
Many have wondered whether the Wii U will include a Virtual Console service updated with GameCube games, and now NOA executive Amber McCollom has revealed that the answer is yes – through WiiWare. In an interview with NintendoGal, she is quoted as saying:
GameCube discs will not be compatible with Wii U, but a number of the games that were playable on GameCube can be downloaded from WiiWare.
Whether or not McCollum misspoke and intended instead to say Virtual Console – "Ware" isn't even referred to in the 3DS eShop – remains to be seen, but regardless, it's nice to know that Nintendo will continue new gamers to play these titles of yesteryear.
What GameCube games do you hope to see on Wii U?
[source eurogamer.net, via nintendogal.com]
Comments 117
I highly doubt it's true.
WiiU supposedly has 8GB flash memory and GCN games are...1.4GB maybe? This doesn't look good.
I would really love to see the StarFox game! It was really fun!
Windwaker, Sonic Adventure 2 battle, Mario sunshine.
I hope this is wiiware, it'd be nice to have updated ports
this thing just keeps getting better and better!
Wind Waker and Paper Mario 2 for me. I'm pretty sure Pikmin 3 will be epic enough for me to get rid of the second game, lol.
i predict a gamecube controller thingy when it comes to playing downloadable gc games anywhos heres my list
Windwaker (dont own)
twin snakes metal gear (do own)
Tales of symphonia (do own)
Starfox adventures (do own)
starfox assualt (dont own)
Eternal Darkness (do own)
thats all i can think of at the moment but im sure theres more i would love to see since i dont have a very big collection of physical gamecube games
and to that @GuardianAcorn person the 8 gb flash memory is probably there for updates n stuff for the casuals who dont know things but this should be no problem for us if you plan on downloading lots of big games then we know we can use SD cards and external harddrives which are easly cheap for a terabyte one which i will get though i know i probably wont fill it up lol
Oh! If Ninty puts in the extra effort and updates these, we could see Melee with online!
She doesn't even know the difference between Wiiware and Virtual console.
How credible can this information be?
Save Windwaker for Zelda 30th with a collector's pack- especially for those who want to see it in full HD :3
If true we can expect only a handful of games on WiiWare over the course of a year and a half.
And judging from the pricing (GB=3-5, NES=5, SNES=8, 64=10) I will predict that cube games will be $15-20.
@GuardianAcorn the GameCube optical discs could hold up to 1.8 GB of data, and most of them didn't use all of that. And Wii U supports USB hard drives.
Just what we need another game line up to add to the Download services. There are already so many NES, SNES, N64 etc. games that they havent released that need to released. They dont need anymore game line ups.
And honestly the Gamecube isnt that old you can still find them pretty easy same with the games its not like an NES where you have to go to ebay for example to find one. Also the Wii can play GC games does Nintendo think that everyone is going to get rid of their Wiis just for a WiiU???
Why not???
good good >:3
What I wanna know is can our current Wii VC collections be transferred to Wii U?
Also will they continue to offer classic titles from the shop as well?
It Shouldn't be just Gamecube.
I can see the Saturn and Dreamcast joining the VC camp for Wii U.
@Link79: If the 3DS can do it with the DSi. They'll use a similar method with the Wii U.
even if its true... games i have and like will take aaa lot of time to reach wii ware
and if this is real just see how long it will take then to put the good game cube games on there
There are still many GC games that I plan on getting and some of them seem unlikely to get a downloadable release on the wii U, especially with the poor nintendo64 support on the wii vc which is one of the reasons I'm keeping my wii.
@Tasuki I agree, I hope they don't abandon the other platforms on the vc when the wii U is released but with the way things are going on the wii vc, I wouldn't be surprised if they already have. Although, later arcade games would be good additions to the vc like the Mario kart and House of the dead arcade games.
Mario Sunshine and Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
Nintendo really have done it now. They know all the fanboys will yet again buy stuff that they already own again!!!!
They know that all the people who bought the 3ds will buy the upgrade model.
Just like people bought DS then DSI.
Now gamecube games will be included in this.
If they can get me Tales of Symphonia and let me use any form of wireless controller (never owned a wavebird) I would probably run out and preorder 2 WiiU.
I dunno the Wii U would need a hard drive if this is true.
