Switch Online Is Going To Be The Place To Play Classic Nintendo Content, According To Reggie

Oh shut up Reggie,
So what?? I don't want the entire NES playlist, give me some SNES, N64 and Gamecube games

Best hop to it then.

Like many people will probably say, we need other games besides NES games if the Nintendo Switch Online is the only way to play classic games.
SNES, N64 & Gamecube games should be top priority but Game Boy, GBC and GBA games would be a neat bonus.

Just NES for the first year then it seems

If Gamecube games are part of the online subscription, I would take back every criticism I've had of the service. Ice Climbers just isn't enough to get it done.

"We haven’t even made the full library of NES games available yet."

Oh Reggie, at the rate of 3 a month that's going to take a really reaaaaally long time.

Ok, I thought I was gonna be THAT GUY and say, “So what?” Apparently I’m not alone. Let’s move past the NES shall we?

I... Really just want to buy them and have them on my Switch.

Waiting for nintendo to work out a deal with Konami and Nickelodeon to somehow get the classic TMNT series on to Switch Online

"So this content has to be optimised for the Switch environment"

Come on, now. Really? Not sure how hard that is.

I bet we’ll see games from other Nintendo systems on there soon, but I don’t know why Nintendo never say anything right out: it would mild people’s annoyance and make things clearer. Why make everything a secret? Be open with what will come and you will win more people over (except the usual trolls and constant whiners).

2 Things:

1) Either he's delusional, or
2) There's more content coming, but nobody knows WHEN

sighs
Time to wait a few years for SNES games....then another few for N64...by the time that happens the next system will be out and they'll start releasing only NES games again.

@EasyDaRon Ugh and I won't be surprised if the majority of them are obscure games everyone forgot about and doesn't even want to remember let alone play

Yeah, just before switch 2 is out!

Then we start from scratch again 👍👍👍👍

@RazumikhinPG it would be a huge improvement if they would release 3 a week! We're only getting 3 regular games and 1 easy mode game a month! I like these games, and I like the extra powerups in Gradius, but damn I want GBA, DS, SNES, N64(with improved graphics please, N64 games run terribly!), GameCube, Wii, GBC, original Gameboy, and 3ds games! And I'd like them tomorrow please!

This is ridiculous. Why would we want the entirety of the NES library before anything else? It’s gonns be the same as all other virtual consoles where a new console is out by the time we get more platforms

@Bunkerneath Totally agree. I am completely fed up with the whole NES games push by Nintendo and have ZERO interest in playing them.

I want to play the more modern games from the SNES, N64 and GameCube era.

Well there are 714 nes games out there and at 3 new games a month...

I really need Virtual Console. Nobody care to buy Console Classic is everywhere. Reggies was announce Nintendo 64 Classic.

"We haven’t even made the full library of NES games available yet"

Key word is "yet". You heard it here first folks. Get hyped for such NES Classics as:

-Wall Street Kid
-Taboo: the Sixth Sense
-Classic Concentration
-Color a Dinosaur
-Bad Street Brawler

I don’t mean to sound rude, Reggie but I have not read one (not one) comment, news report or article that has said ‘Yay, NES games! More please, Nintendo.”

Everyone is saying things along the lines of “hurry up and put out some SNES games and you can have all the subscriptions you want.”

NES games remain fun for about 5 minutes. When the novelty has wore off you’re left thinking “....but I wish it was Super Mario World/Super Metroid/Link to the Past.... etc”

It's so sick that Nintendo is dribbling out games like this while forcing a couple to pay millions for helping gamers enjoy great games for free. I love the games they make, but their corporate greed and willingness to go out of their way to stop people from playing their games can be repulsive.

I'm pretty sure there will be SNES games on Switch Online next year, probably GB and GBC for sure too. Maybe even N64.

...no, there is no sarcasm. I'm just a optimistic person.

People just need to be patient. Thy're giving us 3 games each month for "free" and there were only 714 NES games, so we'll start seeing SNES games in no time - around 20 years. This works perfectly for me, because I'll be nearing retirement at that point, and the SNES library is my favorite of all time - so I'll be able to fully dedicate myself to the SNES titles once they hit Nintendo's online service.

Now, I feel for the people waiting for N64. You guys have a bit longer to wait. With 1757 titles on SNES, we're looking at another 49 years. Unfortunately, I will not be alive to enjoy the N64 catalog, but I can rest easy with the SNES library available, at least.

I like how Reggie keeps Metroid in our consciousness whenever he is interviewed. I am so ready for a new Metroid entry. Heck, I'd even take the Prime Trilogy on Switch at this point! I could use another run-through of that series in the lead to Metroid Prime IV.

I’m all for loads of NES games - but mix it up. Every month release a game from 3 different platforms - 1 nes, 1 gba, 1 n64.

Next month a GameCube, SNES and Wii.

Then - SNES, Nes and N64 etc.....

Really?! The full library of NES games available yet. I thought it was. I thought I could go and play Tetris right now. 🤨

For the record, I like the NES games - I didn't have a NES as a kid, I started with the SNES and really got into gaming with the N64 and PS1. I've played most of what I want to play from the NES era on emulators over the years though, and even I - who was excited for classic Zelda, Metroid, and Mario - am starting to tire of it. Not just the service, but the lack of prospects for it. Is there anything that hasn't been released yet that's really worth my time?

It says something about Nintendo's strategy here when people have stopped screaming for Gamecube/Wii games on the Switch and have now adjusted their complaints to just scream for SNES games. Come on Nintendo.

@RazumikhinPG I think its each month.

This rental service is a waste of money. If I want to watch a movie I'll buy it, if I want to play a game I'd buy it. I'm certainly not going to be milked every year for the same content over and over again at this snail pace of release. Adding online to these games is really just slowing it down even further when they could just dump the ROM and be done with it! How about an option to purchase these games? An account system is in place. I've linked my 3ds account to my switch. Therefore I should be able to redownload my VC content to my switch at no charge like I could do with my PSP/Vita. I didn't have to rebuy my NES and SNES games when I bought a retron so why is this such a hard concept to understand?! You wonder why people emulate rather than legally obtaining the games is bullcrap like this!

"Don't give us NES games! Most of them haven't aged well."

-An argument that I've read by several people who are begging for N64 games

Sorry, but I get a laugh out of that! Lol!

Well screw you too Reggie. At least I don't need to feel bad about using emulators anymore.

Sure I can see why games might need to be optimized for the online play element, but Nintendo you've had a year in a half to get a lot of these games ready for the service. This slow drip feed of classic games for a 2nd time.... I just don't get it. I mean The Wii released Virtual console games at better pace than this and that was like a decade ago, there's no excuse for this to be happening again.

