Nintendo's Online Service For Switch Will Offer "Ongoing Access" To Classic Games

Get those SNES games ASAP! I'd much rather play Super Mario All Stars than SMB3 AGAIN!

The price is decent even if I don't agree with paying for it but I'm not a fan of only renting the games. It's dreadful too that it's taking so long and will only launch with NES games despite promising SNES games as well. I already have them, be it on VC or on the NES Classic Mini where I don't have to worry about subscriptions. In fact, with the NES Classic Mini, I've access to the entire NES catalogue should I so choose.

Nintendo Switch Online

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Nintendo-Switch/Nintendo-Switch-Online/Nintendo-Switch-Online-1183143.html

Pricing is a straight conversion of $ to €. So €19.99 a year.

As long as we still have the option to buy the games outright, then I have no objections to this.

And honestly, who is clamouring for NES games?! Gimme all them GB/GBC/GBA/GC/Wii games!

I'm far more interested in the eShop discounts, if they're for new releases the service could pay for itself

This is awesome. I hope this does replace the Virtual Console for Switch.

The price is good, the reward not so much but still better than the original plan. What worries me is the online service implementation. They absolutely need to ditch the smartphone app for a standard voice chat method. That is in great contrast with the Switch's simplicity and damages people's opinion on the system.

I wonder if they'll release adapters that can plug into the voice chat splitter to allow the connection of original pads? There must be more use for that ridiculous splitter, surely.

There news refers only to classic games supporting online play, so it's likely that the original games will still be paid for or part of a different set-up.

This is garbage.
I don't want a subscription based service. I want to download and own the game.
I also want to be able to re download the 100's of virtual console games I already have on my Wii U not rebuy.
If they offer it as £1.50 upgrade for already owning it I'd be ok with that if they are finally adding in online multiplayer to the multiplayer games.

@AcridSkull Given what they've done with MyNintendo I doubt the eshop discounts will be worth anything

For me this Netflix style is perfect. I have hundred+ games on Steam/Virtual Console/PSN that I have played one time and never more or I have bought and never played. This new way I would play only what I want at the time without the need of buying the game.

This sounds awesome!

Still waiting for that day where every Nintendo published game (& as many 3rd party as possible) from NES to the Wii U is available to play via streaming subscription service.

Warning time

Backtracking time when they already promised SNES

I'll be very disappointed if the 'classic games' are only tied to the subscription. VC has been one of my favourite features since the days of the Wii. I personally wouldn't want them just tied to the subscription service. Otherwise I wouldn't have traded in my Wii U.

@memoryman3 - I completely agree, though I suspect we might be in the minority regarding Allstars.

Mixed reaction about this, on the one hand its waaaayyyy better than what they previously said they were offering but I still need to know more about how it works.
If its a streaming service I guess it will always require internet to play, which rules out playing NES games on journeys without any wifi access. It could use Microsofts method of letting you download a certain number of games at a time and offering discounts to fully purchase.
I hope the option to outright buy each game remains simply because I think Nintendo would be leaving money on the table if they didn't. The VC is one of the strongest points of modern Nintendo systems so I'm going to keep waiting for Ninty to announce all the details and hope they don't screw it up.
They are on the right track though.

Sounds good to me I didn't expect much of anything for a 1.60 a month.

GameCube games please!!!

Haktooalleee... Bring out cube games on cartridge! You could easily fit like 5-10 GameCube games on one cart

@chardir I'm not expecting much, I'd be happy with 10% discount, even 5% would be something.

With the nature of the Switch being a 'portable home console' would these games still be accessible when I'm out and about or do I need an internet connection to access them? That will be a deal breaker between subscription and outright VC

I wonder how many NES/SNES games Nintendo will offer each year?

Just give us Virtual Console already!!

@Untempered-Link why is everything internet based!!! Lol I feel it's all meh myself, just put a VC on there buying whatever game you want... Make the library from nes-cube and make them abit cheaper

So will the games change per month? Or If you joined in say April, could you get the games that were announced in January?

Hopefully this isn't a replacement for buying VC games.

Mostly I just hope hope they use some of the $20 to sort out the terrible multiplayer support. I have more issues in a single sitting of Mario Kart than I have had in a year of playing Overwatch on PS4. If they roll out dedicated servers for $20 a year then I will feel I received great value. The voice solution sucks but online voice chat is mostly a racist swear feast. I want to let my kids have fun online without exposure to that so I can at least understand why it is difficult to balance. I really don't care about access to 20 year games though. I got two NES classics as stocking fillers for the kids at Christmas and they have not even been opened.

I still feel sorry for the kids whose parents can't pay for digital services such as eShop and now online.

I'm getting more and more worried about Nintendo's Virtual Console for Switch, or the Classic Game Selection as it now appears to be morphing into. I can't believe how much it seems like Nintendo is about to balls this up--I'm just getting that feeling based on what we got with the Wii U and what we know so far about what it has planned for Switch--when it could have one of the greatest retro games libraries and services ever created.

"SNES games are under consideration" ahem SNES mini ahem

I really hope you can buy them
I like my vc collection.20 bucks a year for the service in general is extremely cheap and love the price

I'm kinda sick of seeing those NES games over and over again. Come on, Nintendo! Give me something different, sometimes retro but new maybe?

I remember downloading some excellent games via Xbox's games with gold service; dishonoured and a red faction game, viva piñata too I think. A few nes games seems like slim pickings. This service needs n64, GameCube and even Wii games, in my opinion.

I'm not sure why they made a point of mentioning Balloon Fight and Dr Mario,hardly games to get the masses excited and I say that as a massive Dr Mario/Luigi fan myself.Also if the original is getting online mutli added,I doubt there will be a new one made for Switch.If that's the case,I will be annoyed at that.Love the game have and sunk countless hours into the Wii and Wii U versions but the NES original is well past it's time.

I am willing to make a bet that we'll be seeing Urban Champion Online before 2018 is over.

Remember when people were wondering if the Wii U would get GameCube VC? Now here we are, wondering if the Switch is even getting anything other than streamed NES games...

The original plan was just incomprehensible so glad about this change. I'm going to go on a line and say it will be £17.99 in the UK.

Since I barely play online I will be giving this a pass unless the Classic Game Collection offerings really grow although I have several questions like: Do we download the games or are they streamed? Do we need internet access to play them? etc. I suppose it will be the same as how PSN+ works.

One thing I do hope is that we are offered the chance to buy such games outright at a reduced price. Obviously it could disuade people from signing up so the only option would be to only allow subscribers to buy them. This would obviously annoy people but hey, makes business sense and they make the rules.

