At the latest Nintendo Direct broadcast, the next batch of games coming to the Switch Online N64 service were revealed. Apart from titles like Mario Party, and the long-rumoured return of GoldenEye 007, Nintendo also confirmed Pokémon Stadium and its sequel Pokémon Stadium 2 would be coming next year.
This is the first time these particular Pokémon games will appear on one of Nintendo's digital services. Unfortunately, it seems you can't transport Pokémon into the Switch Online versions. In case you missed it, some fine print during the announcement revealed "Pokémon cannot be transferred to these games":
In the original Nintendo 64 games, players were able to use the Transfer Pak accessory to upload their own party of Pokémon from the Game Boy series. Nintendo is in the process of winding down its 3DS digital services which played host to all of these Game Boy entries. It's also currently got the Pokémon HOME service on Switch and mobile, which allows users to transfer their Pokémon across games.
While the exclusion of transfers may not necessarily be a surprise, it's apparently got some Pokémon fans a bit upset.
Serebii.net webmaster and Nintendo Life contributor Joe Merrick believes the 3DS Virtual Console games would not resolve this and HOME may not necessarily be a solution, either. Here's what he had to say in a series of tweets:
So, Pokémon Stadium 1 & 2 lack connectivity with other Pokémon games on NSO, and based on my mentions, people are irate about this. Let me explain why this is the situation and isn't an easy fix. Simply put: The Game Boy games aren't on the Switch
Many argue "oh just use the 3DS Virtual Console games", but that's not actually feasible. What Stadium does is read and access the save data through the Transfer Pak and has frequent connections with it. The 3DS cannot do this with the Switch. It needs consistent connection
In theory they could potentially rig up a system to do so and take the save data but it would require a massive workload, and probably wouldn't be out in time seeing as these are likely to drop AFTER the Nintendo 3DS eShop closes for new software downloads in March.
The next argument is Pokémon HOME. Many have brought up that HOME stores different structures now and that could allow for it, but in order to do that they'd need to convert every Pokémon AGAIN to allow for the format of Pokémon in Gen 1 and Gen 2. Last time it took days
There's also the factor of it needing to interact with the NSO save file which contains ever increasing amount of games. I'm not entirely sure how connectivity between Stadium N64 and Pokémon HOME would work as HOME's servers aren't Nintendo's. It'd require a lot of rework
Merrick signed off by saying how one possible solution could be if the Game Boy (and the retro Pokémon games) were added to the Switch Online service. On a more positive note, these new versions of the games will support online multiplayer.
Earlier this year, there were reports of Nintendo apparently testing N64 and Game Boy connectivity for the Switch Online service. And evidence of a Game Boy emulator for Switch Online has also been reported.
How do you feel about transfer support being excluded from the NSO versions of Pokémon Stadium 1 & 2? Do you think Nintendo could potentially patch this in later down the line? Share your own thoughts down below.
Comments 71
This was always going to be the case, anyone who was expecting otherwise also believed Metroid Prime Trilogy was going to be shown today.
Add GB games to Switch Online already! Emulators support save transfer between Pokemon Stadium 1 & 2, so get your act together Nintendo (I'm not holding my breath).
Who plays Pokémon Stadium for the 3D battles? The minigames is where is at.
I would think that was expected, but I suppose it is good to do a PSA.
all the more reason for GameFreak to make Pokémon Stadium 3 and allow transferring pokemon from Home to it
I'm fine with this. Using rental Pokemon takes more skill than importing a suped up team of lvl 100 Pokemon.
Oh boy, good luck completing the single player mode with rental pokemons😂😂😂😂
On the one hand I completely understand since it's quite literally impossible at the moment, but on the other....if Game Boy gets added down the line, this is going to suck.
@ChibiSmoothie that's actually what I'm looking forward to, having funky battles with my friends with the rentals' bizarre and suboptimal movesets. it really makes it a more interesting game in a lot of ways. no sarcasm
I don't mind. I always thought using rentals was more fun and interesting anyway.
I think it's not impossible to do it at all even with 3DS in mind or Pokémon HOME for that matter, but the main problem is essentially how much information constitutes a Pokémon, and whether or not Pokémon Company is fine losing some information in the process, on which the answer is resounding No.
It doesn't necessarily have to be Game Boy on Switch Online, but definitely a way to have a Game Boy Pokémon save file stored on the console for access by N64 NSO application. It is essentially the only way for Pokémon Company to be satisfied.
And both of these games just became completely useless. It's impossible to complete these games with just rental pokemon.
So play the minigames and never even consider playing the main game.
You can still have fun with these games without it, but they're kinda missing the point without Game Boy cartridge comptability. These were always designed to be companion game to Pokemon R/B/Y/G/S/C.
Fisher sent out KAZAMISH intensifies
So pretty much the GB Tower is just a monument that gets Doduo/Dodrio imagery on it.
No way this was gonna happen. It would be better odds that they revealed Metroid Prime 4 coming for Christmas in the Direct
"would require a massive workload"... single person makes a free homebrew that adds the feature in their spare time.