Wow the level of selfish entitlement in here raging on how it's not more than the NES. If you don't like it, don't buy into it. Taking something like this like it's personal is pathetic.

I think the slow drip of the NES games is a smart choice. There are only so many games, and when you figure games with licensing problems, games now owned by competitors, stuff that ages so bad you can't sell it, and unlicensed third party games they've only got a few hundred at best they can use. If this really is just going to be a growing pile of NES stuff online in the app, it's a smart choice so it lasts for years.

@RushDawg I’m pretty sure the “yet” part is for the NES as there are so many of them and they’re still putting more on so the NES library isn’t yet there. It’ll be years till we get other games on there

People! Reggie has spoken kindly drink the kool aid open your wallets and bask on the NOSTALGIA! ....

Easter treat, Gamecube Classics Vol 1, featuring Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart Double Dash, Luigi's Mansion, and 1080 Avalanche. Volume 2 to follow in August featuring Rogue Leader, Wave Race Blue Storm, Paper Mario, and Super Smash Bros Melee. Vol 3 TBC. £39.99 each. You're welcome, Nintendo marketing team.

I want a full Virtual Console where I can download these games on to my system, not have them being "streamed" and then inaccessible years down the road when Nintendo has moved on from Switch and I have to pay yet again. Luckily with the SNES Classic I was able to hack it and get a bunch of ROMs put on to it, it's a near-complete SNES all in one package and that's great. But I still need a way of accessing N64 content (especially games I don't own yet and aren't available on Wii U VC), GCN content, and hopefully some classic Game Boy/Game Boy Color/Game Boy Advance content! And what about those NES Controllers available to subscribers? Is Nintendo going to make special controllers for each of their systems that slide on to the Switch to charge? A) that will be very expensive, and B) definitely with the N64 that method won't be practical.

Enough with the NES games! When are they gonna start releasing PS2 games?!?

I would really prefer 1 game per system, so each month you get an NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube(maybe?), Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, and DS game, for a total of 7 games per month.

Of course, they haven't announced anything for beyond January yet, which makes me wonder if they have something up their sleeves...

I'm sorry, I was under the impression that today is Friday, not Thursday. Reggie is a muppet and shouldn't be given any attention.

I think this is deliberate. By making Nintendo fans increasingly annoyed with the NES games, once they make a big announcement about other systems, all will be forgiven. Besides, it's not like Nintendo fans are going to stop buying their products in the meantime.

Nop... That is what a PC / Smartphones are for.

Trying to look on the bright side—if NSO becomes the Netflix for Nintendo content, hopefully they will not have to start over with every future console. Seems that from Wii to Wii U to Switch, they've had to recode to get them working on the new architecture. If done properly, I would think we should be able to access everything released during the Switch's lifespan going forward. Eventually, all of that legacy content would be present.

No more NES. Snes, N64 etc or no deal.

I'm getting tired of hearing about NES games, even less exciting hearing that there are more of those coming like c'mon Reggie there's like billions of Chinese bootleg craps that had NES stuff already, give us N64 and GameCube games for Switch please. You're making the Switch feel like another cheap Chinese product.

As much as I don't care about NES games, yall are really flipping entitled lol.

Nintendo knows it's nostalgia sells, I just don't think hiding it behind their online sub is the best way in the long run and hope they change their mind. The VC was a way to purchase great retro games and I feel like this will also increase piracy if they don't release enough content since you can download almost any emulator on a hacked switch.

@VmprHntrD I mean I don't see anyone taking it personally but you by calling people who want more than NES games pathetic.

Also almost every NES game has abed horribly at this point and also has reached overexposure.

I've said it before but I am okay with the slow trickle of games at the moment since I want to play through all the NES games on the online service and I am already getting behind.

I am happy with what they are doing as long as the library keeps expanding without getting to the point where games start cycling out and access to the library continues with new consoles without starting over again. That would be great and I am going to remain optimistic, (though I can't help but feel like it just doesn't work like that).

Of course I expect them to add other legacy consoles to the online service as well. That would be excellent.

I know I'll be one of the few but I've been fine with the NES games for now since I've had plenty of new games to play. I have been able to play a couple of games that I've wanted to play such as Solomon's Key and Adventures of Lolo (next month). I would want the service to expand but I'm fine with NES for the next few months.

@jwfurness

That is my hope as well. Eventually having this kind if access to a huge library of classic games on all future Nintendo consoles is what I dream for this service.

LOL Reggie thinks that people still play NES games everyday. That's so funny!

NES games are great, for playing for about 2 minutes then never touching again.

Make with the SNES games already !!

@OberonPrime I wish people stop saying "not aged well" to games.....like seriously that is a pathetic thing to say and a pathetic excuse......... and will trigger me every time I hear that word......even for a game I don't care for......

Most of the NES games suck; they know this, we know this.

They'll announce SNES games for it a month before the initial annual subscriptions expire; nothing before then.

They were clearly overestimating the worth of NES games.
I can't even blame them though, seeing how well the NES mini sold...

Edit: A lot of people here are also clearly UNDERestimating the worth of NES games, seeing how well the NES mini sold...

Great. Now tell me when I can play that content Reggie.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I love NES games. SMB3, Zelda, Metroid, etc. are still playable and fun. I still really want SNES, N64, GameBoy and GameCube games, but we don't have to act like all NES games are unplayable pieces of crap to get them.

@IceEarthGuard

Some of the NES games haven't aged that well, but most of them are perfectly playable still. I actually really enjoyed Solomon's Key and I'm moving on to Metroid next.

People should be upset at his vagueness. Enough is enough, give us some straight answers Nintendo.

@Yorumi I think the NES hate is overblown, and they should be a part of the service as a part of Nintendo's history. But let's face it, most of these games have sequels or successors that greatly improve on the concepts these games presented.

Why play a Metroid game with clunky controls and bland/repetitive world design when you could play Super Metroid or Zero Mission instead?

@VmprHntrD It is not entitlement to want a good service that's worth paying for especially when you have to pay to play online. Considering Microsoft offer both 360 games and Xbox One games each month and PlayStation offer at least 2 PS4 games a month, it's difficult not to feel ripped off. While the cost is low, offering an incentive to purchase is crucial to get more subscribers.

@Seacliff

Like you said, to play a part of Nintendo history. I'd of course choose Super Metroid over it but I've never beaten the original and I'm motivated to do it on the Switch just to say that I did.

So I guess we’ll reach the Super NES library by 2142.

@WillQuan

It's hard to argue that you're getting ripped off when you just said that the cost is low in the same statement. This idea that some people have that they should be getting equal value to PS+/XBL with NSO at 1/3rd the price is crazy to me. I'm not saying that I don't want the service to improve, but if it improves too much and I'm forced to play $60 to play online I'll be pretty upset. I paid $7 for NSO by going in on a family plan with my fiance and two friends, I don't even think about the cost at a price like that. $60, the price of a full game, though? Yeah, I'd BETTER get more recent games for that price.