@Markystal: GC controllers are not compatible as far as we know
Awwww yeeaaahhhh, the only gamecube game i ever owned was smash bros melee, I want to finally play wind waker in HD! Mario sunshine too!
NintendoGal is my favorite source for all things Nintendo!
Seriously, what the heck is NintendoGal?
mario double dash with wifi
When she says, "a number of games that were playable on GameCube can be downloaded from WiiWare" she may be referring to Tetris and the like — Wii Ware versions of games "that were playable on GameCube." I can't believe a Ninteno exec would confuse WiiWare and the VC.
@JesusSaves i.e. so Nintendo makes more money selling you games you already own
Sounds like Nintendo, no?
I still have my GameCube discs on a shelf bellow my Wii discs. This is the first time I'll be able to wave an old copy of a game at my Wii U whilst it's downloading. (Disc boxes are far easier to keep out)
Files sizes shouldn't be an issue, they can easily be compressed.
It makes sense. It's probably one of the reasons GC support is being dropped on the Wii U. Nintendo doesn't see any of the money from used game sales but they will from rereleasing them in a digital format.
Edit: Damn, Jesussaves beat me to it.
Game Cube but without GC peripherals ... wtf??
They probably also decided not to include NES, SNES and N64 compatibility to make even MORE money selling us downloadable versions of games we already own from those systems. Get a grip ... They preserved backward compatibility to Wii. ... How much further were they supposed to go? There's no pleasing some people. And where's the damn Blu-Ray player and coffee maker?
I figured they would add GC games to virtual console eventually. That's too much easy money to pass up. That's why they have extended virtual console to the 3DS now as well. They wouldn't have done that if the virtual console service on the Wii hadn't have been profitable. Hopefully we'll eventually see Saturn and Dreamcast games too. I already have a 1TB external hard drive I can hook up to the Wii U so I'll be able to download a lot of games. My prediction for GC VC prices is somewhere between $10 and $15.
The number one Gamecube game I would like to download (if it's ever available for download in the Wii U virtual console because the US never got New Play Control Pikmin 2) is Pikmin 2. I never played it before and it sounds awesome.
Paper Mario Thousand Year Door... nuff said
Phantasy star online and Tales of symphonia
My brother and I used to own a Cube but it broke so we sold all of our games. A few years latter we found out that the Wii was compatible with the Cube. . A few games that I really want to see are Kriby Air Ride, Super Mario Sunshine and all the stuff I missed that is really good like Mario Kart
I'll just play my GameCube games on my GameCube or Wii. There's no need to buy them again.
So that means Wii U will have a decent storage
I highly doubt that it's not true.
If it is true, I'll be very happy.
WiiWare - About 40MB limit.
GC Discs - About 1.8GB Limit.
Houston, we have a problem.
So.. In theory... If I own both a 3DS and Wii U in the year 2015.. I will be able to play every awesome Nintendo Game on every Nintendo console ever made (except Earthbound) through VC and Disc/Game Card? I can't really complain about that.
So you'll have to buy the games over again, and the thing doesn't have a big HDD to hold the games anyway, only flash memory? Well, I guess they could limit it to only small games. I'm sure there are some, but I imagine the selection will be paltry and unimpressive. I think I'll just keep the Wii non-U for gamecube games. Plus who knows if we're going to be able to transfer our WiiWare and VC games.
@Teh-Ray yes the WiiWare limitation is 40MB, on the Wii Thing can change for the Wii U.
I would love to see wind waker, mario sunshine, and star fox adventures. I would say metroid prime but i would rather get metroid prime trilogy
@Teh-Ray and the many other posters.
Do none of you guys read the website and the comments???The WiiU will have flash memory of around 8 gb and the ability to add SD or external hard drives so its OK Houston,problem resolved.
Now they only need to remake Cube -controller (the best Nintendo controller to date) so we can play Smash Bros 4 properly.
I wonder how/if it will be possible to transfer save files. I'm also pretty damn against buying the same game again, but nintendo seems to make a lot of money that way.
Also, Gamecube controller sucked.
Mr. Driller Drill Land, translated into English
Perhaps they'll do a HD Classics line similar to the 3DS 3D Classics ..
@ Link79 I agree with you and what a good question.
I want Wind Waker. But thats obviously going to be on there.
@GuardianAcorn
it SUPPOSEDLY has 8 gb of memory.
