While Old Games Are Easily Delivered, Nintendo Is Focused On New Experiences, Says Miyamoto

insert "Why not both?" meme

Hopefully this means that an Xenoblade X sequal, will be the launch title for Nintendo's next system

Nintendo should focus on both the past and the future. They’re not some tiny newcomer who can’t do both simultaneously.

BC is nice, especially between two consoles in line ,but I want the Nintendo that is making new games and new partnerships. Or at the very least enhancements and remakes to older content.

Besides I have my BC system. The WiiU.

theyre stubborn enough about roms, just release your old games and use that money to fund your new ideas

My steam deck is on the way, which I will promptly load with emulators for all the gba and SNES games I own physically or in last-gen VC. Already turned off renewal of NSO.

I’d be fine paying Nintendo again to keep these games in Switch, but a subscription that adds games a couple times a year and never confers long-term ownership is just SO much worse than what I can set up myself after an hour on Google.

More than a year ago you guys claimed you knew for 100% sure GB was coming to Switch online.

This article: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/09/rumour_nintendo_will_expand_its_switch_online_service_with_game_boy_and_game_boy_color_titles

And then especially the "update" that Eurogamer "confirms" that GameBoy is coming to NSO. Which you guys said was a "credible" source.

I was skeptical back then. And for more than a year (and counting) I was right.

GB on NSO is not happening. Nor should it happen. I want new games, and new hardware to play these games. So Nintendo should focus on making the Switch successor and games for that platform.

This is just so they can more easily sell you remasters and collections of these old games for way more.

The way they handle it now does nothing for me. I'm not paying them money every month just to "borrow" their old games. There are better ways...

I like backwards compatibility but new games are vastly more important so I'm glad to hear that from Nintendo. I hope they'll continue to be rewarded for that mindset.

A games company should obviously focus on the future but offering backwards compatibility does sell those new consoles.

In the first few years of a consoles life cycle, games are scarce and at full price, so gamers are sold by something that makes their current library of games slightly better.

High initial sales means more third party developer support in the long run.

I would never buy a console within the first few years of release if it required me to pay again for games I had already bought.

I also don’t think Nintendo needs to dedicate too much development energy on the classics, however they’re legacy titles and have a substantial nostalgia audience willing to pay good money for them. So there’s value in some effort being put into providing that experience for their customers. It would be poor business to just end support on software a paying audience is waiting and willing to buy.

Nintendo gets it right sometimes, but other times I feel like they limit themselves for no reason. VC was great, getting what you want and a reasonable price. But the subscription model isn’t too bad either. I just think a little more work could go into it since it’s a newer way to feature these games. For example adding additional graphic filters and borders for their SNES and NES games. “Hacked” options in certain games to streamline them a bit better for those that want to experience them but aren’t familiar with the style of gameplay. More options don’t hurt.

Either way, I wouldn’t just end support of their legacy titles when their next console comes out. Even if I have to rebuy donkey Kong country trilogy for the dozenth time. Lol.

They should focus on new experiences as their tent pole releases but should be making it easier for people to enjoy their legacy titles.
It is considerably easier on other platforms to access titles from previous generations and yet Nintendo's nostalgia power is probably unrivalled.

I don't really have big hype with GBA games as I only have 2 GBA games until today (K-1 Pocket Grand Prix 1 & 2).

Why would they ever release GBA games on the Switch, when they haven't even touched the Game Boy? Dumb nerds, and their dumb expectations.

Bullcrap excuse for continued drip feed approach.

Value added services can be evergreen free money, in addidion to new releases.
Good thing all my games run good on emulators.

@Fizza because it's a subscription and they want your money.

Same reason only one episode of the Mandalorian, LotR Rings of Power and of GoT House of the Dragon are released per week.

Weird. He actually mentioned the Virtual Console in what sounds like endearment.

What would really be nice is a guarantee of a solid platform, akin to Steam, where we can buy classic titles from NES through to Wii U, for example, & no matter what future console we buy, those digital VC titles will be there for us to enjoy. Obviously, I realise there may be issues with licensing, but there are tons of 1st Party content that simply never gets represented & most people have to resort to piracy or stupidly high prices on eBay. I want them to focus on new entires & new IP, for sure, but it would be nice to have legacy titles available.