I don't see why they can't release a version of Pokemon Stadium with a GB cart inserted, like Yellow. When you're sick of rental Pokemon, you could play through the entire game through GB Tower and use the Pokemon you earned in the battle and mini-game modes. Still hopeful they'll add GB to NSO and patch in compatibility but not expecting them to bother.
@HammerGalladeBro sushi minigame war.
Honestly, the fact that Nintendo used to do this sort of thing at all is impressive. Asking them to redo it retroactively on entirely different hardware and firmware is entitlement at it's finest
Despite the lack of Transfer Pak functionality I'm still glad these games are coming to the platform. I mostly only cared about the mini-games anyways as opposed to the battles. It also kinda equals the playing field in battles.. or makes it boring, predictable and samey depending on your perspective. It'll still be fun to play all the mini-games online- although I wish it wasn't restricted to just your Switch friends and setting up a tethered play session beforehand.
However, this was still the perfect opportunity to announce a Game Boy line NSO App though as a value add to one of the existing tiers. Hopefully it's still coming soon, however given the NSO release schedule outlook they showed.. GB is probably not coming for another 6 months at least which is unfortunate.
... Wun can only hope.
That was my question the top of my head! I'm glad it was resolved. Thank you Nintendo Life! I was going to call Nintendo Specialist for this question and you answered.
@Bryon15 You're joking right? is that why I was able to beat both of them 100% with Rentals? it's definitely really difficult but definitely not impossible.
I mean this makes perfect sense. I really didn’t expect them to add that functionality. It sounds like it would be a logistical nightmare to pull off.
I knew this would be the case so I'm not bothered about this at all. These games are not useless like this they just become more strategic and challenging. People that say they're useless are only used to steamrolling everything with OP Pokèmon.
Another solution would be having the game boy games baked into the games so for example being able to play yellow in stadium and crystal in stadium 2
I don't know how much the game stands on its own with just minigames and rental pokés, but for a subscription service it does make some sense (if only a little) to just focus on the base game.
There's always the Wii or Wii U with PBR and DS linkup if you want that spectacle element to yer pokémon battles.
It all comes from them not allowing for controller/rumble/transfer paks with the NSO N64 controller.
I would have bought one if they had that feature.
This is why they shouldn't have ported these until GB was added to NSO.
Anyone who expected this was only fooling themselves.
As expected. The 3d battles were fun as a kid, but the other modes especially the minigames were played more often. So I think it’s fine and online multiplayer is cool for those.
Removed - foreign languages
So essentially not worth playing. You actually can beat Pokémon Stadium 1 with the rentals, but two they made thrm alot worse.
You can use your GB Pokemon Rom and Save Game with Project 64, why shouldn't you on the Switch?
You literally could upload your save game and it stays on the Switch.
But i would rather believe they implement GB Games on the Switch, the 3DS is dead for them.
Pokemon Stadium is more like an Expansion to the GB Games and really fun so.
But as a Standalone, really bad.
@LexKitteh didn’t consider that. It would be the perfect option in the meantime
@ChibiSmoothie It does not really work that way. When importing Pokémon, you're still limited to the levels the game allows. So for cups with level 50 Pokémon, you can't use anything that's higher than that. Rental Pokémon, however, have horrible movesets that make it more frustrating than challenging to complete everything. Wanna use Charizard? I hope you like Ember and Scratch. Oh, you wanted to use Flamethrower and Slash? Gotta go with Charmander then with its horrible stats.
Nintendo needs to add GB, GBC, GBA, DS and 3DS on NSO.
It would be great if these NSO emulations would have Pokémon HOME support without fiddling with Pokémon Bank.
I usually try not to be negative in my comments, but this is just like some sick joke. Why are they even releasing these games without pokemon transfers?
I always used rentals, so this is a non issue for me.
Also, the fun with Stadium is in the minigames.
@Krisi I always saw it as a balancing thing. If you want good moves, you must use a weaker Pokémon.
@Bolt_Strike To be fair, the Pokémon Stadium games won't release until next year. That still gives Nintendo some time to make GB(A) games on NSO work. Although I don't think it'll happen, one can still hope, right?
Strange how some people are upset by this but no one cared that Mario Tennis and Golf didn't include the GBC characters or compatibility...
Cue the 'Actually...' comments
@martynstuff
Because Mario Tennis and Golf are full Games without the GB Additions, they are only a nice Addition.
Pokemon Stadium is vice versa, it is more an Addition to the Gameboy Games, so it is really crippled without them.
It is more comperable to the Battle Frontier (and what they are called) in later Installments within the Game.
@Rika_Yoshitake You mean like these so called journalists who post about 'reliable leakers' before every direct and then go totally silent after each one...?
@Bryon15 Wrong. Speed-runners make easy work of it through rentals, so it's possible.
@Krisi In turn, other Pokemon will get the spotlight. For PS2, Volturb has among the best moveset and stat spread. Thunder, Rain Dance, Mirror Coat, Explosion. Fearow pretty decent, Kadabra etc. Some of the pre-evolved Pokes are exceptional enough.