Ouch, this could put a damper on eBay games sales, although I am leery of selling my games anymore. To date, I have only sold PM:TTYD, & Lego Star Wars II. But no other games, as I have found, even if I don't particularly like, &/or play a game, I may very well want to later on, years down the road. So I'm keeping my Cube, & games. Esp. ones I can expect to have legal issues, & so not appear on a virtual service.
If this is true, then this is obviously why WiiU lacks GCN support. Further, this also allows Nintendo to make money selling a peripheral to do the work of a GCN controller.
Furthermore, I want to know what, & if a transfer system for VC/WW games, will exist, & how it will work. & I want to know if the WiiU will properly handle Wii online functions. Then, Nintendo, I will think on actually getting the WiiU.
I guess that could work. I would love to be able to download some of the games I missed on the GC.
Oh, man. Fire Emblem: PoR, Wind Waker, Paper Mario: TTYD...
Having copies of those that I can actually play again would be ace.
I'm glad that I got on the internet today.
This won't be much use for me, I already own all the gamecube games I want except for Chibi Robo, but they won't put that on there anyway.
In Australia where downloads and uploads are subject to quotas/limits, a 1GB download will destroy me
hmm I may buy my GCN games over, but Im really hating the thought, especially since I havent beat a ton of them, I feel like I wasted $$
This is wonderful news! What better a service to Nintendo fanboys than to make Super Mario Sunshine available for download on day one! All core Super Mario platformers ever made, playable on a single console!
I have no qualms about supporting Nintendo by downloading Game Cube games I already own. Even better if I can play said Super Mario Sunshine game on the Wii-U tablet while my fiance watches Netflix movies on the TV!
If this is true, the Rogue Squadron sequels might finally be mine!
A quick buck for Nintendo by removing the backwards compatibility that the console is perfectly capable of.
@Mickeymac Why do you doubt it's true, when it's coming straight from the mouth of someone at Nintendo of America? :S
Anyway, I think she probably did mean VC, because why would old games be on Wii Ware? Would be cool to see Gamecube games up for grabs, although I still play my Cube games anyway, so doesn't mean much to me personally. Also, when the Gamecube back catalogue is available to download as 'retro', it means you're getting officially old
you are correct Omarzuqo, a new fad these days for game companies is to sell you half of a game at full price and then make you download the rest, but nintendo probably had backwards compatibility removed so they could sell you there old games again (which i am sher some ppl dont feel like buying the same gamecube games that they already own again?),and Wii U is supposed to be this awsome HD console but they cant have backwards compatibility for gamecube? really?
What post 36 said.
@Link79
The entire VC library should be available (NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, TG16, Master System, etc.). Nintendo isn't going to drop their own systems like that. That would be too much money lost.
@Retrogamer88
I don't have any GameCube games anymore. I would love to download a few of the classics I never completed, especially The Wind Waker. And when they put Metroid Prime 1 and 2 on the VC, they better include Wii Remote controls!
If this is true, then there is no download size-limit on Wii u! No size-limit and Gamecube games! Good news!
It makes the most sense though to release them as Gamecube vc games, not as Wii u ware games!
i'm sensing a pattern here....
Wii plays GC games! Now you can play all your old games!
DS plays GBA games! Now you can play all your old games.
/discontinue previous generation of backwards compatibility, charge too much for digital versions, advertise as a selling point on new consoles.
Not a huge fan tbh. But at least they didn't start w/ backwards compatibility and then remove it (hi PS3! ) or anyth--oh wait. DSi. nm.
closes eyes and crosses fingers. Ikaruga, Ikaruga, Ikaruga...
@Murd: (cough)Game Boy Micro did it too(cough)
seriously, it's nothing new :3
yay
I gotta say it sucks a little that the Wii U won't support GCN discs and I'm sure a lot of people will rage about that but the way I see it, if you have a significant collection of Gamecube games as I do, you probably already have a device that plays them, be it a Gamecube or a Wii (I have both) so they're not making you rebuy anything. For those that don't, I just hope Nintendo prices the games competitively. Right now my guess is that GCN games will cost like $20, which is too much for me.
I own a physical copy of every GameCube game I'd ever want. I'll just keep my Wii hooked up to play those.
I like the idea of being able to play my Wii VC library with the Wii-U, this will make my mind up on whether or not I'll buy a Wii-U. I knew Nintendo would do some thing with the Game-cube, in time more information will surface about Wii-U. Knowing how Nintendo work I'm not going to hold my breath.