@MarioFanatic64 That made me laugh.Hopefully we'll find out more at E3.Reggie did say last E3 that there would be something similar to the Wii U for upgrading our past purchases so I'm going to hold him to that.

@MarioFanatic64 lollll

As long as the games are decent games then I'm totally fine with this.

My biggest gripe with PS plus on PS4 is that the 2 "free" monthly games (in my opinion at least) are a load of rubbish and they just don't interest me in the slightest. I've been a PS Plus user since August last year and in all that time do you know how many of the games I've actually bothered to down load??

1...... yes that's its 1

Its' safe to say that when it expires in August I wont be renewing it.

Sounds great. "Netflix for games" seems like the best way to do Virtual Console.

We may still be able to download what we like from the library of games. They never used the word "stream".

@damo Do we know how the service - does it have a name yet? - will apply across accounts and consoles? If we have 2 Switch (probably after the first mainline Pokémon game) and 3 of our accounts on each, which won't work to well with a locked save point, will we all be able get online? We can now with 1 PS+, two PS3 and a PS4.

Similarly, can we simply change accounts in the "smart device" app? I'm wondering if I can just dedicate an old tablet, wi-fi only, to the Switch and not worry about all 3 of us each needing to use our own smart device.

@DESS-M-8 I bought GoldenEye on the N64. I should get that for free if it ever comes to Virtual Console.

Doesn't work like that.

I am totally okay with a Netflix style service. It makes things cheaper than buying them outright. And $20 a year is not bad at all given the comparative cost. I jusf hope we see more than just NES games.

@olrodlegacy that's because that's a retarded thing to say.

A physical N64 cartridge from 20 years ago isn't going to be re-downloadable now is it?

Now an already purchased Wii virtual console game being re-downloadable on Wii U for a reduced upgrade fee of £1.50 over the full Wii U purchase price of £3.99-£7.99 was in place for the whole of the Virtual Console on Wii U.

Therefore what I'm saying is something that is already happening on the Virtual Console right now, and is very much exactly how that works.
If a rental service or re-buy approach is taken with virtual console this time when I have just heavily supported the failed Wii U in terms of digital content purchases then I will not be shelling out again for something I've already bought from them. An upgrade fee I'm happy with, renting or buying AGAIN, I'm not.

Goldeneye will also never be available on anything ever again except the N64.

So will you need to be connected to the internet to play these classic games?

No more NES games. Isso want the option to buy not just rent

Hard to get excited about replaying quarter century old games again tbh. I'm glad the price is low but doesn't seem to me to have any where near as much value as PS+ even at about half the cost.

I believe the SNES games will definitely come around at some point, but I think most likely after they will have sold a bunch of SNES classic mini, or even when they will interrupt the production of the future SNES classic mini.

Is it only going to be those 3 games though? It will it be a wide selection such as what you would find in a Netflix style subscription?

Is it only going to be those 3 games though? It will it be a wide selection such as what you would find in a Netflix style subscription?

I have a feeling this is bad news. The library will be small and you won't be able to buy the games. I rather have a much bigger library and the ability to pick and choose what I want. This will make me not use the Switch as much. VC was probably my number one wanted thing. Well a good VC that is. The VC is such a cash cow. Why can't Nintendo just understand that?

£20 a year and I can play all the games on offer whenever I want or £10 per game to "own" (i.e have a licence to play) a single game... Am I missing something because that sounds infinitely better!

can't argue with $20 a year (will probably milk $30 a year out of us canadians but w/e) If it makes the servers more reliable then I'm in. Anything else is a bonus.

What @G0dlike said:

"With the nature of the Switch being a 'portable home console' would these games still be accessible when I'm out and about it do I need an internet connection to access them? That will be a deal breaker between subscription and outright VC"

@dorkeybubblehead When I bought them in I think November or December they were not a big deal, in the UK at least. One thing I'm not going to do is join in with the scalpers. I don't need or want to make money of others desperation or love for a product.

@BarFooToo Okay, can I buy one of them off you for £50 then please

$20 USD for a full year is pretty cheap, considering what Sony and Microsoft each charge. I'll be paying!

@DESS-M-8 Yes, if its not against site rules and you promise its not for resale

This is a really good deal. They are basically charging for online but giving players the same value back in classic games.

@DESS-M-8
"Goldeneye will also never be available on anything ever again except the N64."

And PC

@BarFooToo cool, that'll do me please 😁

I woke up this morning and hugged all my retro consoles. So glad we're all still together~ This Switch online crap is lame.

@BarFooToo you on facebook?

@DESS-M-8 No, and don't want to get banded on here so add my friend code sw-4589-3175-7499 and when the chat app comes out give me a shout and we can get it to you.

$20 a year? That equates to almost $1.70 a month! And all you get is online play, free games and eshop discounts? Nintendo are rip off merchants.

@bezerker99 I only still have my SNES... My N64, and GC are loooong gone.

@setezerocinco sure, in theory. But in practice, months from now at that, you will only be able to select from NES games to start.

So, what you're saying Nintendo is I don't have to pay the hundreds I intended to on VC games? Alright, you drive a hard bargain, but 20 dollars it is. Long as they don't need a constant internet connection. Best place for classic games is while traveling.

"It would seem that the company is following the lead of Microsoft and Sony here, which offer paid-for subscription services that not only offer online play but also bestow a library of free games that are only accessible for the duration of your subscription"

Correction time: only Sony has placed such god-awful restrictions put upon its "free for premium members" games. (and now, Nintendo has apparently joined them. Silly Asians... )

I can play my free to download Xbox games just fine without a subscription or online connectivity, bar the multi-player part (obviously), but the single player part or local multi-player is perfectly playable.

An offline download feature and the promise of a library beyond the SNES is really the only unknowns I would love a definitive answer on. If those are part of the deal, then I don't see what else anyone can complain about

This sounds fantastic. Hopefully there will still be an option to purchase and download games, too--maybe at a discount for online subscribers?

Seems like they have a better model for a dedicated home console there. An online portal-only service doesn't do a portable much good on a road trip. It's even more important to offer full downloads to Switch owners so they can use the system as intended. I doubt that's the last word on it, though.

Still worthless to me as I have no interest in playing the old games again, but it's a step in the right direction.
Glad to hear that it got postponed to 2018. I'd be really great though if they postponed it every year so that it effectively never starts.

So Nintendo's original ridiculous idea is replaced with a brilliant one. From despair to jubilation, a classic marketing technique!

You know what I'd love to see? Them bringing back games from the Wii and DS era that have had their online ended. Yeah I know we have user-created servers but just imagine being able to play games like Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii on the go with online brought back.