The low cost is great and all but the slow rollout is a shame as this has been done better on previous Nintendo consoles. I would be happy to pay more if there were more systems on offer and to be honest the vast majority of the nes library is useless. Give us the heavy hitters and move on to more relevant consoles

That's fine. But I want to play games from systems other than the NES. It seems like it would make more sense to vary releases between systems. You know... one NES, one SNES, and one N64 game each month would be a great start. It'd be variety.

How many years is it going to even take them to dump the entire NES library on the service?

I wish I could fast forward until an announcement about other systems coming to NOS is made so I can avoid reading the exact same obvious, whiny comments in every story.

I know everyone thinks Nintendo can just dump roms for those systems without localizing them for Switch controls and online play, etc but that is not reality. It takes time. The service is 2 months old. 2 months...

In the meantime, those desperate folks for gamecube can always buy a wii console for like 10 bucks at any flea market and find the physical versions to avoid the oncoming stroke they are apparently experiencing due to the sudden wild demand for these titles.

Otherwise, that near-extinct concept of patience may be required.

@Frenean The family plan is not available to everyone, I know one other person with a Switch so that's off limits for me. Also PS Plus and Xbox Live often have pretty heavy discounts so you can often get a year for a significantly reduced price. I just don't understand why Nintendo need to always be so slow with these things. The Virtual console on Wii had a ton of games released at a relatively good pace, receiving three games a month is a bit of a joke when they have clearly had access to the files for these games for years. I also don't buy the argument it's difficult to port these games when hackers have got emulators running on the system in a short time. I'm not particularly angry just disappointed that the service can't offer good value.

Well now Reggie. It appears you have work to do

@Gen0neD Exactly! thank u, next, NES.

Ok, so make Nintendo Online the place to play classic games, just give back the ability to play online without it, so people who don't care for those classic games aren't punished.

Come on. It’s not that difficult to put these games on there 🙄

Eh.

Only NES games I care about are Mega Man 1-6 and Super Mario Bros 1-3. And I already have those.

Basically, I'm not even mad. I already wrote off the Online Service as a source of VC. If that changes one day in the future, awesome! But for now, I've written it off. I dont even blink when I read comments like these anymore.

I have GPD Win 2 for all my HD handheld VC needs. Gamecube and Wii on the go? Check. Metroid Prime? Check. F-Zero GX? Check. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance? Check.

I agree it's a bit sad they are releasing only NES games right now (especially for those who have had played them on the last few consoles already!)

But c'mon people, why so much hate for the 8bit games themselves?

Honestly I don't see GC coming but hopefully Snes and Gameboy/GBC will eventually appear.

I understand a lot of the points here especially about getting SNES, GC etc. However, what a load of whiners!

I turned on my Switch yesterday and felt a bit tired of my usual go to games at the moment. Then I rembered, oh, I’ve got LOADS of stuff to just check out for fun. I’d never played Dr Mario and happily spent half an hour on it.

I like games.

Please tell me we don’t have to wait for the entire NES library to be uploaded before we get SNES and N64, if so I’m killing my subscription.

Remember when the Wii first launched it had Nes, SNES, N64, Mega Drive and PC Engine on DAY 1!

Switch has been out for nearly 2 years and all the Classic games it's got is NES.. some 80's Arcade stuff and Neo Geo games...and some SEGA Stuff (which is looking better when they release the other games that aren't Mega Drive)

This is the biggest lie I’ve ever heard Reggie say. I have nothing but respect for him, but the Switch will never be anywhere near the Wii U’s retro library if this NES stuff continues, even if they get the full NES lineup.

This is why I kept my Wii U. Love it or hate it, you have to admit it has a large Virtual Console lineup.

So not only is Switch Online the only way to play these games (which means you can't legally and permanently purchase/own them anymore), but A) they're limited to just NES titles and B) they're coming at a trickle.

I look back on Nintendo coming down on all of those ROM sites and what's happened since; there are no accidents. They knew ahead of time the way they were going to handle their retro games was going to tick fans off and likely drive some of them to emulation, so they worked to close off that option before releasing the full details of Switch Online (and what it meant for the future of Virtual Console). One can debate the legality and ethics of emulation all day, but I can't sympathize with a company that behaves in such a manner. Those sites frankly did far more to preserve games and their history than Nintendo is doing right now; people would buy the games if they were legally available, so this drip feed of games no one can ever own again is an insult. Games are and have always been PRODUCTS, NOT "services".

I can't shake the feeling that if there is any truth to his statement, games from later systems being included in the service will be used to leverage the rumored "new" switch.

This is why people download Nintendo’s ROMs. Waiting for this slow poke company to release their own game library would be maddening and never complete.

It's an extra for the online service. There is absolutely no reason to complain about this.

What is Nintendo's problem with listening to fans, they just dont seem to give a damn. Everything from poor online ability and apps to game priced and even available of old titles. People want the new other generations like SNES much more than NES an thats the overall opinion not just mine, so what do we get..NES.

So people turn to pirating and ROMs because there is no official way to get those old games not unless you managed to find an old system..so what do they do? Sue the ROM sites to get it all removed and still not provide a way to play classics. If they gave people an option pirating would drop, it wont stop dont get me wrong, but it would certainly decrease for those systems.

i love my Switch but it just feels like Nintendo exists in an age where the Internet doesnt exist, just like the way they treated youtubers.

@Bunkerneath he literally just said that other games from other consoles. Quit Crying.

So at their current rate of release we might start seeing SNES games around 2025?!

@Hunt3r_Cr0wl3y

My comment was facetious. There's no way the entire NES library will come to the Switch. There's way too many licensed titles, not to mention a bunch of weird games no one cares about (Wall Street Kid anyone?).

Go back to Pizza Hut, Regg.

I don't want a subscription service to be the only option for playing retro games on my switch.
And it should not be taking this long to put their back catalogue online...

And if SNES+ games were available, I'd buy Nintendo Online.

I always enjoy Reggie's wording. He's such a finely tuned, and very lovable, corporate suit.

"That’s something we’re working very hard to do."

What does that even mean? For us, that is.

Reminds me of the time he caught a GameTrailers interviewer completely off guard with replying "Of course I'll play it. I play all the content out there. You know that." to the question of whether he'd be playing Modern Warfare 2.

Right after claiming that New Super ario Bros. Wii would outsell Modern Warfare 2, had it been available on as many systems.

Ain't a man alive as smooth as the Regginator.

