Nintendo President Reiterates Switch Online Will "Continue To Be Available" For Switch 2

With Nintendo Switch Online coming to Switch 2, will Nintendo add perks exclusive to those using it on Switch 2?

Bring back Virtual Console. Best years of our lives… We didn’t know how good we had it.

Well, that's good news.
So I can continue play online for my ACNH and ARMS on Switch 2.

Can I be blunt? What kind of moron would think NSO would suddenly stop when Switch 2 came out.

They've been saying for YEARS now it would carry on into the future.

Hopefully we get GameCube on NSO!

We need more systems and games badly. GC should be a must. The mouse controls might make DS and 3DS more feasible. And where tf are the main series Pokemon games?

Will it start over with base games or continue from where it actually is currently?

I just want Virtual console back, I still haven't touched the SNES NES games, I still think the NSO is a joke...and the expansion pack is even worse.

@Dee123 People who still can't let go of how Mario 3D All-Stars was a limited-time release five years ago.

I was hoping this would just fade away. I only have it because of Splatoon, it just sucks that it was a free service that they took away because they realised they could make more money from it.

@MrCarlos46 Mario Paint and Yoshi Safari with mouse control

@Joeynator3000 No Way - VC is one time deal where NSO is subscription - greedy times ...

Cool, means new S2 owners get a built in library as soon as they sub.

I think a lot of people forget that the point of NSO is to play online.
The emulators aren't the point, they're just a bonus. The base version of NSO is a pretty good deal as far as subscriptions go.

That said, the Expansion Pass is a rip-off.

NSO on Switch is okay but c'mon Nintendo we really need these games for our very own. Give us an option to buy these games for Switch 2 so we don't have to rent them like on Switch 1.

@Xenoblade-Fan Nintendo said from the start that it would only be free for a limited time, that was just to get people to sign up for it so they were more likely to start paying for it when that expired

@Dee123 There were people just recently commenting here that they believe Nintendo could shut down the eshop completely at any moment. Ignoring that it's obviously carrying over to the Switch 2 same as NSO and a Switch 1 won't suddenly stop being able to access it.

@BrazillianCara Sadly I know the type 😆

@Zach777 Is that a serious question?

I just hope eventually they make online free again, and keep everything else about the service intact, while adding even more features to it, so the people who bought it for the online only, may want to still get it for other new features. Or at least make the paid online only be for Nintendo published games only.

Really hoping they put ds for nso with the ability to use the gyroscope for the touchscreen, it was the best solution for mario 3d world.

@PikminMarioKirby Yes Please!

im still at the point where i only pay for the online access. the old games are bonuses i dont touch at all, so im essentially paying more for nothing but sharing the family plan with my friends

we're at the point where nso is stuffed with enough content that it feels less like a rip off, but i still dont take advantage of the free games

Not surprising, the pivot to NSO apps over virtual console purchases was surely due in part to the nightmare of transitioning purchases from the Wii to the Wii U and having titles not available on the latter which couldn't be transferred. And for every one person saying they want to buy individual games again there's probably 100 people going lol no one's gonna pay $5 for an old GBA game that should be like 50 cents tops.

@Bolt_Strike you ain't getting them on NSO when so many will happily pay full price for every single one remastered, blame the foolish who fall for it.

@Zach777 obviously from where it is when Switch 2 launches

I mean… this is why they are separate apps instead of standalone games. The emulators were obvious that would move to the next generation. That was the main reason they handled it like that.

I hope we see some major updates. Also, I’d love for some better navigation of what we already bought. Even just an alphabetical sorting to pick what I want to download on my switch 2.

It'll be interesting to see how the servers for Switch 1 games will be handled.

Wii and DS had no choice due to Gamespy.

Wii U and 3DS, it was dated hardware with no way to play those games on Switch other than ports.

Switch 1 games can be played on Switch 2 so there's less of a reason to shut any of them off, part from greed.

The old instruction manuals are part of the gaming experience that are missing from NSO. And a lost art. They should include scans that we can view and admire in full detail on our TVs.

The NSO is absolutely dreadful. They need a better Ui and huge overhaul.

