Topic: Virtual Console: am I the only one that doesn't really need it?

I know this is going to be unpopular, but while I respect the craving for a Virtual Console and people getting pissed because it's not coming any time soon, I for one don't really need the VC.

I've always preferred playing games on their original systems, and although I like to see them re-released when they're games difficult to play as they were meant to for economical reasons, like Neo Geo or arcade games, I don't feel appealed to buy digital GBA, SNES or GBC games, let alone DS, because they're relatively easy to find and buy. Relatively, I insist.

Sure, I have a couple games on my 3DS VC because they were occasional offers for games that were really expensive in their original format, such as Game Boy Color's Shantae. But having Nintendo system's games on a tiny screen surrounded by wallpapers (or even worse: black borders) and not enhanced to HD? Personally, I don't need that. I grabbed 3 SNES games on Wii U and I regretted it as soon as I got SNES Mini.

But let me insist: I respect people who wants that VC. It's a welcome addition and although I wouldn't really use it I would vote for it if they asked users. It being a main feature of a modern console? That I don't see.

I personally don’t need it but I can see the appeal for those that want to experience past titles without buying the old consoles

@1UP_MARIO Yes, that's something I admit. I just don't see why the fever. Why the anger for it not being on the Switch yet or maybe never. And think they sould really adapt those games to big TV screens with HD display, just as they do with NES and SNES Mini. Do something with those games, not just dump ROMS on Switch.

The NES/SNES Mini are literally "dumped roms" in the same way that the VC was. The appeal is exactly the same as it is for those systems. The only difference is that the emulation on the Wii U was generally pretty average. Which is just an issue with the execution not the concept itself.

Also, these games can't be "HD". They're sub-standard definition games. I think what you're actually talking about is vibrancy of colour which, to be fair, the original consoles didn't really have either.

@skywake Well, they do look good in HD screens. Something we can't say about Street Fighter games launched on Switch. Pixel based games can look good in these screens, they just don't always make it happen. And in the Minis they clearly put some effort into that. Good scaling is all.

@subpopz I agree, I'm starting to have a lot of Neo Geo and arcade games, and now Sega Ages. But they're exceptional things, games that would be very expensive to buy, or with tweaks thanks to great M2 emulation. Portability is the main reason I own the Switch. If I have to play retro hooked to a TV, I also prefer original systems or the minis, that admittedly are far more easy to pick up and play, and have games that sometimes are too expensive now.

But if I had the money and space, of course I'd use these games on original systems, many of which I have, but with few games because of current prices.

The thing is, there are many reasons to have a VC, yes, and althought it's not the way I prefer playing games, I strongly support it. But if it doesn't come it's not a big deal. Retro games keep coming every week, and well emulated. There's no need to have a Virtual Console itself. And now with Nintendo Online Service it's being partially covered.

Er... you kind of are the only one.
Of course: NES Classic and SNES Classic, at the very least, suggest that the Virtual Console is being phased out in their favor. But, let's get real... can a small home console replace the comfort of playing any SNES game without the system being constantly plugged in?

I would love the idea one youtuber had. Basically, with the SNES Classic and the NES Classic it should be able to be registered using the barcode numbering, just like how Club Nintendo used to to give out points. Now, I'm not sure how effective that system was, if it was open to workarounds, or if it's impossible post production, but if it CAN work, there is a perfect solution.

Lets say you register the Classic with My Nintendo. After you do so, you are able to access ALL the games in the device on the Switch. No Online necessary. It provides a better incentive to purchase the plug and play consoles and vice versa, gives starter games for families who could only afford the Switch alone but already have a classic device.

From there on, the other games could be DLC, intertwined with collections like Mega Man, or the online service (which would be my least preferred option honestly). If this turned out to be true, bless the heavens! I doubt it, but a man can dream.

As it stands, I don't hate the online service idea. It just... isn't inherently interesting. Don't get me wrong, I have no damn clue why people liked the Virtual Console as it was, but it did harm more charm than this. Online NES games "wow..." Meanwhile, Online Super Mario Kart "WOAH" It isn't hard to please more, so Nintendo should promptly get on that

@AlexSora89 Some answers make me not the only one already, but I understand what you say. Just let me add or repeat:

-It's a matter of personal feeling. For me playing those systems with at least their pads and hooked to a TV beats portability.

-I'm not saying VC is not worth it or desirable. I mean retro games come some way or another, and in the end they don't come in packs in the VC so far. You have to buy them separately anyway.

I am surprised with how good SNES games look and run on SNES Classic Mini, but I also love to have GB, GBC, GBA, NES and SNES classics on 3DS, plus DS games via backwards compatibility. SNES Classic Mini (and thus NES Classic Mini) is high-quality but small and relatively cheap, but having a versatile console or handheld with retro games is awesome. I like both options.