Ok, at least we are getting a clear idea of the long term plans. They are going to need a second and more exciting system a little faster than they originally planed though – based on the current feedback.

For the amount of people who are bragging about ripping off Nintendo by organizing a "family account" with 5 friends and paying next to nothing for their online service, they're sure acting pretty entitled about what they feel they "deserve" for free as part of their membership.

Nintendo Online is already cheap as dirt. Why are you whining?

Thank God Nintendo doesn't run the music industry: can you imagine something along the lines like "this month we'll release 3 tracks from Jimi Hendrix". People want to play their favorite games any time on their own schedules.

@RushDawg When will Reggie give us the Panesian trilogy? ... he didn't say it would be limited to the licensed library.

@GameOtaku To be fair we are lucky to get old school games period. We are just lucky to have the technology that allows this to be possible in the first place. Back when N64 was out we never had the option of ROMS and such to play old school SNES and NES. I just think people are so used to being spoon fed everything and want instant gratification. I grew up in the SNES days and honestly I'm lucky to be able to replay the NES games period. I understand that it was all available on the WII-U and that's what people are used to, but things change

Gotta love the marketing photos where they show people playing the games with each player either ignoring the control stick or the buttons.

Even though I bought Blaster Master on Wii, Wii U, 3DS, I still want it on my Switch. Wake me up when Blaster Master is out on Switch. Oh and Faxanadu. When those two are out, I’ll probably subscribe. Hopefully by then I can also play chrono trigger on switch too.

Era of virtual console: $8 for NES and SNES games?? Outrageous. When will Nintendo focus on new games and stop gouging customers? The ports are so inferior to the originals.

Switch era: Omg all we want is virtual console, but this time, every game for 20$/year. Outrageous!

Apparently “listening to fans” = give me whatever I want for the price I want in the time frame I want or the toys are thrown out of the pram.

I'll tell you what i want, what I really really want. I want a Mario HD remaster collection with Super Mario 64, Sunshine and Galaxy 1+2 all restored to glorious 1080p. That's what I want.

@Yorumi Retro game collector here. You must have gotten some great deals, because those are outliers, not the norm in terms of pricing. Especially if you add a manual and a nice clean label to those. @3rdParty is correct, your "norm" pricing is quite off.

@Yorumi I think his point is that buying these physically would still set you back. CIB “black box games” can be very expensive. Even CIB super mario 3 runs around $30/40. Can you get them cheaper for cart only? Sure. But all of them for $20? Nope.

Ive said this before but if Nintendo came out with a digital download bundle of the current NES games online with a $20 price, we’d be reading “day one buy” comments all day long.

Yet they are included with the service and all we get is moaning about “what isnt there.” It is exhausting. There are so many ways to legit play these games that if people were seriously interested, theyd put in the time to get them.

"Nintendo Switch Online is going to be the place where you can play our classic content."

Emulators. Parsec. Raspberry Pi. Just a few options. Until you offer some actual value, Nintendo, we don't need you when it comes to anything retro.

And they never will. Sadly. Microsoft won't wanna give up RARE's games.

Either Capcom, Disney or both is being stingy with the Disney games.

Plus, there are a lot of licensed games that they might not wanna bother getting rights for from cartoons, gameshows, movies and even food corporations. Like, does 7-Up and Domino's even do anything with Spot and The Noid anymore?

@frogopus

That would be great! I love Bucky o Hare. Oh and games like Maniac Mansion, Whomp'Em, Metal Storm, Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom, Journey to Silius, Guardian Legend and the list goes on.

We all know that this will just be the ones we can get everywhere else 10 times over though.

"We haven’t even made the full library of NES games available yet"

And Nintendo's never gonna, so shut up Reggie!! Good grief...I really dislike that guy.

@WillQuan

The cheapest I've seen PlayStation Plus is $40 on sale, and that's still twice the cost of Nintendo Switch Online. No one is arguing that NSO is mediocre, but I only bought the service because I was forced to for online multiplayer, like the PlayStation and Xbox. The difference between the three is that the cost of online multiplayer is significantly cheaper on the Switch.

@Vriess

Geez, it's the dude's job to make statements like that. He seems like a cool person. Chill.

On the topic of NES games not aging well, yesterday one of my friends said his wife was interested in getting a Switch for the family since Black Friday deals are looking and he just had a few questions. I invited him over and told him about what he would be expecting to pay to have four people playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, we tried out some family friendly multiplayer games I owned and I showed him a few others on the eShop that I thought he would like plus discussed a few more coming out in the future. I discussed the portable aspects and how it can be great but young kids handling it, docking it and putting controllers on and off still makes me nervous because of how rough they can be.

I then told him a bit about online and how it worked and the costs, etc. I turned on NES Online so he could see what it was like and we ended up playing Super Mario Bros 3 until other business forced us to say goodbye over an hour later. To be honest we probably would have played longer. I feel like the games have aged just fine.

I'm surprised that all you young'uns complaining about NES games being too old can type so well with your pudgy baby fingers.

@Frenean
On a personal level, Reggie might be an ok guy but he's a really bad spokes person. He might be a good CEO, but I really wish that NOA would let someone else do the talking. Bill Trinen for example.

Question?
If Nintendo could make the Nintendo Switch play old games from Switch game cards and they were only available on a made-to-order scale.
Would you order any old games for the price of a game card + VC price?

I seriously do have to laugh at those who say "NES sucks" or "nobody wants NES games!" First, it's a completely ridiculous opinion to have. Sales of the NES Classic, and the fact that many of the most popular indie games on Switch directly ape the 8-bit aesthetic, say otherwise. NES games have aged just fine, or at least the best ones have.

Then again, I guess that if you were born in 1998, then maybe that opinion makes more sense. Then again, I was born after the 2600 came out, and I still have an appreciation for it, and I still play it from time to time.

Also, let's delve into the complaint that Wii U had a more robust VC than Switch. Does it really? Switch already has a VC, in all but name. Let's take a look:

-There are 99, or so, ACA Neo Geo titles on the eshop.
-27 ACA titles
-5 J.T.
-11 announced Sega Ages releases
-The upcoming Sega Genesis Collection
-The Namco Museum Collection
-The Capcom Beat Em Up Bundle that was recently released
-The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection
-Night Trap (Sega CD) and Double Switch (Sega CD)
-Rereleases of games like Flashback, Grim Fandango, etc.
-The Mega Man/X Legacy Collection
-Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
-The NES games released on Switch
-The upcoming Atari Flashback Collection

I promise you that, pound for pound, Switch's retro library outweighs that of the Wii U's. No, it doesn't have SNES games, or N64 (does Yooka Laylee count?), but it does have games from Atari 2600, NES, Master System, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Neo Geo, arcade, and eventually Gamecube (Resident Evil 1 remake, Zero, and Resident Evil 4). If you're having such a craving to play Super Nintendo, then pony up the $80 and buy a SNES Classic, seeing as how they are now readily available everywhere!