Always so much whining over NSO. Could it be possible that the other companies no longer want to sell their games through Nintendo's services, even a Virtual Console? I don't see a lot of them signing up for the subscription service, which would at least get them consistent revenue.

Define “comprehensive”

I'm only using my Switch online for the Cloud Storage feature and occasionally, play some classic games.

I still wish online play is free

The virtual console fans are funny. I have maybe paid for 5-6 VC games for my entire NSO subscription time. And I can play almost 300 games. I also played and loved games I have never played games I never played before without risking wasting money.

Ownership vs. rental is always a thing. But unless you pay much more for the subscription service or the owned games are physical, the ownership is not that superior. (Think of damaged hard drive and the vc game is no more available to download and you have no backup.)

I also think NSO is the best forced online subscription. To be fair I’m not that familiar with Xbox live because I will never own an MS think if I can avoid it. But ps plus costs much more and only gives you 3 games a month and you can’t play the games which were released on ps plus before you subscribed. Also those games are often low quality and why is there almost every month is a stupid shooter (fair the last thing is a me problem).

NSO on the other hand has hundreds of games. Some are crap. But there is also a good amount of high quality games which cost a lot of you want an original cartridge. Those aren’t the newest games but they often often more fun and entertainment than the current games. And as you can see how many people want some specific games for the service the interest in those games and even more is there.

Just my 2cents on a wall of text 🙃

Edit: I also don’t like to play for online play. I know times before PS plus.

Edit2: forgot to mention that NSO is also the cheapest of the services.

@MrCarlos46 who knows. Let's say they add GameCube games, but for a limited time, only on Switch 2.

@LadyCharlie nah bro, having Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Ocarina of Time, and the rest of the N64 games available, it's fantastic for that alone. Sega Genesis games are also very welcomed.

@TKundNobody wise words, bro. Those supposed Virtual Console "lovers" complained during the Wii U era, about having to buy Mario Bros 3 for the nth time, and now they cry that they can't spent thousands of dollars on all that library available through the NSO apps.

How I wish I could vote No, but they keep us paying for online play.

When my current subscription expires, I will not get a new one. I feel weak for paying money to play online games and I do not want to have subscriptions in general. Also, since I do not purchase digital games anymore and since I prefer playing retro games with original hardware, software and a CRT television, to get the real experience, I really have no good reason to have NSO.

Well you had more than one chance to convince me Nintendo.

@Xenoblade-Fan With the online gaming landscape changing, Nintendo knew even they would have to ditch free online play at some point. Nintendo’s a different company now than they have been before 2017, so it’s unlikely they’ll do free online play again.

Personally I’d give the service an 8 out of 10.

Nintendo make it possible for me to play the NSO games with random people.

I want to play golden eye mario kart snes online.

How is this not a thing.

I already expected that.
I only hope they keep improving it.

@Edu23XWiiU If they add DS and 3DS it’ll probably remain Switch 2 exclusive, and maybe that’s where a dual screen attachment can come in based on the top USB-C port.

I have recently setup all my old consoles, fitted them with ODE, flash drives and HDMI mods. I’m not paying for anymore remasters, remakes or online services. I have a back log of games to keep me entertained for life, free of subscriptions. The corporations want to keep you paying, without ever owning anything.

If they add for us to purchase classic games instead of renting them year after year I’ll be 100% satisfied.

If you had told me when the NSO Expansion was revealed that we'd be closing in on the Switch successor without Donkey Kong 64 or Smash Brothers 64 not yet released, I wouldn't had believed you. Here we are, however..

@Edu23XWiiU
Valid complaint having to pay over and over for the same content. It should’ve easily carried over much like how the nso games are just going to transfer over to the new platform.

We need to be able to also buy N64 games and the rest! If some games are possible for purchase and also Switch Online, why can’t Nintendo allow both for all games?!!!!