@martynstuff You forgot to include 'Because', shoot.
The rentals are really fun to use in these games anyways
You can't enjoy 50% of the content of these games without the Transfer Pak and the Game Boy games, or maybe 90%, these games were always designed to be some sort of expansion to the Game Boy games.
The Pokémon Stadium series died after the portable games were allowed to have 3D battles, and the corpse became dust now that Nintendo is pretty much only making portables with the option of playing on the TV.
However, I still think that Game Boy games will come later, and the Transfer Pak functionality will come back.
There are other games that use it, like Mario Golf and Mario Tennis.
I was really hoping for a Game Boy announcement for NSO after seeing Pokémon Stadium 1 & 2 in the Direct. What a letdown... Or maybe Nintendo still has an ace up their sleeve and they'll release all compatible games as separate eShop titles, just like how they did with Fire Emblem
@TommyTendo Yeah, I saw it as a balancing thing. An attempt to make every pokemon viable so kids could use their favorites and not be steamrolled. Of course there's only so much you can do for stuff like Caterpie and Magikarp...
It would be nice if Pokemon Home featured a few specific boxes to be able to act as storage for these games in future With obvious restrictions on what moves and Pokemon can be put in them. Although some of the rentals in the games had good movests if you didn't necessarily go for the most powerful ones in terms of stats. You can quite easily beat the games using the right strategies and teams.
Not surprising at all. A little bit upsetting but it was to be expected
@SwagaliciousJohnson If they're ready to announce games coming that far in advance they should be ready to announce GB coming to NSO. The fact that they didn't implies there's going to be some length of time, probably a significant one, where we have Stadium and not the GB games.
Of course don't be surprised if that explanation from Serebii completely flies over people's heads
@ChibiSmoothie Rental Pokemon in a game on a service you have to pay monthly to rent said Pokemon game.
Poetic greed.
@EmoGamer I don't know about that. I've actually seen people beat Stadium 1 and 2 using only rental Pokemon. I think it's more about strategy and knowing which Pokemon to use.
@TommyTendo Yeah, it's definitely a balance thing. I mean it's like the game has a bigger roster right? You can't only use the final evolutions, but the weaker forms as well because they have the better moves.
But still, later opponents, especially in R2 are using the strongest evolutions with the best movesets, so you don't really have much of a chance with just rentals.
If using rental Pokémon is going to make the game much more difficult, I might have to resort to using save states.
As a huge fan of these games, that is both expected and tragic. Why should we expect Nintendo to sell an inferior product though? Blatant cash grab.
The games might still be worth it for the novelty, or playing the minigames with friends.
But seriously trying to do the single player content will be horrendous. The rental Pokemon in Stadium 1 aren't great, but in Stadium 2 they are downright unusable. If memory serves, the fully evolved starters all have the lowest damage dealing moves of their types. So, Blastoise has water gun, while Squirtle has hydro pump. The end result is that nothing is usable.
They won’t do this, but I’d love it if they’d modify the 64 online ROM to act as if a Transfer Pak with one of the games was plugged in (would require the GB ROMs). Seems like it’ll be way less work than a full link to other games, but would allow you to play; say, Red and Silver on Switch via Stadium, and the upload features would work with that include ROM as a minimum.
However I wouldn’t be surprised if the emulator NoE made doesn’t emulate the Transfer Pak, so it might not be so low effort, and I don’t think they want to open that can of worms.
Seeing how they would need to create a new transfer pak that works with switch it's expected. Like at least until switch has gb games available
Yes; I feel tha this predicts the original Pokémon games being on the Nintendo Switch online service. After all, the Pokémon Stadium games were designed around putting your GameBoy teams in 3D.
@CodyMKW GameFreak never made the Stadium games, and The Pokémon Company said there was no reason to make them after the series went 3D with X&Y.
There's an easy way to fix it: adding Game Boy to Switch Online alongside the original games (preferentially with the first games colorized, as they were in Game Boy Color). Everyone has been expecting for Game Boy on NSO for a long while.
@Wolfgabe pokemon die hards are not the smartest gamers on the planet
Nintendo NEVER goes the extra mile these days.
Look at ACNH. Sold way more than they expected. And they shrugged it off and said, so what...
SMO: added hide and seek, but no real new content.
switch online: they don't implement the most basic QOL improvements that other emulators have had for years...
Splatoon 3: no dedicated servers! Still p to p. That's bad. They will have more cheating problems just like in Mario kart online...
N64 online: again crappy netcode, lag, very inconsistent with what textures they have replaced.
And the icing on the cake: crappy Analog sticks in the Joy-cons! They refuse to fix this issue! They see it as a way to make more money.
I like Nintendo switch but they are half assing a lot of things.
@MarkyVigoroth
I hope there is a good chance Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald will be released on NSO as well. Never played the Gen 3 games in their original GBA form.
I love it when pokemon fans dont get what they want get a clod hard slad to the face of reality
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...