@Yorumi

You are being unnecessarily hostile to two people who are simply relating personal experiences. Calm down and stop insulting us.

@BladedKnight I don't think you know what you're talking about. If no one cares about NES games, why did the NES Mini sold like crack? Even bigger numbers than the SNES.

I understand why the strategy upsets you, because I share some of your reasoning. But the truth is that Nintendo knows how many people are playing with their current service and they probably have coherent reasons to justify their strategy. I, myself have a ton of friends that skipped both Wii and Wii U, and are having a blast with those nostalgia games. I'm bored, I've played Metroid more times than anyone should in the 21st century, I don't plan on doing it again, however, bunch of friends are nuts about it.

Sues ROM sites offline.

Refuses to sell old games to purchase.

"As we look to the future... our subscription service, NSO, Nintendo Switch Online is going to be the place where you can play our classic content."

@Bunkerneath play Wii U then.

Oh boi more NES games! Where are the SNES, N64, GBA, Gamecube games Nintendo >.<

As a 90's kid I never had much of a connection to the NES. It is the SNES and N64 that I grew up with and those are the consoles that I want to see supported.

Switch has a total of about 450 retro games available to either download or purchase at retail. It has a Virtual Console already, in all but name.

@Xcape_DuCkMAN_X It's more likely that Konami and Nickelodeon would work out a release among themselves. Although I don't see that happening.

@RazumikhinPG
That was exactly my first thought. Gonna take a long time at the current rate, which is actually 3/month. Doesn't instill me with much hope.

@3rdParty http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2018/11/guide_all_free_ps_plus_games_in_2018

"You get more value on NSO than PSN+. For every bloodborne, there's 20 more indie games"

You are aware that we can objectively prove these kind of statements as false, right?. In the last 11 months the PS4 has had 17 major releases go free on PSN+. That's 1 (or two) major release (s) every month just on the PS4 alone, with up to 4 (usually less) indie titles as extra. With the oldest title I could see being 5 years old (excluding remasters).

@OberonPrime Mind your language!

@DarkKirby “refuses to sell old games to purchase” ...at your command, you mean?

Someone find me the quote where Reggie says “ We are going to release every NES game ever and only in 3 per month increments, before we even consider other systems and we will never make legacy games available for purchase”...which is how it’s largely been interpreted (i.e. misread and spun out of control to nearly troll levels).

Those on here practially advocating piracy are not serious about actually owning these games. If they were theyd hunt them down like everyone did prior to VC (the boom in physical and online retro game shops leaves little excuse). The only thing they are serious about is instant gratitifcation and getting bulk IPs for imaginary prices.

Someone explain to me why you cant just wait a while or play these games other ways? Im trying to figure out the urgency. Last i checked, Gamecube existed for the past 17 years. Is “i just want it on switch too” a really valid reason for the constant negative vibes?

"We haven’t even made the full library of NES games available yet." And you never will. No chance Nintendo are going to be releasing all NES games for their Online "service"

The NES is Nintendo at it's most recognizable to the general public. It is Nintendo's 2nd best selling home console and has Nintendo's largest output of Nintendo's first party games. Most casuals don't care about the N64 or GCN, but they might know what a NES is, they've played SMB once or twice, they might be interested in that along with 20 other games from the same era.

-32 combined games in the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection
-7 games in the Capcom Beat Em Up Bundle
-10 Mega Man games in Legacy Collection 1+2
-8 Mega Man X games in X Collections 1+2
-8 upcoming games in the Sega Ages line
-3 Sega Ages titles that have been released
-99 Neo Geo titles
-27 ACA titles
-5 Johnny Turbo titles
-7 Namco Arcade
-150 Atari Flashback
-2 Sega CD
-Final Fantasy VII, IX, X, and XII
-Resident Evil Remake, Zero, and 4
-Crash trilogy
-51 Sega Genesis Collection
-26 NES games Switch Online
-countless indie games that are aesthetically identical to retro titles.

What is the problem? There will always be something to complain about, but Switch already has a Virtual Console.

@OberonPrime

With all due respect, you're complaining about NES games not having aged well while, in the same breath, demanding N64 games, even though the best N64 games have aged far worse than the best NES games. Even many of the best N64 games are almost unplayable, by today's standards. The same criticism can't be applied to the best NES titles.

@BanjoPickles Spot on. Last I saw, "Shovel Knight" and "The Messenger" weren't adopting N64 aesthetics.

hope this means more than Nes games i the future

@3rdParty
"I can go back and count up all 196 PS4 games and see which ones are the major games vs. indie games"

Be my guest.

"you're not getting major releases as much as smaller releases."

Yeah I said you get around 2-4 indies for every major release, so I just acknowledged that. But you said 20 indies every major release. Also, my post was to be more factual, rather than hyperbole like yours was. As of the last year there was 1-2 major release every month, compared to 3 NES titles is a huge difference in value.

Nes games are depressing and if you can’t actually own the game what’s the point? Your subscription runs out and you lose your games. The online service is a joke.

@BongoBongo123 I wonder if you apply this same logic to Netflix, Spotify, etc?

Consumers have led Nintendo down this path for their enthusiastic adoption of services like the above, and just wait until big AAA games become "streaming" only.

The abandonment of physical media for "convenience" has led to consumers essentially renting content forever.

If this bothers you, stock up on retro games and physical media while you can.

@3rdParty I'm still trying to figure out why this site continues to flog this dead horse, oh yeah, clicks... I feel like I've read the same article about 3-4 times.

There's a lot of people in here who say they've bought these games multiple times over. I haven't. I have never owned a single NES game or console, now I have a big fat pile for less than 5p a day. Normally I throw about 30-40p in a change jar every day for a later date to cash in, so to me we're talking mere chickenfeed for great games I've never played before. Super Mario 3 is fantastic, and I've been loving NES Open too.

I also want to know how many people shut their Switch down completely and don't just put it to sleep. I imagine 98% of Switch owners put their console to sleep. During which time it's still online, so this whole 7 day check in thing is irrelevant and not worth crying over. Absolute nonsense.

Also.

@TheGhostWhoWalks listen Sligeach if you're going to post in here under an alias please try and make your posts different from your old posts. If you're not Sligeach, sorry mate you sound exactly the same as that fool, right down to the grammar and turn of phrase. Not a good person to be associated with...

@OberonPrime Of course I can disagree. Since it is an opinion. And "didn't age well" is something I would not put on any game or system because to me it is just ridiculous to express that.