Why should Warner Bros. worry about making Casablanca available when they can instead focus on making Aquaman 2?

@sikthvash so you want the Virtual Console to expand. I'd agree. Too bad Nintendo hasn't figured out it's value. Steam is universal. VC could be. Imagine a VC you could have on PC or Switch. Or hell even Playstation or Xbox.

@Fizza I third in the agreement with @Buizel

I sure do enjoy playing my Paper Mario Thousand Year Door and F-Zero GX on my Nintendo Switch!

Oh wait....

Sony has been offering PS2 games for download since, what, 2008 or so? Wii U offered a selection of Wii games for download.

In 2022, people are asking for GBA/GB games over Gamecube games, a console that has never received its due. There is no reason Nintendo can’t offer these games.

Give us online Double Dash please......

I'd choose GBA games if I could own them digitally but as it's a subscription service...just focus on Mario Odyssey 2 already, jeez

@Krysus Definitely! They could potentially make a lot more money, especially if they offered at the very least, officially upscaled games for N64 library and up.

This sounds like Nintendo wanting to start from scratch again like the Switch did which if that's the case, it'll definitely massively backfire. Backwards compatibility is an expectation nowadays.

@EliJapan The Wii U really was just a more powerful Wii. It was the Switch that actaully changed things (for the better).

@Dr_Luigi we literally want more reasons to give them money and they don’t understand why that’s a potential good thing for them.

@Grumblevolcano Why? If you can make a great console with good hardware and a killer feature? You don't want to be stuck in the past with the last console's games.

Since they no longer have to shift their attention between a handheld and home console, they can easily focus on both retro and new gaming. It doesn't make sense for Nintendo to focus solely on retro games. We need both new and old games. New ones to experience new types of gameplay in franchises we love, or new franchises and old games for preservation and nostalgia. The Switch is my most played Nintendo console specifically because it offers both. Although I still wish for GBA games and many retro games are missing from the NSO library

Please sir, I just want to play F-Zero on native hardware without spending triple digits ☹

@Grumblevolcano The Switch doesn't have backwards compatibility... It surely didn't backfire for Nintendo.

I just want to be able to buy pilot wings 64 on the switch without no subscription shenanigans

If it’s easy, that implies it doesn’t take too much time and energy, so… can we walk and chew gum at the same time, please, Nintendo? I mean if I guess I had to choose between only new games and only old games, I’ll go with new games (though it’s not exactly an easy choice, given how much I love Nintendo’s backlog), but that is a ridiculous false dichotomy!

Speculation: SM talked new hardware and new unique gaming experiences. Since metaverse/AR/VR is trending, will we see Big N’s release…a Virtual Boy successor? Ninty seemed to try to follow the 3D TV fad with the 3DS…

New experiences rarely beat nostalgia.

The new console needs to be backwards compatible with the Switch, but I don't want them to go the Microsoft way.
Who talked and talked about backward compatibility and then it turned out that this was caused by the lack of new games.

@Pillowpants As time goes on, people have different expectations. Switch was released at a time when PC was the only system with proper backwards compatibility (PS4 had nothing meanwhile XB1 had some 360 games). Meanwhile now you have PC, PS5 and Series X|S with last gen backwards compatibility where the only games which don't run are very few PS4 games in PS5's case (Ubisoft is the big problem there) and Kinect games in Series X|S case.

Given that random fans have been doing it for decades, I'm sure Nintendo could pretty easily set up and maintain a digital library of most if not all of their games from previous generations, and keep it continuously supported and updated on all their future hardware. The problem is that doing so is not in their best interests. An old game's monetary potential is largely dependent on people's nostalgia for it, and people don't get as nostalgic for things that they can still easily access at any time.

@Grumblevolcano well, as long as Nintendo is going to make a Switch 2 we should be good. The 3DS was backward compatible with DS and the DS with GBA. There's a good chance the new system will be more like an iteration of the Switch like the DS > 3DS. I have my hopes about that at least. But if history has taught us anything it's that Nintendo does what Nintendo does best: Their own thing.