I'm not sure what this means exactly. Is virtual console launching in 2018 now? Will we still be able to purchase classic games? If we can purchase classic games that we've bought previously on 3DS or Wii U, can we transfer them to Switch for a small fee?

This leaves me with a lot of unanswered questions.

@G0dlike It'll probably be like PS+ where games are available on and offline until the expiration date (when the subscription end)

Really happy with these changes to the plan. So glad Nintendo went with a reasonable price for NSO. I'll probably just pay for three or so years at once in case they decide to raise prices.

Okay. That's fairly major...

So 2018 I will get balloon fight with online access for the switch's lifespan.

Yeah, this is cool.

@rjejr Good question about how the accounts work. Logic would tell us that it's tied to your account, just like PSN, but then that does make the question interesting for Switch.

Say I have two Switches. You can only play eShop games on the one Switch marked "Primary", so if you have two Switches, the second one needs to have a second account if you want to play any eShop games on that one (bought just for that Switch for that Account). But then you can't play them online because they're not tied to your online account.

There's another reason to go all physical.... though I suspect with the introduction of the subscription it will include playing your games on any console you log into if you're online, so it might be a non-issue by the time it launches.

No SNES, no dice. Gotta at LEAST have NES and SNES. C'mon guys!

Will also have to see how many games they have to choose from. I'm already out until they have SNES. But will be a tough sell for others with any less than 10 to start.

I'm really glad they got rid of the download one game a month for free then lose it the next month option. Ongoing access as long as you have a subscription is a step in the right direction.

I'm confident the subscription access games will be downloadable onto the Switch permitted via a license granted with a paid subscription. And I'm sure Virtual Console is still coming. That is a no brainer.

@NEStalgia Nintendo does make having 2 Switches difficult, atleast with PS4 you can share digital purchases across 2 consoles in the same house

@rjejr Nah, only what they spelled out for us is known. Literally every other question asked by ign was answered with "we have nothing to announce at this time/on this topic" I think they have a Reggiebot that answers questions through email

I think there are good and bad points to this. The good: finally getting rid of having to buy NES games (and others, perhaps) at $5 or more a pop, all over again. If they have, let's say, 100 NES games on there that can be played at anytime with active subscription that comes with newly added online multiplayer, that's pretty amazing. There should be a regular Virtual Console service though, however, for those who want to "own" their games.

The bad: Tying it to a paid subscription is not the best solution for many people. Granted at $20 a year, the price is pretty low when compared to $5 per game, but you also are tied to having a subscription or you don't get the games.

I wish the gaming journalists would start asking Nintendo to come clean on alternative ways to storing game save data instead of having it locked to the internal system memory. I'm disappointed Nintendo has yet to announce a cloud based system with their online paid account system. I get that the system hasn't been fully revealed yet but come on, a 1-shot line would have been easy. Now I'm actually not a fan of cloud based save systems because as with anything online, it could be hacked and it's subject to server issues. Personally I would prefer a way for people to manually save their game save data to microSD cards just like we can already with screenshots. I know there's a huge number of Switch owners on Twitter asking Nintendo to come clean on their plans for this moving forward but I'd like to see the gaming media put pressure on Nintendo because frankly, Nintendo doesn't monitor their social media accounts at all.

@BarFooToo Wow, 2 unopened NES Classics? You could always eBay them to pay for next Christmas...

@MegaVel91 That's great that you still have your SNES though! Do you have a lot of games for it?

I recently purchased a Retron HD and it ships today. So, for $40 I can play any of my classic NES games on my HD TV. I still have my original NES but this is just a nice, cheap alternative to playing them. In my opinion, it's better than playing Dr. Mario, SMB3, and Balloon Fight on Switch, lol.

Man if they kept their VC library massive from the Wii days to now we wouldn't had to re-download and re-buy everything again. I can always re-play Super Mario Bros. 3, Balloon Fight, and Dr. Mario on my Classic NES Mini but those few rare games like Ogre Battle and ActRaiser would never had re-release again if third party turns away from the VC.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE The price is amazing. A little more than $1.50 a month to have access to a library of games is a great deal. Especially if they are adding online play! I have faith that the big N is going come through on this and I'm fully on the hype train! I only hope that they eventually open the whole VC library to the switch,.

They are never going to satisfy 100% of their fan base 100% of the time. Some people are going to love this and some are going to hate it.

Can't argue with twenty quid a year - that is the definition of reasonable. But I do want a proper VC with downloaded, offline games that I would own. That surely has to be involved or else Nintendo is forcing an online tether to its portable console.

Now that I've had a couple hours to think...
I bet all NES and eventually SNES Nintendo first party games will be free with the internet service, but a VC will still exist for 3rd party NES and SNES games. That way Nintendo and 3rd party companies both get money for the service. 64 and gamecube games from Nintendo will also cost money I'd imagine. Hopefully they elaborate come E3. Also, SNES mini being a thing seems to get more and more legit based on all my conspiracy theories.

I seriously doubt these are going to be streamed games. Multiplayer on stream would be absolutely impossible even with Japan's low latency.

The price I can't complain about-- $1.66 a month for online AND free access to the archives.

The lack of SNES I have a sneaking suspicion on. They've announced they're aiming for online multiplayer. Ever try doing online multiplayer with ZSNES or any other emulator? They don't like latency much. Nintendo's probably struggling to get even NES games reasonable. The most effective solution for emulator netplay is to use a rollback system like GGPO, but that still requires you to know the data structures that are most important for the rollback.. which means a significant amount of effort per-game. They're probably needing quite a bit of time just to get through the NES games before they even hit SNES.

And that doesn't even cover the fact they'll have to renegotiate the licensing for these titles AGAIN for the third party stuff. Square-Enix already demonstrated in the Wii U era that they have no interest in re-releasing that stuff except at a high price premium. Sega has lost all interest entirely. Nintendo's work is really cut out for them on that end.

I honestly think Nintendo is being hyper-conservative on what they promise right now because they're desperately afraid to overpromise on this in particular. Honestly, they do have good reason to be worried-- about any time they announce anything, people read between the lines and get angry without any evidence supporting it.

@Krillin My best guess is that these "online classics" will be like PSN+ games. The system will keep track of your subscription and let you play them offline (obviously without multiplayer) as long as the latest info the Switch has about your subscription says it hasn't lapsed.