I want some of the better licensed games to show up.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman... umm... well, that's about it. Turtles and Batman. ^^;

Not only is that a heck of a list, but it's not even all of it. Lots of other stuff like classic Psikyo arcade shooters like the Strikers 1945 franchise (Which will be finished soon with the first ever home port of Strikers 1945 Part III) and tons of classic pinball recreations.

Classic gaming fans have a lot to love on the Switch and those saying ludicrous things about classic NES titles aren't classic gaming fans in any way, shape, or form.

And frankly after buying a lot of Virtual Console downloads on the Wii/Wii U, owning the NES/SNES Classic Edition, and a Retro USB AVS and Super NT (Not to mention an original NES and a HD Retrovision equipped SNES connected to a Trinitron), I'm not in the market to rebuy all of the standbys like Super Metroid all over again on the Switch.

I'm well served with such libraries already and doubt I'm alone in that sentiment. But I'm happily willing to pay the $20 a year or whatever it is for a Netflix style setup for when I'm on the Switch and in the mood to run through Super Mario Brothers without changing to another system.

So I actually like what Nintendo is doing, despite it going against my nature of preferring physical media or at least some form of limited digital ownership. It's giving me convenient access to some of the greatest classics of the past on the latest Nintendo platform, that I otherwise wouldn't be rebuying for $5-$10 a pop.

I don't mind waiting to see it grow and what new additions there might be, as long as they don't let it wither on the vine in the tradition of the Virtual Console after the first couple of years.

I purchased both NES mini and SNES mini and now I feel mugged off that I’m paying £20 to play them again. Nintendo, I don’t want your NES and SNES games on switch. God knows how many times I’ve actually paid you for these fecking games in the past. Stop trolling me with your nostalgia. Give me something new.

@B1ffo Why did you subscribe for, when nothing past NES and SNES classics has ever been confirmed?

While I doubt it stops there, you really should've waited if the enjoyment of your subscription hinges on something else

@Atariboy

Exactly! How many people who are complaining about a lack of VC are the same people who were complaining about having to double, or triple, dip or how they kept seeing the same games pop up on the service? Well, Switch is the answer to that. You still get stone cold classics like Mega Man and Street Fighter, but you also get obscurities, classic Sega titles, old arcade games, etc. Honestly, the output of retro material is much stronger on Switch than it was on Wii U, and maybe even the Wii. Keep in mind that we are only two years in.

Would I like to see Gamecube games? Absolutely! However, I'm not going to discount the wealth of retro gaming just because Nintendo didn't have a hand in making any of them. Switch is the answer for those who complained about double/triple/quadruple dipping.

@Pendergast
Emulation for nes has been around since the mid 90s. I know because a friend of mine set up an emulator on the schools computer server and we would play nes and SNES games like Sailor Moon Another Story.

@Atariboy i’m with you mate! Having the Psikyo and neo geo games have made me very happy. I can lie in bed and have a blastathon in a classic shootemup, or spend hours playing arcade final fight without being sat in front of a tv and i’m loving it. Not counting the stern pinball machines. I have an arcade in my hands.

If that's the case then they need to stop with this 3 a month and just push them all out on the service instead of dragging this out.

Ah the comments. I forgot what I was gonna write now.

People are mad about not being able to pay for these games individually?

@3rdParty You can't compare an out of production physical collectors piece to a digital modern release on a value basis. The whole supply and demand throws off the "value" by a long margin. The majority of a collector piece's value comes from its rarity, not the quality of the content. If this wasn't the case then the NES and SNES games on the Wii and Wii U virtual console (and the mini consoles) would have been sold at a much higher price.

You take the average NES game. I think it was like $5 on the WIi U VC. 5 X 3 = 15. 15 X 12 = 180. There, you're full digital value for 3 NES games a month for a full year is $180. Not $500, and especially not $1000.

That compared to a 2018 PSN+ value of $1,293.35 (Not including the Destiny 2 base game. Which could be between $30-40 itself).

I think it's extremely hypocritical of you to dismiss games on PSN+ indie "turds" and somehow implying that if it's not a PS high seller then it is of no higher note than a low level indie game, with zero value to consumers, while also trying to over sell the value of the NES games like every single one of them is the greatest of value to every consumer. Especially when not every NES game is a high seller either, and especially not a high seller of the last 4 generations.

Though, for the record, the total value of the PSN+ games that sold over 1.5 million (since you referenced Injustice as a high seller, and that only sold 1.5) is $209.93. SO still a higher value than NSO NES games.

https://uk.ign.com/wikis/xbox-one/PlayStation_Plus_vs._Games_with_Gold_Comparison

I have Nintendo online, but I haven’t downloaded any of those ancient games. I don’t think I will be doing that either, as long as I have anything else worth playing. Right now that includes PS4, Wii U, 3DS and PC games... So never. I don’t really get why people would want this.

To top this whole nonsense off the classic games are only available to subscribers. If it was available like the VC was (ya know but games you want off the service or if you'd rather rent and throw your money away you can do that too) because not everyone needs a subscription, I don't play online, besides my phone which is limited in data usage, I have no internet connection at home so even if I did subscribe I'd be forced to check in every week.

@penamiguel92
Some like myself want to own games as opposed to only renting and paying over and over again .

@penamiguel92 I can turn on my 360 and play anything I purchased digitally, including any Games with Gold game I received. However if I was to stop paying for PSN+, I would actually lose access to some of the games I received for free on that system. My only options would be to pay the sub again, or purchase the games separately. Only the Nintendo Switch doesn't give me those options. I'm forced to keep paying to keep playing. It's anti-consumer.

@3rdParty You don't have to put a price on it, nor do you have to trust the retro market to value NES games. Nintendo has done it for us. I just talked about it. They valued digital NES games at $5. They sold them at $5.

You can see my first link to see the actual prices of the Ps4 games when they went for free. There's no need to guess. You can go back and redo the math and just include the PS 4 titles if you like to get a real figure for the value.

But! Some of those vita and ps3 games were cross buy. There was one month I got all 6 games on my Ps4. So don't automatically dismiss those either.

"We haven’t even made the full library of NES games available ***yet***."

Don't make promises you cannot keep, Reggie. We know that old software licencing is - at best - a legal limbo and - at worst - a legal hell.

The NES had ~ 700 NA titles, only ~ 1/7 of that made it to VC.

LOL!! Give me GameCube games dang it!!

More Sony tier "it's just so hard to do" statements. They can keep their poor man's rental service. If they can't give me the experience I want on the Switch then I will get it on another device instead.

