Please don't make us buy Pac-Man again.

It's fair to say that if you're a Wii, Wii U or 3DS owner, then you've probably dropped a few coins on download software for one (or perhaps all three) of those consoles. With the Wii U and 3DS, Nintendo made everyone start from scratch when it came to Virtual Console titles, despite the fact that many of the same games were re-released on these consoles.

If you have an Android or iOS device then you'll already know that every purchase you make is retained and can be downloaded any new device you buy free of charge - Sony has a similar system on its gaming systems, with certain games being available for download across PSP, PS Vita, PS3 and PS4, depending on software support.

Given this background, the question of how Nintendo will handle historical purchases on Switch is a hot one, and the good news is that Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime says that he recognises this as a concern, and that more news is on the way prior to launch.

Speaking to Wired, he said:

Wired: I hear from a lot of people like me who've spent a thousand dollars on classic games on Wii and Wii U…

Fils-Aime: That's a lot of money.

Wired: It is a lot of money! Is there going to be a discount for us if we buy the games again on Switch?

Fils-Aime: What I would say first is, we recognize that some of our most passionate fans have spent quite a bit, whether it's with Virtual Console on Wii or Wii U, and we recognize that consumers are rightly concerned about moving to Nintendo Switch without backward compatibility. My comment is: Stay tuned, we understand the concern, more information to come.

There's 40-some odd days between now and launch. There are more details to come. And at that point we'll be able to define all of those various details of that online experience.

What do you think Nintendo has in store for this? The company has been curiously tight-lipped regarding Virtual Console support so far, but there's still time before the machine arrives for it to address that. Could we see a system where all previous Virtual Console purchases across Wii, Wii U and 3DS are honoured on the Switch, or will it be something less exciting, like a small discount? Let us know what you think with a comment.

[source wired.com]