@bezerker99 - I've been contemplating a Retron for years now. Good CRT TVs become more scarce and expensive (and heavier) every year, and I've been thinking consolidation and convenience would be nice. I wouldn't give up on my old hardware, but I think I would actually play my old software more often if I had a modern option. I have all my original NIntendo home consoles and games from NES through WiiU (except a GC), as well as a 2600 and a Genesis. I hope you enjoy your Retron.

@NEStalgia "Logic would tell us that it's tied to your account, just like PSN,"

PS+ is tied to your account, but it isn't limited to your account. Or your hardware. My kids or I can all play online on our PS4, and we can all play all of our PS+ games on our 2 PS3. So I think "tied" is correct, but ti's very sharable. Xbox 1 also lets us all share our Gold account for online play, but we only own the 1 Xbox so I have no idea how that works across hardware. (Family account is a super pain in the butt though for my kids PC access, I'm nto even going into it here.)

2 Switch, the problem is really more w/ the saves. On my two PS3 I can play a game on any 1, save moves thru the cloud, and when I bought my second I moved all the saves over via USB thumbdrive bc/ i didn't have PS+. Once Pokemon Gen 8 or 9 (whatever is next) comes out, each of my kids will probably need their own Switch. 1 can use our "family" console, but probably the older will buy his own so he can take it to college in 3 years. But he'll be screwed b/c all of his previous game saves will be locked on the family. So even if we have 2 Switch, it's still almost really like having 1 Switch if you want to save your game progress. Which SUX.

So I'm interested in seeing how "Nintendo Online" - needs a better name, "MyNintnedo Online" maybe - actually works for a family w/ multiple accounts and multiple Switch. They really need cloud or MicroSD card saves before we buy a second Switch or SwitchPocket.

This could be cool if they put up a good library. I'm sorta retroed out so I'm not bothered either way aside from handheld games. WiiU spoiled me.

@RedMageLanakyn ""we have nothing to announce at this time/on this topic""

I really hope "at this time" means today but at E3 they'll answer questions, but this being Ntinedo they'll never answer questions, we'll have to wait until a familiy with multiple Switch and accounts subscribe to "Nintnedo Online" to see how it works.

I think part of the problem is Reggie doesn't really know anything technical, so he could'tn answer if he wanted to. Not even a simple thing like - "Do we need to be connected online to use the NES games? We shouldn't, but if we do, like Super Mario Jump, it's going to be a hassle as much as people play in portable mode. Having a portable hotspot available isn't the same as always having it on and using your smartphone data plan to play Dr. Mario. But they'll never answer that question either. Not ever.

@rjejr God, that would be terrible if you had to be always online to play the subscription games. Nintendo wouldn't do that.....would they?

@ValhallaOutcast Yeah. To be fair I suspect some of that arrives with the paid service (which is now delayed, boo, but online is free longer, so it's a fair trade.) Koizumi did say launch week that they were looking into ways to handle that.... If they do it will certainly be tied to the paid account.

But for now, it's really problematic. Though I guess in a time where most people that want one switch can't get one, they're not too worried about handling two

I'm not really sure how this is a bad thing to some people. This is a much better solution than what was previously announced, and at a very reasonable price. I also don't have any concerns over this being the "new" virtual console - Nintendo knows they can milk their fans by having us by the games yet again. I almost definitely spent more than $20 per year on VC games. I think the new online service and retro games will be offered alongside the traditional VC.

@rjejr Combination of the saves (my biggest issue) and also eShop games (and how they affect saves.) If I download MK8 on my main account on my main switch, I can't play it on a second Switch even with the same account because it can only play on the hardware that is "primary" for that account. The game is locked to account + hardwareid (you can deactivate your hardware as primary to change it, but the whole library goes with it.) In addition your saves don't travel with it.

So if I want MK8D as a download on one Switch, and Disgaea as a download on another Switch, I need to buy MK8D under one account on one Switch, buy Disgaea under a DIFFERENT account on a different Switch, and I can't play the game on the other machine even if the account exists on both machines without changing which is "primary." And the saves won't move with it no matter what.

Physical solves the licensing issue other than the saves.

Again, this is all pre-paid-service......I firmly expect that situation to change radically once subscriptions are running. But for now, it's kind of ugly. And I'm actively searching a second Switch! (I play physical mostly so having different games in each machine pays....but I still couldn't bring saves from one to another so I have to commit a game to one machine.)

I think this is good. Virtual console has long since needed a Netflix style way of accessing classic games. I think the $5 per Nes title has been outdated for far too long and I'm Looking forward to not having to but these games again. If I ever do feel llike owning them, I have other means of obtaining these games

Last generation, I knew everybody who supported Microsofts xbl was a bad idea and so did Sony and Nintendo. I never had any problems with psn or the Nintendo network on the Wii, ps2 and PS3. I remember The Xbox install base claiming they loved paying for Xbox live and even arguing that it was worth 60 bucks. Gamers voted with their pockets last gen and now we are all forced to pay a monthly fee. There's no going back, the damage is done, so there's no reason to be mad because I'm sure everyone has had psn or xbl in the past 10 years. 20 dollars is much more reasonable than 60, even though I have a feeling that the price will increase to the standard at some point. It's getting to the point where owning all consoles is not only pointless but expensive as well, and i have a feeling that a lot of multi console owners are at a crossroads of dropping the support of their lest favorite system, which in my case is future Xbox consoles unless Microsoft gets serious and starts supporting their systems with the same quality and quantity that Nintendo and Sony always provide.

@NEStalgia Agreed, and that's one of the main reasons I stick with physical whenever possible. That, and my irrational nostalgic attachment to all things Nintendo =)

But, if Nintendo did get their act together with allowing games from one account to be accessed on multiple machines, cloud saves, compatibility with future consoles, etc... (Which will never happen) I probably wouldn't feel quite as bad about buying digital. My PC library has been digital for years, and I have no issues playing my games on the 3 different PCs in the house (And my laptop when I travel). I can play my games from 20 years ago, all the way up to current gen games, and I don't have to worry about losing access to my games with each new "generation", PC upgrade, windows reinstall, etc... I hope that someday Nintendo can reach that same level of convenience for digital purchases.

@geox30 I think they can't ditch it because the Switch isn't powerful enough to run the game online with voice chat at the same time, that's why you need a different device. I mean, I believe no one is stupid enough to choose this way over having it native on the system unless there's a limitation.

Price is less than i would have thought, good.

Only concern i have; can we play the classic games without being online?

I sure hope we can take them anywhere with the switch.

@RedMageLanakyn "Nintendo wouldn't do that"

There's nothing they wouldn't do. They bundled Wii Mini - no ethernet or Wi-Fi at all - with MKWii, one of the Wii's best online games.