Focus mainly on the future, but make the past easily accessible too. NSO and future iterations of it, should come with every 1st party game from NES to the Wii, available near day one.
Remakes and remasters should have some focus too.

Wow this article REALLY missed the point Miyamoto was making.

His main point was that any future Nintendo system would be compatible with current (ie switch) games because it will built from the same technical basis. And even if it's not technically compatible, porting modern games to new platforms is much easier than it used to be.

He brings up VC as a past example. Those games had to be "modified" to run on Wii hardware, but those VC versions were still compatible with Wii U because Wii and Wii U share the same technology.

The whole point of the conversation was to reassure people that the newer systems will of course be backwards compatible thanks to modern standardization. He's not talking about NSO or retro gaming at all, and wasn't trying to rule it out in the future.

I can walk into a library and find books written over 100 years ago. I can download an ebook app and have access to old books and movies 40+ years old. No one is asking for old games to be a focus. People are just asking for a means of accessibility.

Reading between the lines, I'm getting the feeling Nintendo will go experimental again with the Switch successor. Am excited and scared at the same time.

I can't see the Switch 2 not using existing Switch cartridges, but they'll likely be a lot cheaper to manufacture when compared to 2017, and I envision cross-generation compatibility, where developers can allow for enhanced performance/resolution etc. when played on the most up-to-date hardware, similar to how many Game Boy Color games were compatible on regular old Game Boys.

Lol sure thing

Occasional reminiscing and nostalgia is good and all, but one of the worst things anyone can do is live in the past. We learn from the past to secure our future. Looking forward to Nintendo's future innovations (as long as we don't drop the hybrid console design).

„Nintendo’s strength is in creating new video game experiences, so when we release new hardware in the future, we would like to showcase unique video games that could not be created with pre-existing hardware.“

So Switch 2 will not just be a more performant evolution of the Switch concept, but will have some kind of gimmick. I‘d prefer the original Switch concept, because it’s simple, gimmick-free and great.

One of the problems Nintendo has is they have to test the heck out of their games being emulated and that also includes the game being somehow hijacked to insert code to jailbreak the Switch. The 3DS was FILLED with issues like this. And Nintendo has a massive reputation when it comes to games playing right.

Do what you want Nintendo, there is a ton of options to emulate games on the go at this point.

As if Disney is so ‘stuck in the past’ for streaming their old cartoons. Working on new games has nothing to do with the service they could provide for NSO. They just want to be able to make announcements about NSO every so often. That’s the only reason we don’t have thousands of games on that service already. They think can use their drip releases as marketing tools.

@sikthvash They already made that. It's called Wii U.

Its so easy that I will continue to emulate Nintendo games on my PC, phone, and tablet and play gba games on my 3ds.. I would have no problem buying older games if they actually let us...rather than pay a subscription to rent older games

@ThePizzaCheese
NintendoLife articles misinterpretting Nintendo statements should be expected at this point.

I always appreciate newer games to be released, but I'd KILL for Gameboy and Gamecube games

Easily delivered my butt. I'd love to buy select oldschool games digitally. But availability is garbage and a fully loaded handheld emulator thing costs less than 100 rupees. So. Nintendo keeps messing up on this one. The Virtual Console was a far better concept than whatever we have now.

They could literally do both so easily it’s not even funny.

Whatever. If they’re not going to let me buy the games I would like to on their most recent hardware then I’ll continue to download them on Steam Deck. I would love to own Twin Snakes and Paper Mario TTYD on Switch for example and would happily pay for them but if they’re not going to give me the option I’ll play them for free.

@ThePizzaCheese Brilliant, so I can play all those games I bought for the 3rd or 4th time there on my Switch and subsequent consoles?

@larryisaman I totally forgot that I never had the opportunity to play the gamecube paper mario as a kid. I'll need to crack open my steam deck or ayn odin and get on that once I complete the megaman zero series here soon.

@sikthvash Of course not, you wanted something independent from future hardware remember?

Are they focused on the future? Seems like they are focused on recycling….