EDIT: Keeping/buying older consoles take space and/or money and in Europe our collection is PAL and you know what it means, right?

@Moroboshi876 Nah, you aren't the only one. VC would be nice, but I mostly want games that I actually missed the first time around. Stuff like Skies of Arcadia (GC) or Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (DS). Basically, the NES has nothing for me, the SNES and N64 have almost nothing, same with original GB. It's mostly GameCube/GBA/DS games I want to see get second lives, but that won't happen most likely. Thus, I don't care whether or not VC comes.

I mean, I don't need VC to breathe.

But just imagine having NES, SNES, GC, N64, GC, Wii and WiiU games all on one portable system, the ultimate Nintendo console.

I, for one, really really wanted the Virtual Console on Switch. I already skipped PS4 + XB1 and I want the Switch to be my last console (I'm in my 30s). Thus I would have paid a lot of money to recollect my library from the past. I would have paid 5-10 € for each title, if that meant that I could spontaneously pick it up in 10 to 20 years and have an old-school gaming session over a weekend. You never know!

However, I don't think it will happen like this and I also don't think it should. Times have changed and I think the online collection Nintendo just started (aka "NESflix") is a good way of doing it. 20 € per year is not much, considering that's what I probably would be paying per month for games on the VC. The only problem now is that there isn't a single game I would have bought. I do think that we will get some SNES games maybe in 6 months and the N64 games in 12. If that's so, I'd happily pay the annual fee for many years to come.

Should Nintendo really mess this up, I would actually consider to buy a second Switch console and use the 1st gen to hack and install emulators. I am guessing that by the time the Switch gets a new hardware revision (maybe 1080p OLED screen with the CPU boost of the dock and a 4k upscaling dock), the homebrew community will have a very interesting stable CFW.

But that's all in the future. Right now, I am enjoying the NESflix trial as there is nothing else I can do.

For me, VC is already here and it's better than ever. I've more or less got exactly what I asked for in the months before launch.

Classic 80's and 90's Arcade Games in the hundreds from a huge variety of developers.On top of those we've got various Capcom collections,a Namco Collection, SNK Collection, Atari Collection,Megadrive Collection. We've got Sega Ages releases covering Classic titles from the Master System up to the (probably) Dreamcast and 3 decades of arcade. We've got remastered versions of other older titles such as R-type dimensions, Crash Trilogy, Okami. Now we've got NES online. All it's missing is Nintendo's own classics from the SNES onwards but for me, I'm less interested in those than what we've already got. I've played most of the Nintendo classics, many more than once. My Wii VC collection was enormous, yet I had less than 10 on Wii U.

Modding the Minis, so you can add all those lovely 60Hz NTSC versions?

@Moroboshi876
Of course, but the short rhetorical answer is always too good a gag to pass up.

@OorWullie I'm more like you in this regard, but also think you're a little too optimistic when it comes to Sega Ages. I love those games and for now I own 2/2, but don't expect them to be much more than those 15 they promised, and wouldn't expect M2 to emulate Dreamcast or some of the last arcades of the era when Sega still made consoles.

Can you believe that the release I'm most excited about when it comes to the rest of 2018 is SNK 40th Anniversary Collection?

Personally I'd prefer publishers to just release collections. Less red tape that way. As great as VC was it was predominately the "popular" games. It wasn't really a way to build an ultimate gaming machine. And everybody is just going to complain about the prices of the games anyway because they want VC but they want it to be like 2 dollars a game and when it isn't they are going to complain about that or the library. VC is that idea that if there were no legal restrictions (or time/payroll restrictions as they have to put the games on the VC) it would be fantastic, but actual execution just leads to more dissatisfaction than contentment. I do like the minis though... as they are cheaper than flash carts.

I do wonder if there is as much complaining about BC for Xbox or the PSN...

@Moroboshi876 And I think you are a little too pessimistic, seeing as Sega themselves posted this poll:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/09/jet_set_radio_series...

So, it would seem that at the very least, some Dreamcast titles are up for a reboot/port...

@Ryu_Niiyama I totally agree with you. People would end up ihaodifhoais anyway. I think with Xbox's backwards compatibility is the other way around. People buy modern systems to play modern games, and if classics get rereleased or become compatible, fine, but if they don't... there's not much complaining. PS4 is hardly backwards compatible, yet sells like hotcakes.

And yes, the price. People just expect to have a VC with Gamecube games this time around, and even Wii, and for them to be like 7€ tops. No way.

I'd prefer compilations, physical if possible, too. For instance, Capcom Beat'em Up Collection, that I'll get physical thanks to a friend that will be in Japan when it gets released.