No, Reggie. The Wii U is my place to play classic content, and will be until you can get this nonsense straight. I really wanted to play my favorite past console games on the Switch - it's so convenient, being portable, but Nintendo is really missing the boat on this one. Sad how a 'failed' console does so much right compared to a successful console. I hate when Nintendo gets success with inferior services.

i think while they are still selling SNES minis, there is no incentive to add the same games the Switch Online... i wonder what will be on there in 12 more months (the NES mini is 2 years old)

@Bunkerneath Also, it does not take that long to “optimize for the switch environment”. At 3 games a month it would take over a decade to release the whole NES library.

I want licensed NES games like Ninja Turtles, Batman, WWF, Tecmo Super Bowl, Friday the 13th, etc.

Am I the only one who craves NES games? SNES, N64, and GCN had far more shovelware than the NES.

"We haven’t even made the full library of NES games available yet" - umm is that supposed to be read as being a positive thing? Because, I read that as bragging about how much they don't care and are loving that they can get away with it whilst making millions. Don't get me wrong having "Nintendo Official" stuff is nice and I would buy it - however, I hope you all realise that you can download every Nintendo game ever made by typing "Nintendo games emulater" into Google and play on pc for free with controller's of your choice and has been available for years - just wish I could play Golden Eye on my switch.

Cmon Reggie give us a purchase option and at LEAST get some Snes games into the mix??? THANK the good lord that Hamster, Sega, Johnny Turbo, Zero Div, Namco, Capcom and Atari are not part of this foul smelling online only access to classic content Netflix type programming!! 😡 Booo!!

Would I like to see every NES and Famicon game ever released be rereleased on the Switch? Absolutely. But I would also like to see the same done for the SNES, N64, GameCube, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, the Wii, and the Wii U.

And if it takes time to optimize these games for the system, why are you relying on an internal team of developers to accomplish this herculean task? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Nintendo fans in the world who are game programmers, developers, and whatnot, and I bet a lot of them would be more than happy to volunteer their time to get these games out in a timely fashion.

Simply put, if you want the Switch to be THE place to play classic games, you need to rely on the fans to help you out with accomplishing it. Simply doing it yourself will take decades, if not centuries. Remember, Toby Fox recently said it would take him almost a thousand years (probably hyperbole, but still) to finish Deltarune by himself.

@BladedKnight
“And because of the nostalgia factor, Nintendo’s biggest marketing strategy.”
Nostalgia is a form of caring, believe it or not.
“That’s all. Nobody cares about the nes games, if they did the subscription would sell better”
Source?
And even if we had the numbers, what would we say is a good percentage of subscribers vs. consoles. PS + has less than half of PlayStation 4 owners subscribed to it

@roadrunner343 your comment is golden. I barely laugh out loud literally to anything but I couldn’t help myself when you mentioned retirement haha.

as @Atariboy and @BanjoPickles has sighted;

Classic games are there, but there is alot that could not had cameto the eShop under their respective banners and be drowned out by 20+ year old games like Donkey Kong Country, and that allows more exposure for stuff like what we seen in Arcade Archives and Digital Eclipse’s 6 compilations. Plus, the fact that it’s included for members of the Online Service means that they will not spend over $3K on old games again and again.

It too makes me cringe that people call the NES “a pile of 80’s 8-bit garbage” (despite the fact I grew up in the days of GCN) and makes me laugh when people demand to have these games available ala carte at sometimes high prices. But honestly I could hope that we see more down the line from other systems, not GCN, due to the fact there was no promise of it.

I think that Nintendo is doing something that they should have been doing a long time ago: prioritizing third parties, supporting indie developers, and branching out. You look at PS4 and XBOX One, for instance, and it seems like every big budgeted game that is advertised sells big. Red Dead 2, Call of Duty, Spider-Man, Bloodborne, Uncharted 4, Final Fantasy XV, Fallout 4, GTA 5, and the list goes on. With Nintendo, you can only bet on a small handful of games selling through the roof (Pokémon, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, mainline Mario, Zelda), and the the others are a total crapshoot. When is the last time a third party release exploded on a Nintendo console? The N64 era? Earlier? Granted, indie releases aren’t selling in the millions, but they don’t have to. Developers of big games like Skyrim and Doom have expressed satisfaction with the sales figures. LA Noir sold more on Switch than it did on Xbox One!

I think that if Nintendo unveiled a full fledged Virtual Console, it would be a huge setback for the thriving indie scene because they’d be competing with the tried and true. I mean, let’s be honest: how many gamers would choose a brilliant game like Celeste, or Hollow Knight, over Super Metroid? I think that Nintendo is cognizant of that, which is why they’re currently segregating their legacy into separate pieces of hardware.

People need to get over this childish mentality that Nintendo is somehow punishing them.

If their plan is to continue developing the NSO service than please, Nintendo, release a first-party Left Joycon with a proper D-pad (of course, sans the issues with the Pro controller's D-pad) for on-the-go gaming. With the system's classic game releases from first and third-parties booming relying on the Left Joycon in its current state is uncomfortable and imprecise. Even playing RPGs like Crystalis the controls are terrible with either the buttons of the analog stick.

@3rdParty My other favourite thing about this site is when people comment like this is a direct link to Nintendo itself, when it's not. Cries of "c'mon Reggie!" and "we want this Nintendo!" "Just give us..."

I still doubt there's someone working there, monitoring this site and reporting back to Nintendo going "did you see post #126 in that 14th online article last week? Some poster said all he wants is Gamecube as part of the online service already. Yeah that machine that flopped. The one they called a plastic lunchbox where they wanted to boycott Wind Waker and Metroid. Okay let's get to it straight away. But hang on a sec, he also said screw Reggie. I tell you what, you screw Reggie I'll get started on the emulation."

NES sucks! Give us the good stuff.

First there was the slow trickle on Wii VC, then 3DS VC, then Wii U VC, then we got NES mini, now there is this slow trickle dog doodoo on Switch.

Is Reggie for real? I know he’s a PR talking head, but saying nothing in this case would have been better.

Please he average fan doesn’t care about more NES games. That cow is dry.

@RushDawg

I'm waiting for Clash @ DemonHead to randomly pop up one day actually lol. I remember even as a kid knowing that it wasn't the greatest game in my library, but I just remember really enjoying it.

@BanjoPickles I tried mentioning to people in here before that we pretty much have a Virtual Console in all but name before, they didn't get it.

@BanjoPickles

Great point. This is further proven by looking at the 3DS and Wii U eShop charts compared to the Switch's. What do we usually have on top of the 3DS charts? The Gameboy/GB Color Pokemon titles. On the Wii U? Brain Age and Mario 64 have taken the top spots usually. Now in the Switch charts, we got everything from the big third party releases to Indies to the Neo Geo or Sega ages game to Nintendo's own games. A much healthier chart for everybody.

Nintendo doing away with the regular VC was a smart move overall. To me buying retro games piece meal just doesn't cut it. I also agree on the retro compilations and the like.