I've had this crappy theory a while, but I think Nintendo is not selling their old SNES n n64 titles individually because why would anyone buy a console after a switch if so? Ppl would have every game they'd ever wanna play at any time/on the go, theres no incentive unless you just want (or rather need) a more powerful switch in the future and thirsting for new games. But not everyone's like that (think more casual gamers), so for that the switch has the "on the go" tax (i.e. subscription) for these titles

+1 for why not both

I'd be just fine with a new console & a separate Nintendo legacy console to fit the older stuff on.

Nintendo must surely have the resources to focus on both new games and delivering a great way to experience their old games.

I also really think there's room for more games like NES Remix that let us experience chunks of the classics without having to git gud at the whole game. A 16-bit "SNES Remix" would be awesome.

Funny that because almost half the Switch output from Nintendo are ports/remasters of old games

@ThePizzaCheese No no, not independent, something like a guaranteed eShop Platform, tied to your account forevermore, with the ability to buy VC titles that can be played on future generations of hardware, as well as current hardware of course. I know, I know, it's wishful thinking, but can't you talk to your Uncle who works at Nintendo?

"Nintendo’s strength is in creating new video game experiences, so when we release new hardware in the future, we would like to showcase unique video games that could not be created with pre-existing hardware."

If this has any foundation in actual direction (and it should be given credence, coming from Shigeru Miyamoto himself), the next generation hardware from Nintendo isn't going to be a more powerful Switch. Maybe Switch continues as a handheld and a new home console arrives alongside it? I guess that's the optimum outcome for those that want Switch to continue for another generation.

@sikthvash To be fair, they did try that with Wii U, which carried over your Wii library. It's a hard system to implement because hardware always changes. Although I have heard from inside sources this concern will be a thing of the past thanks to standardised development environments, meaning your current Nintendo account purchases and NSO will still be available on future hardware. But for everything older theres still your Wii U.

@Max_the_German A new gimmick, like the WiiU after Wii, has me worried. Nintendo hardware seems to be successful by accident, and fail by the obvious.

@Dr_Luigi How passionate volunteers have made a better product than Nintendo is insane. If it wasn’t for the major corporate culture disconnect, they would’ve hired a bunch of those people to build the service for them.

Miyamoto has made some of the best games, and has entertain me for countless hours.

But...

Every time I hear him talk about new experiences or innovative experiences, all I can think of is we music and Star Fox zero, I'm fine with new experiences as long as they don't stretch into miyamoto's "new way to play" innovation strategy, it worked one time for Wii and it worked for the DS because touch screens were novel at the time, but I am a firm believer in sticking with what works in the form of a controller, and in fact I wish they would bring back some of the more innovative items on the controller like analog triggers on the pro controller.

and why not both?

The drip feed is really really annoying.

Old games easily delivered? Yeah but not by Nintendo 😂😂. I love Shigsy but he needs to smell what he is shoveling sometimes.
Nintendo are so far behind on compatability, pirates make them look incompetent, not one of the "best" software houses around. I'd hoped that Wii and wiiware was the beginning of creating a lasting structure but that caved in with Switch. I have thousands of playable software licenses, but no new hardware to play them on. It's Switch's biggest turn off for me right now. Supplementing it with a timed service is a half measure at best.

@McBurn I suppose. We got the Link’s Awakening remaster, the Mario 3D All Stars collection, and will eventually get Advance Wars 1+2. Mario Party Superstars combines parts from the older games. Any other first party ones that I missed (not counting Wii U ports)?

I wish they would do more remasters and collections.

Yeah, why not both?

Videogames are about the old and the new. Right now I'm playing Death Stranding in 4K and 60fps. That's great. I can see characters' pores during cinematics. Wild. I'm also playing Quake 2 for the first time. It's awesome. When I blow something up, there's this cute billowing fire animation. Wild.

I chose the future because I’m going to be entirely honest. I already have the complete NES, GB, SNES, Mega Drive and GBA libraries (with a smattering of GameCube for good measure) on my Steam Deck. And I’ve come to realise that I barely play any of the thousands of options. New experiences hold my attention far more.

@Tandy255 You missed Skyward Sword.

It is nice to hear since the rest of the industry is thriving on easy cash grab "remasters" from the foolish cash slinging peasants.

