Topic: Wii U and 3DS Cross-Buy

So, I'm thinking that since Super Mario Bros. 3 has been announced for both the Wii U and 3DS VC and that it's announcement was during a Nintendo direct that perhaps something special is related to this game. The only other VC game I can recall getting a specific announcement in a Nintendo Direct was Earthbound and there was a good reason for that. But SMB3? Why would that game be a bigger deal than, say, Super Mario World? It's just another NES game. It would be more exciting if it was Super Mario 64 because at least then it would be for a system that we haven't got yet. So, why is SMB3 being released on both Wii U and 3DS a big deal?

I think, maybe SMB3 is going to be the game that Nintendo launches their cross-buy functionality with. That would be a big deal. And, I think this was supposed to happen a while ago, because Double Dragon and now Castlevania 2 have both had simultaneous Wii U / 3DS VC releases. But, for some reason, it got delayed. Which usually happens with Nintendo. Hopefully this is the case and that SMB3 will launch Nintendo's cross-buy feature.

It would be nice if Nintendo would somehow compensate people who already bought the same game on both devices, but I wouldn't be upset if they didn't.

I don't recall Nintendo of America's directs ever talking about it aside from a small mention last fall. Also, Europe and Japan already have it. So this is very unlikely

It's not Nintendo's style to do this. They like to wring every last penny out, are probably quite happy to sell the same VC game on Wii, 3DS and Wii U.

So if Nintendo has no intentions of implementing cross-buy, then why have the Wii U and 3DS eShops connected? The only difference is now you can share the money between the two. Which is nice, but hardly seems worth going through all the effort of connecting the two just for that one feature.

i doubt they would just give away two copies of it for free like that, there will probably be some kind of extra fee or package deal or discount on the other after you buy one if you want to play it on both systems. also mario 3 is kind of a big deal on its own, so that might be all there is to it.

Super Mario Bros. 3 is not just another NES game. It's the finest 2D platformer ever made. It's a bigger deal than World because it's a better game. No offence SMW fans, Super Mario World is still superb.

Pretty much what I was going to say with extra reward coins/stars as another possibility for buying both. I would see something like that being more likely for the new super smash bros game then a VC game.

Well, I would certainly be more apt to buy the game twice if I could buy at least one of them at a discounted price. As of now, I just choose if I would rather have the game for Wii U or 3DS.

Well, that's a fair statement. SMB3 is my personal favorite Mario game. What I meant, though, is that Super Mario Bros. 3 is an NES game, which NES games on Wii U is nothing new, and it's already available on the Wii Shop Channel, so even if someone wanted it really badly, they could already get it. So, given those two facts, it sort of takes away from the specialness of releasing SMB3 on Wii U VC.

I would suggest that another possibility for having SMB3 on both the Wii U and 3DS being a big deal is if it allowed for cross-play, but the game has an alternating two-player mode, so that wouldn't really benefit.

The only way to play N64 games is in Wii VC (Wii mode in Wii U).

1. Nintendo Network ID implementation
2. eShop cards just became a lot better

There ya go

@DarkwingLz Your two points are kind of both the same point, though. Still, I think there's more to it down the road.

Advertising, possibly. 3DS owners seeing Wii U games on the 3DS eShop might entice them to consider a Wii U, or vice versa. Even Miiverse has become a powerful advertising tool for 3DS owners.

I was cross-buy as much as the next guy, and I really hope we do see it implemented sometime this year.

I thought you already made a thread like this...
EDIT: NVM, but we still ended up talking about this.

@Peach64
Really? Nintendo isn't forcing anyone to buy anything. I'm not gonna buy a game on 2 consoles. It's redundant. I would take advantage of a feature like this, if it were available, but buying on one or the other is just fine. It's the same game.

That's also why it probably will happen. They aren't selling a 3DS and Wii U version, expecting people to buy both. They do that by their own will.

That couldn't be more wrong. One console/platform is mobile and the other isn't (at least not designed for it). What if you travel? You gonna hook up a Wii or Wii U on a train, a plane, an automobile? It's not like you can hook your 3DS up to a TV. These have entirely different use cases, so one would not buy a game one one platform. By not slapping an HDMI port on the 3DS/DS Nintendo IS expecting you to buy both versions of the same game. Now, if Nintendo wanted to take care of its loyals, that clearly buy multiple Nintendo platforms, they should offer the same title on the other device at a discount. They talked about this loyalty on the last direct. That you are not going to be considered a consumer with a console, but rather a consumer with an ID that will follow you from console to console. So, if they really are going to focus on customer loyalty, they need to implement a discount system like they did from Wii to Wii U. I think a buck is reasonable for the title on the additional device.

1. 3DSes didn't originally have NNIDs
2. Customers no longer have to have two accounts. They can now have one account for one 3DS and Wii U.

@geniocoeden
SNES, N64, GB, GBC, etc. aren't really coded for one or the other.

I'm not disgreeing with you at all, but some of us are fine with having it one or the other. I buy portable VC on 3DS, and home console VC on Wii U. If they add cross-play, then that's great, but the point is that these games were portable or home console oriented in the first place, so it doesn't bother me, because that's the main reason why they aren't sharable.

They said they're working on it. As I mentioned above, SNES games and N64 games probably aren't even coded for 3DS. The same goes for GB, GBC, and Game Gear. They have to actually get the games out on a console before figuring out for you to share them.

The day they add cross play, N64, Neo Geo, Sega Genesis, etc. home consoles will have been available isn't. They can't let you share games that might not be on one or the other. If cross-play existed, you still wouldn't be able to play a majority of games on one or the other.

Well both are out today and there is no cross-buy option. For shame Nintendo.

I don't know why anyone thought this would happen. Does everyone not realize that SMB3 was already out in Japan and Europe?

Add on to all of that they discussed implementing something like this more or less with the next home/portable systems that will have the same software backbone and similar hardware.

At best, right now, we should expect/ask for discounted pricing between the two and potentially cross buy eventually.

LMAO.
C'mon. I think Iwata's statements at the last investors meeting pretty much confirmed that they're taking steps to make this happen. I just hope its sooner than later. I refuse to pay for a game twice because of something like this.