Of course it will continue. Gamecube and Wii games (and hopefully DS and 3DS) will JOIN the service, it would be pointless to start all over again.
The Switchs generations will be like one, cut in two big pieces. And that's the way to go. Whatever happens afterwards won't matter.

anyone who is expecting Gamecube, Wii and 3DS games to be added to NSO is a fool, not only is it more lucrative for Nintendo to remaster/remake those games and charge $40/$60 for them but also those games aren't so old and dated that they can just be given away, especially Wii and 3DS games
DS games maybe could be added but I can't see them being very fun to play even with the Joy-Con mouse, I would know because emulating and playing DS games on PC that heavily use the touchscreen is not very fun, it feels clunky as hell

Even though I believe them I’m still going to wait and see how integrated it is. I’ve dropped over £2.5k on 400+ games, I need to see that they’ll transition over seamlessly.

I'll be interested to know how those NES controllers are getting charged on the Switch 2.

They need to sort the stupidity of each profile needing its own subscription!!!! Absolutely infuriating on 1 device

So by the end of the next gen we should have double the amount of games.

You better have a new F-zero up your sleeve mr Furukiwi, because there's plenty other devices that play old roms

@BTB20

Is this your first new upcoming console generation?

@andyg1412

Let’s hope.

Virtual Console (Wii/Wii U) to NSO (Switch 1) had a complete restart… I’m only asking because they set a precedent there.

@Zach777 Nintendo has been reiterating for like 2 years now that NSO and everything is going to transition to Switch 2 and that they want a smooth generational transition and retain players etc etc.

NSO on Switch 2 will have all the features that it has on Switch 1 and maybe more. Do you think that they will suddenly reset it for everyone in a few months for no reason at all? Or do you think that on Switch 2 you won't be able to play most NSO games despite paying the same price for NSO as Switch 1 only users?

How is Wii/Wii U virtual console to Switch NSO in any way a precedent for what is happening now? That makes no sense whatsoever. The Switch is not backwards compatible to any of those consoles. The Switch 2 on the other hand is. All of these games are going to he playable on Switch 2 by default. They would have to go out of their way to make separate apps for Switch 1 and 2 and remove games arbitrarily just for Switch 2 users. That is a pointless expense.

I like to play the old games on the original consoles so when my current family membership runs out will buy the mario kart booster pack and call it George

I know a lot of people don't like that NSO costs money, but servers aren't free to run. Personally, I'm a fan of NSO. It's cheap for a year's subscription, and has pretty much most of the first-party NES, SNES, N64, GB, and GBA titles that I want to play. Cloud saves are important to me, especially as a Switch OG and Lite user.

Finally, my most played game in the last 12 months has been F-Zero 99, so NSO has been extremely good value in my experience.

@JohnnyC

That's why they released that vertical joy con charging stand in preparation.

But I also think they'll re-release the nes pads without the rail that can be charged via usb. I'll buy one then.

Expansion pack is worth it for a year if you've never subscribed to revisit a few old favourites.

The additions are far too meagre for it to be worth coming back after a year though.

Playstation Premium and Gamepass are only slightly more than double the cost if you find a deal and the difference is night and day.

With 30 year old games, I either want to buy and keep a select few or Ill only rent them once.

Id much prefer it if Nintendo added games from all consoles up until the last generation and charged double the amount.

@croz While I'm excited for some remasters (ex. difficult to get games like Lunar Remastered Collection), I've been heavily leaning towards classic gaming too. We continue to play a bunch of Switch games as a family, such as Mario Kart 8, Shredder's Revenge, Sunset Riders, Bomberman, etc., but a lot of the newer releases in many of my favorite series just haven't been doing it for me (Mario Wonder, Tears of the Kingdom, Echoes of Wisdom, Metroid Dread, Brothership, Xenoblade 3, etc.). I'm also not interested in any game subscription service that doesn't have the ability to purchase games.

If you get through your backlog and want more, I've found a great way to play unlocalized Japanese games is the Retron 5. It can play translation patches while using an original, untranslated cartridge. I've been importing Super Famicom cartridges of games that never came here, or their originals didn't, and been having a blast. There's a ton of great games that simply never made it out of Japan.

I get the feeling that if the current online service carries over we might get a switch 2 expansion option to add GameCube and I’d love for Saturn or Dreamcast to join that

While I don't love that I can't keep them either, a good bonus is when it comes to family or friends you can play anything online since they have access to the same games.