If older games are so easily deliverable why the drip feed? Also why are they only available to subscribers instead of ala carte?

Well then we will continue to emulate then. It's not like they ever really offered a good library and always drip drop titles so slowly.

Drip feeding 'old' experiences & ignoring demands equals:

• Emulators
• FPGA hardware emulators
• Clean-room reverse-engineering projects (See Zelda64 dev & Metaforce)
• Whack-a-mole piracy sites
• A portable rival in Steam Deck with a convenience emulator that plays Nintendo's games better than NSO

Keep burying your heads in the sand there Nintendo. Or solve the distribution problem & make some $$

Also these 'new' experiences sure are similar to the old Miyamoto

My Wii U VC version of Zelda Minish Cap includes scans of the original instruction manual. This is the level of curation and preservation I would like to see on NSO.

That vote….is a lot closer than I expected.

But, anyways, yes, both!

I actually find it annoying how little Nintendo takes advantage of its entire back catalogue. Yes we've had Super Mario Bros a million times on various platforms but what about the rest??? They could make an absolute fortune all of their new ideas and hardware for the rest of time.

Imagine a Nintendo system where your digital library followed you from generation to generation in the same way that it has to an extent on PlayStation and Xbox.

I think I'd have probably purchased every first party release by now and given Nintendo a ton of money.

The question is, what will Nintendo's game-changing hardware feature be for Switch 2?

@GameOtaku They are only available to subscribers as a mean to get more subscribers. If they were available in the eshop, a bunch of people would not subscribe to NSO

Like, you want to play Ocarina of Time, you have to get the NSO + Expansion Pack subscription. It's their business strategy.

I guess that's why they re-released pretty much every Wii U game on the Switch.

@Tandy255 They've got a few here, but yeah they need more.
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/legal/a_id/48057/

@ThePizzaCheese The mini NES and SNES consoles also use QR codes that link you to instruction manual scans.

@DjinnFighter
The main draw of the online service is playing games online. If you don’t play online then why should you drop $50 a year to get access to offline retro games? They could still offer the expansion tier with those games and dlc included and have an option available for those that will not subscribe to get access to a self curated collection of older legacy titles.

Curious that they don’t apply this same logic to Wii U ports which we have far too many of in place of “new experiences”

There's obviously enough success to support both. I appreciate having the legacy versions of old games available to reminisce, but I also want them to leverage new ideas.

Ocarina of Time is a good example. I appreciate having the legacy version in its original launch state on NSO, but I would also like the option to play the 3DS updated version. Not only that, but I would also love a brand new FinalFantasy7Remake-esque full remake of Ocarina of Time, replete with reimagined mechanics and story beats.

@Danrenfroe2016
For me i really wasn't a fan of the "new way to play" era since i feel like the best "way to play" is whatever the player finds comfortable which is why I'm glad that the switch has an emphasis on choice with very few games forcing you to play it using a specific control scheme, its not perfect but definitely feels like a step up from the wii era (wiiu was a little bit better in that there were more games which supported the pro controller and off-tv play)

And this is only from a preference perspective, i can only imagine that era was even worse for someone with some form of physical disability since for them i imagine some games on wii and wiiu would have been physically impossible to play.

im still hoping that we do get a more powerful switch though if the next system ends up being another wiiu situation i will likely just end up getting a steam deck.

Honestly I'd like for them to release more games from their past systems onto Switch. Because if memory serves, they said the Switch has inherited all of Nintendo's DNA to the system. That could mean more of Nintendo's past systems as well as future games like rumored Super Mario Odyssey 2, Mario Kart 9, etc. I believe if they would be able to give us all the past games to the Switch's expanding online service, the Switch would be enjoyable for many years and thus future generations. Honestly I just want all games on one system and for Switch, that would be perfect

@Krysus
When Nintendo added an account system i was hoping it would mean that the library would carry over to their new system and their stores would be more unified meaning that players wouldn't have to keep rebuying the games.

in a way they did....by not allowing players to buy the games at all.

I feel like out of the 3 big console manufacturers that Microsoft ended up handling this aspect the best, and while the library doesn't really interest me, the fact that i could in theory buy a series X/S and still be able to access games that i bought over a decade ago back on 360 is something to be happy with, and while not every game is supported it is updated.

