Soapbox: No, HD Wii Games Coming to Nvidia Shield Doesn't Foretell a Switch Virtual Console

That video is not even worth a watch! The Nvidia shield uses graphics cards comparable to the switch so by default having these games run on them is an open possibility (more than we had before this announcement for china) than we had before. Virtual console streaming may be the way to go for Nintendo and this is a complete test to then launch it worldwide but for the Nintendo Switch instead.

@Tetroy64 The games are being streamed to the Shield via GeForce Now in China, they're not native HD ports.

Edit: Sorry should say I don't know if they're native ports or not but there's nothing to suggest they are

Second edit: The above is apparently nonsense, ignore me.

I know that's not a popular opinion, but I think that lack of Virtual Console on Switch is good for now. Why? Cause indie developers can port their games to Switch and sell them. We heard about fantastic results of SteamWorld Dig 2 (10 times better sales than on Steam), Wonder Boy (sales on Switch better than other platforms combined) and other games. VC titles would interfere with these games. I think it's intentional decision from Nintendo. Of course I hope that at one point we get awesome VC with GameCube titles, but not now.

@CTMike Actually they are native. There was some sort of commotion about this, but Nvidia said that they're not streamed.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/7hoe1y/nintendo_wii_gamecube_games_come_to_china_on/dqto4qi/

@Elanczewski yup, just actually searched and read the same thing haha, ignore me

Why is everyone is such a mad hurry for Nintendo to announce they are releasing an old game once or twice when they feel like it? In 2 years time, fans will have hernias that game x and y hasn't been released when game z has and that certain releases make 'perfect sense' etc etc. (I'm messing...HURRY UP ALREADY MR NINTENDO SIR!)

Yeah, these are not streamed, but actual native ports. In all likelihood done by Nvidia similar to the ports of MGS2, Rising, Doom 3, etc. to the Shield platform.

Now it would be somewhat foolish to throw away all this work when/if Nintendo decides to release Wii games on Switch. Anyway, whoever is responsible for these Shield TV ports has already done the legwork considering platform similarities. Though the different API and OS means cannot simply run on Switch hardware without significant effort, of course.

I certainly won't complain if the Switch renders Wii VC in 1080p...

They would cost too much anyway. Some of the prices on Wii U for old Wii games is a bit of a stretch. They’re indeed worth $20, but... for especially those of us investing our time and money on new games, its not as likely to be bought.

As others have said, this year of no VC has allowed the indies to thrive and gamers to build up a collection of games they perhaps might not have if VC was here. Its helped the Switch big time.

Such a big deal is made about VC yet when I does finally arrive for the 4th time, those complaining about not having it will instead be complaining about the games that aren't available. It's actually a relief to not have the same old games dominating the conversation under every single weekly update. I remember feeling frustrated at the results of many weekly Wii U updates.

For example, if something like Mega Man 2 released then it would be a "great week".however a week that included lots of quality indies, a couple of lesser known VC but no Megaman 2 would be a" terrible week". A more recent example would be one user commenting on a weekly update a few weeks ago.

"Stop with these crappy old Neo Geo games and give us VC Nintendo"

Comments like that frustrate me to end . it seems some gamers just want the same few titles again and again and again......

@OorWullie I haven't got time to moan about virtual console. Gunbird is releasing this week with Zero Gunner down the line and R-Type / Last Blade and Double Dragon just around the corner. Not to mention tate modes. Sooooo....I can wait

Why must you spit on our hopes? A VC service is my #1 want on Switch and in my opinion the main thing, and only significant thing the Switch is missing.

China is the Worst place to play Nintendo games.

We all know this isn't confirmation of anything, but it's difficult to believe that with the hardware commonality, that it's unlikely that Nintendo would leverage this investment on the Switch.

Not going to bother watching this video.

Um, actually they would still be playable on the go. Tabletop is a thing, ya know. And totally portable.

I know, I know, it's not always possible to sprawl out with tabletop mode but I'm just saying, it's totally possible.

@OorWullie don't think I'm that guy, but with Metal Slug 1, X, 3, Shock Troopers, and Aerofighters 2 I'm set on Neo Geo games. Most are brawlers that aren't as good as the TMNT and Double Dragon games or fighters that all pale in comparison to Ultra Street Fighter II. By all means I want them to continue releasing Neo Geo games, other arcade games, and smash indies like Shovel Knight and Mighty Gunvolt Burst but I'm ready to play all the NES and SNES games I love portably on a nice big, HD screen. VC can't come soon enough, but when it does I'll throw a bunch of money at it. Unless its just a subscription, then I'll pay that smaller fee.

@OorWullie Agreed on the frustration part. Then again: no matter what comes, there will always be complaining idiots. First they demand ice cream, then they get it, but apparently, it's the wrong flavor, and even if it actually IS the right flavor, it doesn't have sprinkles on top or some kind of topping on it that they all of a sudden also demand.

The discussion is much the same as the third party one: Nintendo gamers want/demand more third party games, Nintendo moves heaven and earth to get more third party games on Switch, and yet there is still more than enough stuff left to complain about.

"I thought you wanted more third party games on Switch?"

"Yes, I did, but not THAT kind of third party games."

Pffffffffff.....

I just want to play Yoshi’s Island and DKC2 on my shiny portable.

@AlexOlney "If I have to say Virtual Console one more time, I'm going to explode."

Proceeds to say Virtual Console several more times, but doesn't seem to be anywhere near exploding...