I don't think they'll require a constant online connection to play, BUT, and it's kind of an important but, if you pay $4 for 1 month or $8 for 3 months and get a few games, how does it know to make you stop playing them when your subscription is up? I know they could just put a date on it but what if people change their date? So maybe you don't need online to play it, but maybe you have to check in once a day or something?

I have both PS+ and Gold, and have had them both expire, but those are both always online home consoles, Wii U as well still calling in every hour or so, so I'm not sure how it works w/ a portable. I suspect a catch, but I'm a very jaded person, I always suspect a catch.

Now we're talking! Give us N64 and SNES games as well (Gaaaamecube??) and I will gracefully play each and every one of them.

Also there needs to be Virtual Console.

@Linked2thaPast

MS gives XBL members 4 free games every single month, many of which are very good, and 360 GwG you keep forever, (worth the $5 per month all by itself). Also, access to some really nice game sales on old and new games, which, of course, you keep forever even if you don't renew.

$20, while very cheap in comparison to $60, still isn't very good value considering they're only allowing "access" to NES games and online play. Meaning you'll no longer have access if you don't renew, similar to PS+ and XBL. Nintendo's language referring to SNES games isn't very encouraging. SNES, GB, GBA, N64, Wii, and DS games will still have to be bought at some price TBD if at all. Still no word on Gamecube games.

It's cheaper, but you get less. Makes sense.

PC will likely always have free online, so theres always that.

@NEStalgia "If I download MK8 on my main account on my main switch, I can't play it on a second Switch even with the same account because it can only play on the hardware that is "primary" for that account."

Is that true or are you just surmising since it sounds like you only have 1 Switch? If I purchase 2 $300 Switch and set up my account on each, and then buy a $60 digital game, I can only download it to 1 Switch? That's kinda messed up. What's the point in buying digital then? Bad enough the saves are locked, how can they lock the game? What if it's a $19.99 digital only Nindie game?

I have 2 boys, likely at some point we will own 3 Switch, maybe 1 normal Switch, 1 no screen SwitchTV (3 years from now) and 1 no TV out SwitchPocket (2 years from now). Or maybe we own 3 Switch after we can buy it w/o the dock. If games can only be downloaded once, that's a deal breaker. I returned my PS Vita b/c it only had 1 account. I unplugged my PSTV b/c it would only stream 1 PS4 account. (Kept it, $28 clearance at Target.)

Well as you say, let's wait and see what happens in 2018 when they finish the Switch OS, firmware and this online stuff. It could all work out.

Well, I think this could be love <3 <3

@Devlind
Don't be silly. It is not a matter of power, the original Xbox had voice chat implementation. It is the Nintendo syndrome, they have to do everything their own way and it ends up troubling us in the end.

And this, folks, is why emulators exist. If you waited for Nintendo to re-release their entire library of classic games you would die long before that day ever comes.

@rjejr It'll probably have an online check in when you first fire up the switch, which will suck for those on the go with no access to Internet, those games will be unplayable. I'm sure there will be a catch, there always is with Nintendo.

That's great for everyone who wants Nintendo's online service. But it's not launching on my console. Besides the games, the local multiplayer/couch co-op is the better feature to its portability. Imo

Well, there went the Virtual Console.

@rjejr No, you can download it on to a second Switch. You deactivate the account on Switch #1, then log in to the same account on Switch #2 and you can redownload your games.

No different than PSN in that regard, except you can only have the account activated on one Switch at a time, whereas PSN allows for 2 or 3 (not sure what the number is) PS4s at once.

@rjejr It's a confirmed fact, unfortunately. You have to deactivate the machine as the account's "Primary device" to play the same game on a different device (after making it the account's "Primary device."

Koizumi explicitly said they're looking into that, back during the launch week interviews, so it's heavily implied that's not the permanent state of things, and I'm assuming the paid service is when things will change. But for now, yeah, that's an annoying limitation. Retail, Nindie, it's all the same. An eShop download is account + hardware locked. Some people with two Switches have been switching games between machines by deactivating the device (you just click deactivate in settings, and activate the other by logging in.) It doesn't seem like there's a limit how often you can do it.

For now physical is definitely the better way to manage multiple Switches. They're expecting households to have multiple Switches, with Kimishima calling it "replicating the 3DS household", though, so I firmly do believe this problem will be fixed....it might just not happen till 2018 now though. This might even get fixed before then at an OS level (there's a grayed out "download patches from local switches" option with games with note saying "available in a future update". So there's obvious system level features that are yet to be delivered to the point it says it right in the UI.

I for one love that feature pending for multiple switches. One person downloads their 10GB patch and just shares it over wifi to the others. That's a neat modern feature the other consoles don't have. (Neither does Switch yet...until they activate it )

Crossing my fingers for" 3.0 Update available after the presentation." on 6/12

@RedMageLanakyn PS+ attaches an end date on each file so it can be played offline.

@IceClimbers Right...but can't play the game on the second Switch if you deactivate it and activate the first one again.

Though I guess we could consider "Deactivate" a "log out" button. Same thing really.

There's definitely some questions about this.

Is this an accumulating library, or will it work like PS+ where you only have that month to download it for free and then it changes?

How often will games be added/switched out?

How many games will be added each time?

Will 3rd parties be on board with this service?

@NEStalgia Yup. All they have to do to fix it is increase the number of Switches you can have the account activated on at one time.

I don't even play games online. Not everyone has access to a good connection for online play. My concern is the VC I have paid for! I counted 71 games on my 3ds between NES, Gameboy/color and Gamegear! I should be able to transfer my purchases to the switch.

@Crono1973 Well the last time PSN went out, about a month ago, I couldn't play any of my digital games at all, PS+ or not. So obviously things can go wrong with even that type of setup. This is a big step for nintendo, and it's going to take a lot of time for them to get it right, or even get on par with Sony and MS stability.

@SuperWeird
Instead of emulators, why don't buy Oldies games / video games to feel the Retro genuinely ?

Finally a paid service where I can hopefully try out the games whenever I want and have decent Internet multiplayer. Hopefully they'll still include the ability to purchase the VC Game separately so for those of us off line at times if we want to play it we can. For the most part I'm happy with a subscription service plenty of games I'm only gonna try once or twice and never play again or not worth purchasing or just fun to try out every now and then.

@Firehawke That happens specifically with ZSNES because it's no longer properly updated, so it's outdated and insecure. That doesnt apply to SNES9x, which is the way to go these days.