@ThePizzaCheese Misleading info? Here? Causing kneejerk reactions in the comments? Never.

Always better to wait another week for when the official Q and A comes out on Nintendo's page, and read it there rather than when it gets split down into 10 articles here.

I'm sure I asked this ages ago but does anyone know if there was ever a breakdown as to whether Virtual Console was actually profitable for them? I would imagine they got their fingers burnt quite badly after the Wii U considering how few people bought into it. I can't imagine it did rip-roaring trade except amongst a pocket of hobbyists.

@ThePizzaCheese
Yeah i was getting the impression that the switch kind of felt like a new era and that things will be more "future proof" this time.

im hoping that the switch's focus on player choose when it comes to "how" the games are played also continues since i feel they really nailed the whole "hybrid" concept. (plus they were still able to experiment with things like mario kart live, labo and ring fit)

I personally don’t see myself ever subscribing to Switch Online to play the older games, but I’d certainly buy them piecemeal if they were offered that way. As far as general backward compatibility, like playing Switch games on the Switch 2, I’ve decided that I won’t buy another system that doesn’t have this functionality. If the Switch 2 or whatever comes out and it can’t play my switch games, then I’m done with Nintendo and I’ll spend my money on a Steamdeck instead. I invest way too much money on my game libraries for them not to come forward to the next system.

It's like a balancing act, you can give us N64 games once a month but also have Splatoon 3, mario and rabbids, pokemon scarlet and violet.

I understand where he is coming from on this. I look at my playtime on the retro games Switch has delivered, and it is for the most part insignificant.

I enjoy playing through a few titles, but outside of the first party stuff, I don’t mess with it. I think it needs to be there, but it certainly shouldn’t be the focus.

@turntSNACO
This post right here Officer.

i doubth that Switch sucessor is gonna feature backward compartibity, it seens Switch sucessor will feature a completely new inovation( even having a diffent media such as disk, making backward compartibilty very hard to do on Switch) and not continuing the hybrid format of Switch, VR for Switch sucessor

@MarioLinkSamus VR, after hearing what Miyamoto said, it seens they gonna ditch the hybrid concept of Switch in his sucessor, so VR is next.

@BanjoPickles GBA-GB is more popular then Game Cube, that why everyone is asking for this consoles on Switch, and beside Game Cube file size is over 1 GB, too expensive for Nintendo.

No matter how many new games they deliver, they can't top the GameCube + GBA lineup. And I didn't even had either back then. They're just... bursting with a creative power the industry lost over time.

Hey Shigeru... go fly a kite!

Yeah, I don't understand how hard it is to make a small team devoted to porting Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games to the Switch.

It seems like Nintendo is doing everything possible to add everything else besides Game Boy Family games to Switch Online and I don't see the logic.

Adding OG Game Boy and Game Boy Color for the base subscribers and the Game Boy Advance for the expansion pack will attract more gamers and add more value to the overall service.

I just don't get it, Game Boy Family systems should have been added to NSO years ago, and yet Nintendo avoids adding these systems like the plague.

At this point, I half-expect Game Gear and Turbografix-16 games to arrive on NSO before the Game Boy Family.

I understand the need for new experiences, but what if someone enjoys say Metroid Dread and wants to go back and play the older games? All they have right now are Metroid on the NES and Super Metroid on the SNES with NSO.

Imagine if they could also play Metroid II, Metroid Fusion, and Metroid Zero Mission on their Switch?

@Grumblevolcano disapoited but expected, Nintendo can't rely on a wining formula forever, the hybrid concept of Switch has already show all it potencial, theres nothing Nintendo could do to improve it, so better ditch this for it sucessor and go for another inovation for it sucessor, Nintendo is not Sony/Microsoft, that keep reitaring/improving on the same concept.

I love the old games. I'm pleased with how well Nintendo has held on to some key values that continue to generate games with a quirky, fun heart and a commitment to refinement. So, Nintendo's future is still important to my gaming future.