Would have been fun to have seen some Michael Bay-type of virtual pyrotechnics edited into the video, even though that would probably have been very un-Alex/un-Nintendo Life like, which is probably also the answer as to why the video didn't have such effects added in...

The Switch needs to have at least 1TB of internal storage space before we can start demanding for anything GameCube and Wii VC.

For a long I've complained about no info on VC, but starting to not care anymore. The Switch is getting good stuff to play, and my Wii U is still hooked up so I have that VC. I just wish I knew whether I'll ever get to play Star Fox and Star Fox 2 on my Switch...

If they did release Super Mario Galaxy HD on Switch I would want the option to use waggle/pointer controls. I couldn't imagine playing the game without them.

At this point I am pretty much expecting for their virtual console service to be a Netflix of sorts and really I have no problem with that. I mean if we have to pay the 20 bucks a month in order to get all the classic games we want without having to purchase them separately I can't see how that is a bad thing. It would also allow me to possibly try some hidden gems that I haven't wanted to plop down money for in case I don't like them.

@retro_player_22 On a system that small? That is highly unlikely, even if they did it would drive the price up probably around 50 bucks, maybe more. Personally I don't have any storage issues, but then again I dont buy every game that comes out like some people do.

@retro_player_22 : At least? Weren't GameCube games shipped on 1.4GB mini DVD-like proprietary discs? (Mind you, a lot of games wouldn't come close to utilising that space) And most Wii games were on the small side as well, with Smash being perhaps one of the few larger games on the system (requiring a dual-layer disc, if memory serves).

Even so, most GC/Wii games will be substantially smaller than the considerably less impressive games being pumped out by indies on Switch. A game as simple as Pure Chess requires 2GB of space for God's sake!

It's safe to say NO ONE but NVIDIA and Nintendo know how this will go down. So pretending you know is foolish.

@Dpishere $50? Lol, maybe if the Switch was using a mechanical hard drive (which would be a hideously bad idea in a handheld unit... one bad bump, and POOF, everything's gone).

@retro_player_22 There is no mobile device on the market with 1TB of flash storage, because the storage alone would cost hundreds of dollars. The technology you want just doesn't exist yet.

Man, the old blue color scheme of NL. Long time, no see

I'd be pretty happy with an external USB storage option for the dock, with the ability to quickly swap games back and forth between external and internal memory.

Certainly would beat having to delete and redownload content in both docked and handheld mode as space drys up on the limited capacity of a SD card. With external dock storage, all games are available for tv use on both internal and external memory, and you can easily sway games out for portable use when you decide to take a break from something and bring a different game with you.

@jimi Uhh? I've never gotten less than a full 3 hours out of my Switch, which is honestly more than I got out of the original 3DS half the time (if you don't know what that was, it was a dedicated handheld without any TV connectivity whatsoever). People like to really blow the battery life "problem" out of proportion.

The whole point of the Switch is switching between docked and undocked modes. Switching. Get it? Switch? Anyway, since external hard drives would stop working as soon as you undocked the console, it would completely undermine the entire point, not to mention the name.

Is it any wonder why people resort to emulation? Because of blatant company tenacity?

Well it's not impossible but I doubt people'd buy NSMBW, and that's coming from a big fan of the series. I'd rather prefer a New Super Mario Bros Switch instead. If Twilight Princess would come as a VC port the Wii U version would be perfect since it's controls and all are easy to port over since the button mapping is almost the same.

Nonetheless we can't say for sure it's impossible, yet.

It's always tough to predict what Nintendo is actually going to do. All I can say is I hope we see a Switch Virtual Console at some point with the original Wii being one of the featured systems. It just makes too much sense given how the Switch is designed and how versatile it is. This is the true successor to the Wii.

Nintendo has done more to encourage emulation than any video game company I can think of by making their back catalog of amazing titles the hardest to access legally without the aging systems they debuted on.

seriously, if there is no VC coming, then what will the nintendo online service be for ?

@retro_player_22 I'm not sure a £500 Switch will appeal to many people. VC games are typically quite small, but you'll need memory cards if they go down the GC/Wii route.

@electrolite77

200 GB is nothing in today's console world (And such cards are typically much more expensive than what you paid on sale). It's a huge issue.

My solution leaves you with a couple of minutes of time transferring a game from external to internal storage if you want to take it on the go. Nintendo's solution is to go through the much slower process of redownloading a game every time you had to delete something previously. Not only is it much slower, but it's equally unfriendly for portable use.

My way offers speed when managing your content on your internal storage, while offering far more storage capacity that's immediately accessible with docked play. It's not ideal, but since we're not about to see Switch systems with 1TB+ internal storage capacity, it's the next best thing.

@electrolite77 L.A. Noire alone is almost a 30 GB download. 200 GB doesn't go too far on a modern gaming system.

As for your scenario, I'm not completely clear on what you're saying. Why would Nintendo be responsible for someone's external HDD failing and having to be replaced? Why is it any more of a problem here from a customer support perspective than external storage on the Wii U was (Not to mention the competition)?

And why would there be any confusion when someone was playing say Breath of the Wild off external storage and tried to fire it up in portable mode and had a message pop telling them that the game currently isn't stored internally and to dock the system and transfer it from external storage if you want to play it on the go?

Certainly beats having to delete and redownload games when you have more content to manage than you have storage capacity, which is going to be a common complaint on the Switch soon given the cost and low capacity of SD storage.

@electrolite77 And the system is still well under a year old, we're talking a card that will usually run $70-$80 to buy, and you're already almost 3/4th's of the way full.

It's an issue.