WiiWare transfer please?
This is happy.
And not going to be supported after Super Mario Sunshine gets released like the N64 on VC after the Zeldas were released.
I get the feeling she might be talking about the 'new play control' series on Wii.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3ALwKeSEYs&feature=player_detailpage
Wasn't a fan of GC so I'm not too concerned about this, but since PS3 and Xbox have been getting games that were released on Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox and GC I'd like to see Wii U get the same things. For me, if I buy the Wii U, the major concern is VC games and WiiWare transfers. I purchased a ton of games from those two services and for convenience purposes would like an easy transfer process.
@ people going "OMG! But the storage"......
The Wii U is said to support SD Cards, Thumbdrives and External HDDs. Go into any electronics store, pick up TBs of external storage for <$100. Problem solved.
I like this idea, but have one big problem. How am I gonna plug in my Wavebird? The classic controller is fine for 2D games, 3D not so much.
Also Nintendo better add widescreen and pro-scan for games that don't already support it.
I have all the Gamecube games I want, but its nice to know there must be a decent sized harddrive for Wii U to make this possible.
I'll wait for the formal announcement but if true, then I was right. Time will tell, we gotta play our GC games beyond owning GC's "somehow"...
I've recently bought a few GCN games so the only ones left I want are Mario Party 6, Mario Party 7, Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door (this sells for $100 on ebay O.O), Zelda Four Swords and thats it I guess.
Well they did started to have some Dreamcast games on WiiWare so maybe it's obvious they'll have GameCube games there too. Though I don't know why they would put it as WiiWare when Virtual Console is solely the better place for it but if it's for WiiWare, the games better had online play support so we can play Super Smash Bros. Melee, Soul Calibur II, Capcom vs. SNK 2: EO, Wave Race: Blue Storm, LOZ: Four Swords Adventure, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, and F-Zero GX online through WiiWare, if not then what's the point of putting it as WW and not VC?
I hope this is true because there are so many good Gamecube games I missed out on (still haven't played Wind Waker), but if the console only has 8 GB then it seems unlikely.
I also want to know what happens to out current Wii Virtual Console games and if they can tranfer.
I'd like to see GameCube's Resident Evil 2 - 3 + Code Veronica, Billy Hatcher and Beyond Good & Evil on it. They're about the only good games i didn't get back in the day. But maybe there'll be some surprises like Baldur's Gate too.
Luigis mansion
Super mario sunshine
Mario kart double dash!!
...maybe animal crossing?
Well I'm still playing through most of my GameCube games - lots still to complete including the likes of Mario Sunshine, Eternal Darkness and a Zelda title or two. There's no way I'm re-buying them and I doubt I'll get a Wii U either since I also have a ton of Wii games to play through too. I only have one games console at a time so I'm afraid the Wii U is going to have to wait a long time before I can get it - it's a shame, because GC compatibility would have been the thing that presuaded me. Anyway, I won't be missing out since I have my PC for HD gaming.
give me double dash and melee, sunhine and luigis mansion i'll be happy with those games.
I already own most of the GCN gems, but this would be much appreciated.
I hope the library consists of more than just first party games. Also, MELEE ONLINE.
I hope to see Super Mario Sunshine.
hell yeah i belive this nintendo know the virtual console is one of their strongest strengts and if they want full backwards compability they need this. i hope i can play super mario sunshine and Mario Kart double dash and super smash bros melee i miss thous titles sooo much. and oh come on people we all was worried about using the classic controller and the pro version with N64 games and other game consoles and it turned out just awesome and fun maybe nintendo make a gamecube controller u can play via connnecting it to the Wii Remote if they include this they are awesome. i mean great third party games for nintendo is awesome in its own right and friend codes is even more epic. and then the virtual console get an extra console and all the vc games that are out now. wow sometimes i just love nintendo !
With no HDD support... I doubt it.
it would probably cost more than buying the actual game for gamecube. you can get gamecube games for cheap prices, it makes more sense to buy it than download the game.
Hopefully Nintendo will have the downloadable Gamecube versions. arriving regularly? Just start uploading the entire Gamecube library onto the Nintendo servers. There are about 876 Gamecube games so just have the entire lot of them available for download the day of the Wii U launch. Instead of pissing around with a few each week.