The old games are, frankly, historical. I think Nintendo has a responsibility to help keep them accessible. If the goal is to keep leveraging them as a benefit of owning their latest hardware, Nintendo should always plan to bring as many as old games as possible forward. I think the lack of GameBoy games on their portable system or some other way to play them should be remedied.

Nintendo has another choice, of course. It can release selections of old games in a wider way — smartphones, PC, etc.

I think the most fun is the mini classic consoles. I really love those little things. But that seems like a nightmare in the ongoing manufacturing/distribution crises.

So please release the retro, Nintendo! One place or another! Paid or free. But please don't lock up the history that you still have control over.

@turntSNACO Don't forget that EmuDeck comes with Steam Rom Manager, which will let you launch games directly from the Steam games menu.

What's old can be new again though for some and in some cases brand new for others. Great experiences shouldn't be lost to time especially if they can be easily preserved and improved upon for whomever chooses to indulge whenever they so choose. I personally would've missed out on so many classic games that came out before my time or I could afford or appreciate them fully. Ultimately those experiences drove me to be interested in similar titles in the future so idk if I wholly agree with Miyamoto's/Nintendo's sentiment or approach in this regard. Get everything officially digitally preserved Ninty, you only have to update it every so often.

... Wun can only hope.

sigh… Listen Ninty (Navi Voice), I would literally gladly pay $100/year for a comprehensive & extensive Nintendo Virtual Console Online Subscription Service (basically like every other popular streaming/subscription service currently) if Nintie would just give us all the platforms + catalogues we want on competent legal proprietary emulators i.e. with rewind, fast-forward, turbo, more save states, downloadable/uploadable/transferrable community shared saves, cheats, scanned game manuals, multiple suspend play, custom button-mapping, online netplay with crosschat, lobbies, invites, filters, borders/themes and/or widescreen adaptation etc... most of which is already included in some notable free emulators out in the wild for some time now. It would be better if this was all contained in one giant categorized “Nintendo Switch Online Archives/Virtual Console App” as well, rather than segmented with separate apps for each platform.

Nintendo has such a beloved and cherished archive of gaming history... yet they either neglect it, withhold it or give it little TLC. C'mon pick it up and get it together with the NSO service quick, fast and in a hurry please Nintendo!

... Wun can only hope.

Miyamoto doesn’t seem as sharp as he used to be

They're nice to play but shouldn't be a significant part of Nintendo's strategy going forward.

One thing I find a little pathetic is Sonic Origins. How Sega treats the nth re-release of the exact same set of Sonic games a big event, every single generation. That's no way to carry a series into the future.

It's more important that they keep making new games. If they're ever at the point that they HAVE to rely on their back catalog they're finished IMO.

It would be a death wish if the Switch Successor does not have backwards compatibly with the Switch. I think consumers are starting to get tried of rererebuying ports of games and that reflects in Sony and Microsoft offering full-ish BC on their current gen systems.

The NSO library will be easy to port over day one, its the downloads and carts that would be the real concern. Imagine being told you had to rebuy all those Resident Evil ports or MegaMan Collections all over again over a long milking session.

Not to mention free upgrades that XBox and Playstation do from last to current gen, it'll be interesting if Nintendo allows that if the successor has full-ish Switch BC.

If I had to choose between the two options I would go with more new games, but there is no reason they should have to pick one or the other.

I’ll vote here in the comments. I want Nintendo to have new game experiences for future consoles. If it leads to making games for proper hardware I want that. It seems if Nintendo keeps focusing on the past they can end up trapping themselves and not moving towards tomorrow.

Hellish statement because it can be taken either way, their current leadership and what led to the Switch makes you think they would want a safe Super Switch with BC and carrying their NSO emulated games forward but they also have the old guard like Miyamoto who love going in wacky new directions which might prevent BC but might also appeal to the corporate types who want to keep churning out full priced re-releases to bulk up their release lineups.

I would say keep moving forward but at the same time. Keep going with your legacy for your old IP's. I get times have changed and it always will. Also, having to sell current products to keep the company going. I don't agree for the most parts of what Nintendo is doing. You take down rom websites and you refuse to sell them instead. I get it's Nintendo's IP's. There's other solutions for us to get old games. Old games are getting hard to get nowadays. This is why I barely purchase there products nowadays.