@IceClimbers "No different than PSN in that regard, except"

Don't you feel that "except" kind of nullifies your whole argument? I only have 1 PS4 so I have no idea how that works, won't even guess, but I have two PS3, same accounts, games and passwords loaded on each one, no problems I can think of. I bought Minecraft once and I can play w/ my son, me on my account on one PS3, he on his account on the other. Of course online play was free on PS3 so I'm nto sure how that would work on PS4 that I only have 1 of.

So just what does "Deactivate" mean? Do you mean just log out? I have no problem with that. On PSP or Vita, I forget which at the moment, you had to entirely delete accounts and wipe things and have different memory cards, WAY more trouble than it was worth.

Again, w/ the locked save, it probably doesn't matter how many Switch you have, nobody is going to want to start a game from the beginning that often, but I read the word "Deactivate" and it sounds like something unnecessary on Ntinedo's part, just let us sign in like we do on Wii U.

Nintendo knew people weren't going to go for buying the same VC games again after buying them on Wii, 3DS and Wii U so now we have this subscription service as a way to keep people paying over and over and over again for the same games. Now, you will never be done paying for Super Mario Bros. It's brilliant!

@Anti-Matter Well, for example, I'm playing through my cart of Harvest Moon SNES... I wouldn't blame someone for emulating it, though, because a huge part of the game involves taking care of the animals... Which, if you're familiar with the slowdown when enough are onscreen, it's absolutely unbearable. It would probably take tens of times less time expended to use an emulator and speed through the barn without slowdown. I started playing it a few months ago, I'm still only on first year Winter because it takes mental fortitude to deal with the slowdown every game day when you have 12 cows. Some games also have mods which improve their balance. In any case, it doesn't apply to all games, but for some, emulating is a godsend.

@NEStalgia "So there's obvious system level features that are yet to be delivered"

Like a web browser and Netflix.

Guess we'll have to wait and see. I do think it will limit sales of Switch if the save stays locked. People who might own 2 or 3 special editions like Pokemon or Monster Hunter who might want to randomly play on different ones. in a digital world it matters less, but w/ 3DS game carts my kids played on any of our three 3DS, which was nice when batteries needed to be recharged.

And people are going to expect cloud saves when paying to play online. I think my X1 cloud saves everything whether I want it to or not. Probably along w/ my DNA and saliva sample. Of course Nintneod needs to make enough first for people to own 1 Switch, much less 2 or more, so there's time for that yet.

@IceClimbers I can see why they wouldn't do that, so people can't give someone else access to all their purchased games (I.E. buy one copy of Arms, and the family can play together, but someone that buys physical can't do that.) But at the same time the ability to move a game between consoles would be nice. Probably the best solution is instead of a "primary system" activation, just activate each game individually the same way rather than system-wide. And allow a second system to "barge in" on the activiation so you don't have to have System #1 to deactivate the game to play on System #2...if System #1 has a net connection it could "take control" of that activation (but can't if it's offline.) That would be a reasonable workaround. I think with PSN only one system can be logged in at once under the same account at the same time. Switch could allow multiple logins like it currently does, but activate the games on each system.

@rjejr No, not really.

Activate/deactivate is basically a sugar coated synonym for link/unlink. When you activate an account on your Switch, it links the account to that hardware. Deactivating it unlinks the account from that hardware.

That's exactly how PSN works as well. The difference is that they allow you to have the account linked to several PS3s/PS4s at once (not sure on this, but I believe the number of PS4s allowed at once is smaller than the number of PS3s). With Switch you can only have it linked to one at a time.

You can deactivate your account through the eShop by the way.

@rjejr Yeah, I mean I like complaining about it because it's a really annoying issue, but I also would be utterly stunned if it wasn't changed, given their own history (3DS launched without save backups, then added it) and their owns statements "3DS household" and Koizumi's statements of looking into how to manage it. I'm pretty sure they just decided "lets just put it out with it being restricted, and flesh it out as we flesh out the online service" . If they want the "3DS household" environment they're certainly going ot make that workable.

I also heavily relied on the on-cartridge saves for swapping to a different machine. I love that feature. Fantasy Life killed me when it saved to the SD instead of the card!

LOL on X1...yeah...probably. I love cloud saves but I'd really rather it was better managed than how PS4 does it. I used to pay FOR the cloud saves. Till they screwed the pricing up.

I am not a fan of this, I hate pay per view and subscription based business models. As long as I can still buy the games I want, i won't lose any sleep over it.
Also, I hope with this set up, you still download the game, not to have a permanent internet connection.

@BinaryFragger Doesn't PS+ only give access to certain games per month?

From my understanding here, Nintendo's new service gives you access to a library that they add more games to rather than remove them. It sounds like Nintendo's old planned service is closer to PS+ than the new service.

@bimmy-lee This will be my first Retron purchase. For that price, I couldn't resist. If it turns out to be lame, I'm not out too much money.

PS: I wish I still had my 2600!

@Ernest_The_Crab We don't know if they will remove them. It could be like Netflix where third party titles expire after a few months.

It's really ridiculous how every announcement from Nintendo is full of holes and leaves more questions than we started with before the announcement.

Wow. So so much negativity. Internet people...never be happy.
I was just excited that the price tag was scaled back by 30%! And I love the subscription concept...If I had to buy outright every movie I watched on Netflix and every song I listened to on Apple Music, I'd be spending so much on storage.

@Hokanchu If I had to buy outright every movie I watched on Netflix and every song I listened to on Apple Music, I'd be spending so much on storage.

So your argument is that you like perpetually renting games because it saves you money on storage? You do know that retro game files are very small right? I found this on Reddit:

All NES games (this is the entire NES library, not just first party Nintendo games) would take up 237 Mb.

All SNES game: 1.7 Gb

....and so on. here's the link https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/3h2fqx/how_much_space_it_would_take_to_store_every/

There can't be a weaker argument than the storage one because the way Nintendo drip feeds the VC games, you would never even come close to needing anything more than a 16 Gb USB stick.

I'm surprise to see so many people asking for gamecube vc. Does people realise that most good GC games used analog trigger which are not available on Switch ... (Sunshine, Fzero, Metroid etc...)

The price is good... I imagine snes games will be announced after the snes mini has been and gone. Maybe the nes mini was discontinued as they intend to bring the same games to the subscription service..

@Crono1973 I was speaking of storage of music and movies and how it relates to the fact that I don't need to own every piece of media I've ever encountered. Upon rereading, that wasn't entirely clear and I can see where you might have been confused. My bad.