I think people are missing the point, if you break a GC disc, you wont be able to play it again, thus having to buy another one. Downloadable content is more like a "safe" way to have a game, If you buy it you'll know you can get it whenever you want, instead of worrying if the disc breaks, gets scratches or something.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. And I would add I hope they would "cool it up"... place the spells on the small screen for easy access, and indicate missing pieces of any spells.
It's weird that you could download games, but the system wouldn't be backward compatible. Obviously, there is different technology, but for PS3, the same technology that allows you to download PS1 games also allows you to play them on the system.
I do hope it's true, though. The GC was easily the best gaming machine of last generation - it just didn't get enough support. Pikmin 2, Eternal Darkness, Wind Waker, SSB: Melee...great stuff.
That's awesome but i already have quite a few game-cube game discs that i bought for my Wii, i don't want to have to re-buy them.
It is a terrible idea to not have backwards compatibility.
How about this: Nintendo should release the ENTIRE GameCube library as a downloadable service during the WiiU's life cycle. That way, the GameCube discs can be transitioned out for the following console after the WiiU. That would be better and it would give those that have current GameCube games an incentive to buy the downloadable games.
well another reason for mii to buy a wii u
will u be able to transfer vc gameand stuff to the wii u?
i would like to seee ssbm super mario sunshine both sonic game pokemon xd(enhanced to work with pokemon white)and alot more
I knew it would be
I really hope they are telling the truth!!
I highly doubt this is true but it would be awesome if they did release downloadable GC tittles.
I don't think this is surprising at all, didn't the later wiis lose their backward compatibility, I am pretty sure they did at least here in NA. Anyway Nintendo is a company out for profit first and foremost no matter what they say. But what they might want to do is offer an incentive to trade in your old VC games no matter the system but especially gamecube for a discount so that those copies can be recycled and more inportantly be taken off the secondary market.
Also I would like to see Beyond Good and Evil so hopefully people buying it online will convince ubisoft? to not only follow through on making a sequel but to make it for the wii u.
Also for me personally, I probably won't get a Wii U right away as I still have a decent backlog of games to play and still some I am interested in both wii and gc but i am sure i will get one at somepoint. Will have to make sure it is still backward compatible to the wii, and am thinking of getting a second wii that is still gcn compatible as insurance anyway.
Many have wondered whether the Wii U will include a Virtual Console service updated with GameCube games, and now NOA executive Amber McCollom has revealed that the answer is yes – through WiiWare. In an interview with NintendoGal, she is quoted as saying: GameCube discs will not be compatible with Wii U, but a number of the games that were playable on GameCube can be downloaded from WiiWare.
this is not true Nintendo knows that a Virtual Console App that can play any GameCube disk can be made (Hackers have made a hardware kit that does this on the Wii U already) & sold at more than $80 a pop they also know that no one will buy more than one because they would rather sell made by Nintendo ROMs in each Virtual Console download. Myself and everyone I ran into would love a GCN app that lets us play most copyrighted GCN disks and I would pay that $80 for the app from Nintendo but they wont make it because WiiWare brings in more money in multiple sales than a GCN Virtual Console App.
@Erica_Hartmann
They're redoing Windwaker on WiiU, releasing very soon. Windwaker WiiU will be running on hardware about 20 times the performance. And it's an update. No need for Windwaker Gamecube to be released.
In face I'd call it a bad move on Nintendo to do so, as it'd detract attention away from the higher quality WiiU build.
Same goes for Metroid prime on that note, It's already got a compatible pointer control based Wii build. Gamecube version not necessary
Luigi's Mansion, Mario Sunshine, F-Zero, Mario Kart. Plenty of great games
@Lan
WiiU has a 32 GB version. And even PS4/XBOX One will likely be depending on external harddrives to fit their downloadable content, and game installations. Get an external harddrive. It'll be fine
Sunshine, sunshine, and eh,,, sunshine?
I bought Super Smash Bros. N64 for the VC on my Wii, almost got addicted.
Then I got the Brawl disc to work anyway, got even closer to addiction.
And now I'm still waiting for Smash Bros. for 3DS, and I watch the trailers every few days, simply because I can't wait any longer.
But a lot of people proclaim Melee as the best in the series, and I'm curious whether this maybe really is the case (at least in my opinion). So Super Smash Bros. Melee would be a nice addition.
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