@WiltonRoots

Yeah, that always make me laugh, lol. It's like there's a row of Nintendo employees at computers reading Nintendo Life comment sections. 😛

@KryptoniteKrunch Yep when in reality they might as well be talking to their mums for all the good it will do. When I post I throw it out there, or post directly to people like yourself, the last thing that goes through my mind is that Nintendo are sitting there hanging on every word I type. It's like expecting football managers to take on board the armchair analysis thrown around on football forums.

@Mallow Patience? Gamers? That's like mixing oil and water.

They are losing out on do much money. Release these retro games from SNES onwards in a Netflix style library and every man and his dog will buy a Switch

Reggie, put down that pizza slice. Nobody is falling for your DRM trick for a barebones subscription.

Three games per month is a joke and a sham. If they had offered the spread of their existing virtual consoles from the start, even just the NES stuff, I might have been moved.

I have all the retro games I could ever dream of safely downloaded onto my wii u which has a top virtual console collection and I will keep my Wii u forever. Sorted.

Doesn’t matter who you are - I’m sure he isn’t playing those NES titles. Surely we’ll get to SNES eventually, just hope it doesn’t take another few years.

Human population: we want classic games that are NOT Nes games.

Nintendo: la la la we cant heeeaaarrr you!!!

This is the double down part, when Nintendo does something and it doesn't work, they try and double down on it in the hope that it will work.

"We haven’t even made the full library of NES games available yet."
So we're gonna wait 2 or 3 more years before we get SNES games? Geez, no wonder they believe the Switch will last ten years--it's gonna take 'em that long before we get the VC library from Wii U on NSO.

They've NEVER made the full NES library available despite having multiple passes at it with their Virtual Console service. Rather than bringing over what the Wii had, the Wii U's VC started from scratch. As did the 3DS. It's a lame talking point and Reggie knows it. THIS is why people pirate roms. At the rate they're pumping out 3 NES classics a month, they should be ready to start SNES titles three consoles down the road. Maybe the Super Switch U 64.

This has to be fake news as Nintendo really can't be this clueless can they? It's not difficult Reggie, just forget about the NES garbage and release GameCube games or I predict a riot!

@3rdParty So what you're saying is that only two thirds of the NSO NES games have any value. Taking us from $180 to $120.

Sometimes I wonder if you purposely misrepresent what I say or just don't understand it. I never said that the digital versions change the price of the physical ones. I said that the subscription gives you access to the digital versions of the game, so you base the value based of what the digital versions cost, not the physical versions. It's a really simple concept.

And games that were best sellers 20+ years ago does not equal best sellers of today. As I've already proven, the very price at which Nintendo themselves value these games is much lower than any modern release. I already calculated this years popular releases to be at a higher price than the total value of all the NSO NES games for an entire year.

People still don't want to read what has been written several times and absolutely clear "GROWING LIBRARY OG NES GAMES". For 20$ that is all they will release. Why people are so angry and delusional is something that surpasses me ( p s: I don't subscribe because there is nothing in the service that is of my interest)

"We haven’t even made the full library of NES games available yet"

It's sounds like he's implying that once they finish putting up all of their NES games, they'll start putting up other consoles. I can't imagine what else he could possibly mean by that, especially with someone like Reggie who's completely fluent in English.

@3rdParty I'm a huge fan or the NES library, as it was my first game system, but saying a single NES game is worth more than $5 is unfounded. If it's worth more than that to you, that's fine, but that doesn't change the market value. Nintendo did not sell the VC NES titles at $5 out of the goodness of their hearts - that price point was undoubtedly chosen to maximize profits. You can't call that a discount.

Personally, I will agree with you the NSO is a decent deal. I don't think the service is great, and it could definitely be better, but for the price it is hard to complain. I do hope they add SNES titles soon though, as I don't think the NES library has aged particularly well, but this is a good start.

Yeah, I'm gonna wait on buying into the service until we at the very least get SNES games on it.

@3rdParty I understand your point, but I do still disagree to an extent. It sounds like we agree on the price point being chosen to maximize profits. I also agree with you nostalgia is extremely strong. I pirchased many NES titles on the VC, spending far more on the VC than I will for NSO anytime soon. To me, that wasn't a discount and it wasn't really a way to woo me in (though, that is certainly a secondary benefit) - it was a profit center itself.

For me, that's the biggest difference of VC and PS+. I believe the VC was a profit center itself, and was priced in the way they thought would maximize profits, which is why I said that is the market price. Now, with NSO, I do strongly agree that their approach is to entice people into the ecosystem. Personally, I do think they need to expand their retro offerings to accomplish that long term. Like I said, I love the NES and it's a great start, but I don't think the games have aged as well and they simply aren't as fun many SNES games, and I think that limits the appeal a bit.

I really hope you`re right, Reggie-San. I`m one of the few who like Nintendo Online, so I`d really like to continue to pay for it so someday I get to play N64, GameCube games even Wi games.

@EasyDaRon The sad part is that you're absolutely right.

There's 714 NES games our there, with 3 more added each month. 12 months × 3 = 36 games/year (assuming we start in September). 714 is almost 720 games ÷ 36 games/year = a 20-year wait.

(sighs) At least there's Smash...

@TossedLlama WE DON'T WANT IT!!!!

@3rdParty Sorry if I wasn't clear - I agree with you, both the original VC, and now NSO and PS+, are priced to maximize overall profits. What I was referring to though with the VC specifically, is that in all likelihood, the VC was priced to maximize direct profits. I.E., that was the product they were offering directly to their consumers, and they priced it accordingly to min/max sales & profits.

With PS+ and now NSO, without knowing the exact details of how those departments function, I would say that they are almost definitely not profit centers. Those departments do not post profits directly from sale of goods. That is not to discount the impact they have on the overall ecosystem - both Nintendo & Sony are now banking on their subscription services & free games to entice players into paying monthly fees and purchasing more software. So these services most likely have a net positive effect on the company's bottom line, but it is a very different business model of selling goods directly for profit.

They only thing we seem to disagree on is what a fair market value is for NES games. For me, I think previous pricing and the previous business model of VC indicates $5 is a fair price. I think you also have to look at the quality of many of the indie titles you can pick up for $5 or the other bundles like the Mega Man Legacy, Street Fighter, SNK, etc... collections. I could be wrong, but I think if Nintendo tried to sell NES titles at too much more than $5, they would see a pretty drastic drop off in sales. The same could be said of the $7-9 SNES VC prices. I know if they increased too much more, I certainly wouldn't have purchased A Link to the Past, Earthbound, SMB3, SMW, and Super Metroid 5 times each. As you said, YMMV.

I hope those plans include consoles that isn't the NES