-money doesn't compare to XBL or PSN. Nintendo needs to make NSO more appealing. XBL and PSN each give $1,000-worth of games to subscribers every year, with a handful of fairly recent AAA games included. NSO members get drip-fed $15-worth of NES classics once a month.

What exactly was data mined that you're referring to?

Nintendo is gonna drip feed it to us, but it does seem like we will be getting more systems on NSO. Back before NSO launched, there was a leak that proved correct, showing controller icons for NES and SNES controllers. The NES controllers were accurate, so likely the SNES ones will be too. I would imagine we might see them announced in the first Nintendo Direct in 2019, and get SNES and NES games throughout 2019. Then assuming the Switch is still going strong, we might get N64 in 2020...

Problem is the nes games on switch are tied to the subscription, if you have no interest in online gaming then why would you spend so much for just rentals compares to actually buying the game as you could on VC? If you tied your account from WiiU/3DS to your switch you should have access to games you purchased on the service otherwise what was the point? They stand to make more from individual sales of the games in a personalized collection rather than picking and choosing for the gaming masses what they believe we want. Then they try to market "retro inspired" indies that do not capture the nostalgia that we want. I for one don't want to play a game made to look like megaman when I could just play the genuine article.

It would make more sense if they gave VC a new name with SNES and N64 games (Nintendo classics, perhaps?), but keep NES stuff to Switch online to keep that as one of it's main features and occasionally bring brawl-style demos to the NES app, per say the first world of Super Mario World, or maybe even the opening stage of Star Fox 64 (or Lylat Wars in the UK).

I think it'll be like:
September 2018 - September 2019: NES
September 2019 - September 2020: SNES
September 2020 - September 2021: N64
.
.
.

etc.

Maybe they'll speed it up if Smash Ultimate doesn't help the online subscriber numbers enough though.

@ReaderRagfihs Agreed. I'd be rather shocked if they omit SNES, N64, and their other systems for NSO. Perhaps Nintendo is working on getting online multiplayer to work on SNES games as we speak?

@Grumblevolcano That sounds about right. We did wait a whole year for the SNES Classic after the NES Classic came out, after all.

Virtual Console is already here in all but name. You just have to buy Nintendo's online subscription to access it.

@Mountain_Man I'm simply say that with the eshop rebrand, the nes games will be aviable for purchase

I honestly think there is huge scope for modernising classic games. Wonderboy was great. M2 are doing amazing work. Natsume nailed Wild Guns. Taito are releasing The Ninja Warriors (omg! I keep forgetting that and get excited when I remember lol) I am happy if classic systems become subscription based. I have bought them enough times. But I think when selling classic games is concerned, they need to be sold in a modernised package, with either a lavish amount of love to justify a sole release (like Wonderboy) or a deep respect for the games like the SNK compilation. Especially early 3D games. Imagine Ocarina of Time remade! Drool! I would take that over an N64 rom any day. But it wouldn't stop them putting the original on the online service too.

@GrailUK
OoT was remade on 3ds remember?

@GameOtaku Ye, blimey, you are quite right. So ye, that kind of reinforces how ok I am with remakes

Capcom made a lot of money re-selling Megaman X and Street Fighter 2 without relying on Virtual Console. The only actual selling point of NSO are old Nintendo games.

So no, not happening.

Besides, Nintendo have already introduced the Virtual Console. It's just with the Switch, they have decided to go backwards and start with the Wii U!

(/jk Thank you thank you, you have been a wonderful audience!)

I would rather see classics continue. Owning games beats a rental every time.

If they do get 64 games I hope they can at least get the rights to Perfect Dark.

@Ribbonetic Come on though. Isn't it great to support a company not so hell bent on money and profit.

Speaking of virtual console, I will be honest, if Nintendo cut and paste the exact selection of VC games on the Wii U and put them into the Switch eshop, I would probably go on the largest spending spree of my life. I would probably drop 500 or more dollars in a day! That's how much of a difference it makes for me to have those games on the Switch.

Obviously I am in quite the minority in that opinion. Plenty of people have said they don't want to buy these games, or buy them again. But the prospect of VC on Switch was one of the most exciting things for me when the Switch was first announced. Being able to play all those games on either the TV or on the go, from the same device, still sounds like a dream come true.

@Heavyarms55 you're definitely not in the minority, Nintendo would make a pretty penny off me each and every week if they were to drop VC games from snes n64 gc , and honestly even gba and gbc color games. I would've bought at least 1/4 of the nes games they are on Nintendo switch online. They would've made 30 or 40$ off me but instead, I paid $20 for the year and get to rent them. Not sure who got the raw deal on this one but either way I'd spend some coin for ALTTP, OoT, super metroid, donkey Kong country etc.

Paying to rent the same games over and over year after year sounds like a complete ripoff compared to buying the games you want and having access to them whenever I want. Especially with the account system in place that ties accounts together we should have access to prior purchased games.

Really though why restart the same service over and over? The amount of games on 3ds and wiiu VC if they would give access to them and continue to add to the service across all platforms (3ds, wiiu and switch) wouldn't that be better? It can't be a licensing issue cause if that's the case they would've been removed from the other eshops like Tetris .