Ultimately the point is that, with the exception of a middling few, games of this generation are not things I need to own anymore. When Nintendo gave away those 20 free NES games to early adopters of the 3DS, I found that I played them a few times and then deleted them. (I can only play Donkey Kong for so long before I start wanting to put my head through a wall)

When the offerings are of later generation, perhaps I'll care more. But as it stands, what we know for certain is that the news is pretty great: $10 less than what we originally anticipated!
And until we get the definitive word that the Virtual Console is DOA, I refuse to get my panties in any sort of twist.

@bezerker99 - That's a nice price. Definitely worth a shot. The option to import games with language patches is alluring as well. There are dozens of Japanese SNES games I'd like to play. My 2600 actually belonged to my grandmother, but it's the first home console I ever played. I'm the only one who played with her, and she gave it to me many years later. We spent a LOT of time together playing Pong and wandering around as E.T. looking for keys. Good times.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE The benefit to having access to a library of games through a subscription would be that you could play games that you perhaps were interested in but didn't want to purchase and then find out you hated it. Of course whether this is worth the subscription price also depends on the size of the library and how often they add new games. I also wonder if games will eventually be taken out of the library after a certain time and if the games will be available to purchase outright for non-subscribers. There are still questions to be answer but I can see this being a good thing for me at least.

£20 a year to play a library of NES and SNES games? That is too good to be true...

Hope I can make use of those gold points to pay for MP. Now that would be true customer love!

@Menchi187
so true.. here we go again, unfortunately.

Nintendo's support of the Virtual Console has been a lazy second thought at best. The Wii, DSi, 3DS, WiiU, and N3DS were all drip fed VC classic content and suffered slow, premature, miserable, unfulfilled deaths.

Now we are being asked to wait until 2018, so Nintendo can figure out how to add in stuff like 'online features' to old ROMS?? Online features that now apply only to NES games apparently?

@bezerker99 Sadly no, and I haven't played them in years due to not having compatibility with my TV.

I have Mega Man X, Super Mario RPG, F-Zero, Super Godzilla, Super Mario All Stars and... that's it.

Ballon Fight? Balloon Fight is the carrot to make me reach for my Visa card? Strewth, give me strength...!

@Hokanchu You know what getting your panties in a twist gets you? Change if there is still time for it to be made. People got their panties in a twist over the Xbone DRM thing and it was changed before launch. People complained about the original idea Nintendo had for the Switch online service where they gave a single NES/SNES but only for a month and it was changed. I also want to point out that Nintendo purposely withholds lots of information that they should be revealing and that shouldn't be used to shield them from criticism.

Whatever though, you are saying that NES games aren't worth playing, even when you get them free on the 3DS but somehow this is a good deal when all they are offering is NES games? Seems pretty inconsistent on your part. Not that I disagree, how many times will people keep paying for NES games?

@geox30 The Xbox 360 didn't run on battery. There must be a sacrifice for portability, and that was voice chat.

@gokev13 When a VC game comes out that I am mildly interested in but have never played, I demo it and it's free. Care to guess how? Paying for a subscription service to demo old games is a solution without a problem.

@Ogre Especially when they already promised SNES games too, which emulators have done for 15 years....

@Menchi187
Honestly, I'm just disappointed. I love Nintendo's games, I always have. I've got all their systems, more carts and discs than I can count, and a Donkey Kong machine in my living room.

But as a lifelong fan, someone who supported their last console especially, I'm not seeing them go above and beyond like they need to, I'm just seeing the same vicious cycle all over again.

Virtual Console AND Netflix-style services/Paid Subscriptions/cloud storage/discount program for re-downloading/ Netflix and Hulu, etc (these are all fairly basic offerings that other companies and platforms, with much less money and resources, currently provide) should have been ready to go on Switch's launch day...not "sometime next year".

Nintendo is literally a billion dollar company. I just want them to occasionally act like one.

Um, why is virtual console such a needed thing? Half of you complainers just use emulators with cheats either way...

Nintendo is giving you guys access to a library of games for 20$ a year, I only get 3-4 Gold games on my Xbox One(And they are usually some random 3rd party game I wouldn't care much for) a month and that is well over 5 dollars... having a dedicated library to games, weather that be NES or SNES is a pretty good deal for only 20$ a year... That also includes online and the works...

I just can't stand people, They complain if they only have it a month, now they complain because it is "renting" it for 20$ a year.
Just so we are clear, everyone knows that they could go to a rom site and have these games for free? right? This whole bickering over a Virtual Console that is dedicated died with the Wii(U), just get over it.

@JonnaGold People want to pay Nintendo for retro games but Nintendo makes it hard. They apparently don't go out of their way to release the games people want and in a timely manner. For example, there are so many JRPG's that Japan got but NOA couldn't be bothered to convince those developers to release those games here. Want to give Nintendo and Square Enix money to play Lufia 2? Too bad and the cart is too expensive and just goes to greedy resellers anyway so you may as well emulate it. One thing Gabe said that I cannot forget and do agree with is that piracy is a service problem.

@Crono1973 I am assuming that you mean using emulators (especially since you are defending it in your last comment). I used to use a emulators to play games that I new I was never going to play legally (like Lufia 2) or to try games that I wanted as a kid but never ended up getting. I don't know though, for me I just gradually stopped and never went back. However you justify it, it is still illegal but I understand why people do it. Just because I do not have the means to obtain something legally does not give me the right to obtain it illegally, even if it is something as trivial and harmless as video games. Still being able to not only try games I haven't played but to finish them, master them, play them with others online is attractive to me. If the library gets large enough, even if I get enjoyment out of say 4 games a year or so it is worth it to me. I mean it's cheaper than Netflix and hopefully they have enough games on it that I would use it more than Netflix but I guess we will see.

@gokev13 Is it illegal to demo a game on an emulator, I suppose but the police really don't care. the legality of it is a non-issue. You can call it immoral to use an emulator to demo a VC title that you may have interest in buying but Nintendo expects you to buy it without offering a demo so who is worse? I think people are either entitled to a demo or there should be a return policy in place. If you think that's weird think about other consumer products, you buy a lawn mower and it performs poorly, you can return it (I did that last weekend).

As for the issue of games no longer being sold by the copyright holder in any way like Lufia 2. Why do you care if I emulate it instead of buying a cart from a retro game shop? When bought from reseller Nintendo gets nothing, SE (current owner of the franchise) gets nothing, Neverland (developer) gets nothing and Natsume (publisher) gets nothing.

I would buy Lufia 2 right now on the VC if only they would release it and then all the right people would get paid but if they won't release it.... Piracy is a service problem.

@Crono1973 I don't care if you use an emulator or not. Like I said I used to emulate games, mostly SNES RPGs. Since it is such a tricky issue legally and morally I just ended up steering away from it and I personally just don't think of it as an option for me anymore.

I'm just explaining why this subscription thing might be something I would be interested in. It would be great if companies offered demos for every game produced but in the meantime if I am unsure I usually look at what reviewers say about a game to find out if the pros will outweigh the cons for me. With a library of games even if I hate a game on there I can still finish it which is something I tend to do.

A while back someone gave me a bunch of old NES games and I played and finished a bunch of them, even the ones that I thought were awful to begin with. Usually when I was good enough to finish a game I didn't like I had a new found appreciation for it and managed to actually enjoy the fact that I beat it and experienced it. These are games I never would have purchased myself but am glad I experienced. If the library has a bunch games that I adore and ones that I never would have bought but found enjoyment out of them nonetheless, then $20 a year is worth it for me. Again I guess we shall see the fuller details later.

I am also not a fan of the renting, but keep in mind that technically we never owned any downloaded games.

As for the paid online: Maybe a dumb question, but if it starts next year does that mean that Mariokart 8 deluxe, Splatoon 2 and Arms have all free online?

Needless to say, If Nintendo lets people pay for online they should deliver REALLY good online. Not just "Nintendo" good!

This isn't a replacement for VC. Nintendo won't let you have lots of NGC, WII and N64 games for just £20 a year, they won't be letting you have those games for free, so yeah there will be a separate system in place so you will have to buy them at a high price yet again

@Nik-Davies Sorry if it's been answered. The library growz each month, so you do get access to all the previous games.

@Totaldude911 I haven't. Thanks for the response. That sounds good. It would be a shame if they did it the PS+/G4G way, where you only have that month to download the game. Though, I guess it's more understandable for that sort of thing.

@NintySnesMan Right now, only NES games are part of the deal and given Nintendo's past with the VC and the drip feed, $20 a year is a little expensive.

@Crono1973 I think its safe to assume more consoles and their titles will be added to the service. Or maybe not. But I think its a safe assumption. So in that sense (and like anything you choose to be an early adopter to) you are not only investing in the product or service for the here and now, but for its potential down the line. I bought a Switch, fairly close to launch, knowing full well it wasn't going to have a robust lineup. But the games coming down the road and the potential of possible games eventually helped to play a part in my decision (along with the ability to play a legit console Zelda or Mario Kart on the go).

Now, that might not be enough for some. And that's fine. Some people want a complete meal out the box. Maybe for some, its not unreasonable to expect Nintendo to have all their ducks in the row from jump. Myself and others are willing to be patient and wait for Nintendo to roll out their strategy when they see fit (which I assume might be at E3 or sometime around then).

@UmbreonsPapa So in that sense (and like anything you choose to be an early adopter to) you are not only investing in the product or service for the here and now, but for its potential down the line.

NIntendo restarted and drip fed the Virtual Console on the 3DS and the Wii U and they are going to do it again here. No one should be foolish enough to trust Nintendo to treat the VC right because they haven't since the Wii (and even then there were many titles that were left out for us in NA). Please people, don't buy a Switch for the potential of the Virtual Console, Nintendo has proven how little they care for it.

If you want to say this isn't the VC and liken this to something like the 3D Classics, there is even less potential as Nintendo dropped that pretty quick. Nintendo came out of the gate running for Wii games on the Wii U but then slowed it to a trickle and they did the same for SNES games on the New 3DS. If they are usually strong out of the gate but fall short after that then what does it say about them only starting this with NES games.

@NEStalgia "I mean I like complaining about it because it's a really annoying issue, but I also would be utterly stunned if it wasn't changed,"

When I first read that I thought you were talking about my SLIG thread. Are you part of that, it's a nightmare so I've been avoiding all of those email replies. I think it was the Switch UK Store bundles, but it got derailed, Then I derailed it even further, to the point where even I'm afraid to go back in. So it goes.

@IceClimbers "You can deactivate your account through the eShop by the way."

Well that sounds easy enough, thanks.

If Sony does ever come out w/ a Vita 2 or PSP 3 or Vitago, they'd better make sure you can use it w/ more than 1 account. I'm still mad my PSTV does such a good job at streaming my PS4, but only on my account, so neither of my 2 kids can use it. Makes no sense to advertise "PS4 streaming" when we have 4 PS4 accounts but only 1 of those can actually stream.

Ridiculous. Could still turn out great, but I still don't know what they're thinking offering up those same games AGAIN. Do they think people just buy one Nintendo console and then are like "welp I am good forever?"

Get some relative unknowns in there. Put up Joy Mech Fight or something. Get people talking, rather than just expecting to coast on "I played this as a kid" nostalgia forever.

@rjejr i can confidently say I'm not a part of that toy have me curious though, should i prepare my NL bingo card?

@BinaryFragger Nintendo's service is (rightly) receiving flak here. Still, it's better than what people thought it would be, even if it's admittedly not even as good as PS+ or (now) Games with Gold.

It is sad that we miss what Nintendo used to be so much that we are convincing ourselves that losing the last free online console left and getting rental games without the option to buy is ok. I am guilty of doing the same thing. It's like the acceptance stage of death because we have no choice. I've been through grief and denial already. Twenty bucks isn't a big deal, but no owning the games doesn't give a sense of accomplishment and I doubt $20 will stay the same long.

I'm not getting any of this crap until they get their act straight. Getting really tired of this...

I guess that's why the NES mini was discontinued!

As good as classic NES titles are, I'm really getting a bit tired of them. I mean, I've had access to them for almost 10 years on the Wii, and of course before that on the actual NES.

Plus, what's so compelling about online multiplayer on a console promoting local co-op??

I'd gladly pay some bucks more for a collection of best N64/Gamecube/Wii titles or current Switch titles like PS4 does.

@crimsontadpoles Its not. The VC will be there too

Because, you know, NES games haven't been easily available for at least the last 10 years...

"NES Library" needs clarification, as does the rest of this service. I know they've said games such as SMB3, Balloon Fight, and Dr. Mario, but I'm wondering, are we getting like, 300 NES games out the gate (for example), or, are they continuing the "trickle-trend" of adding 1 or 2 NES games, etc, a week? If they don't aim for the former, then this new service falls flat on it's face. The wait-and-hope VC game release method just doesn't cut it anymore with how it's been done through Wii, Wii U, DSi, and 3DS thus far. C'mon Nintendo, pull back the curtain on this "Virtual Console" already-- If good, I'll buy in, if not, I'm going to go full tilt on emulation for classic gaming.

@DESS-M-8 You have them on your WiiU, what's the problem?