Edit: It's also easier to recommend or get them to play something. Just download the app and you got access to everything. Convenience wise it's pretty awesome.

@GameOtaku
for me at the very least it does feel like were in a pretty good place when it comes to retro compilations and remasters and while we get some not so great ones theres also companies like M2 and nightdive doing amazing work when it comes to legacy content.

Does make we wish that we got something to the same standard as those konami M2 compilations (such as the castlevania ones) only with some of nintendos IPs, i know i would buy the heck out of a Kirby or Mario collection with that kind of quality.

A giant problem with Nintendo is they don’t know how to do a one and done validation for your digital games. Take Apple for instance. You buy a digital game, download it to your iPhone and maybe two iPads. Apple validates it when you download it to your devices and you can use that forever, even offline, because it’s already been validated. But if you buy a digital game at Nintendo and play it on a second or third switch it has to validate it online every single time you play. Even if you open and close it three times in five minutes it still needs to validate it each time. That’s cheap and technologically backwards. Nintendo needs to move forward. Invest in things that make the gamer have a smoother and more enjoyable gameplay experience. Not everyone can be constantly connected to Wi-Fi. So with Nintendo games this is specifically and precisely why you need to purchase 100% physical games so they cannot dictate when or where you play. You deserve freedom. If you pay for a game you should be able to play it when and where you want regardless of being online.

Trust me on this, it will mean the eShop will also stay the same.

I cannot wait to be proven wrong.

@PessitheMystic Some of us did. Some of us warned against a “Netflix of games” on this very website!

@TKundNobody I don’t want it to be either/or for ownership/rental. I get that, for many people, subscription is the superior option. I just want both options to be available. I’m glad you’re happy. I wish I could be happy too.

I wish they would add some features to the emulation apps, like mapping controls without having to do it on a system-wide level.

@BoilerBroJoe agree. But is it really ownership with VC? Or more like Steams right to use?

I think the only people that don't like NSO are the early adopters who saw it in all it's not glory.

Now I think it's outstanding, a real steal, I've been able to try plenty of games I wouldn't have bought on virtual console.

@TKundNobody Fair point, though don’t physical games have some kind of weird license as well? It’s all pretty draconian, and we need a fundamental rethinking of IP in modern society. But in this case, the option to download a game like any other digital purchase would still be superior to a paywall and online verification process.

@BoilerBroJoe
Yeah thats pretty much how i feel, digital definitely has a lot of ways in which it needs to improver though it does at the least have some safety-nets which make it preferable to the service method, especially when it comes to things like games being delisted or the situation with the wii/wiiu/3ds stores/eshop.

Ideally there would be a choice kind of like similar services since the service model does work for a lot of people but it would be nice to be able to keep your favourite games.

I like NSO for the convenience, I quit PS Plus as it's cheaper and I play retro games more anyway. I dont really mind that its a subscription as most actual retro games I want to own physically I have purchased over the years. Hopefully it carries straight over. One thing I have thought about is whether I'll need to deactivate one of my two Switches (I own a Lite and an OLED) in order to 'activate' my NSO and digital games on Switch 2.

So Nintendo was aware of the complaint about buying virtual console games multiple times so they did the subscription for retro games access on the Switch. I’m sure Nintendo is aware of complaints of lack of purchase options. Do you think they will respond by adding a purchase option to the retro games for Switch 2?

While it’s unlikely, I just hope Nintendo don’t do what they’ve done with all their recent hardware launches and reset us back to zero games and then slowly dole them out again. I can only be excited to once again be allowed to play Balloon Fight and Kid Icarus so many times…

They should offer Switch Online again, but add a 'buy' feature for individual retro games. They won't. But they should

@PikminMarioKirby i keep seeing you everywhere!!

Hard to score. The retro games are still great, and they've added some real bangers lately. But online play for modern games is really lacking.

I could've written the exact same comment about the Wii in 2006, huh?

Being charged to be allowed to connect your own device to your own internet connection seems like a terrible deal. As for trying to lease out old games I have already purchased on prior platforms, instead of honoring my prior purchases, not a good deal either.

When they had the VC model, people complained that they rather have a subscription service.

Now that they offer a subscription service, people complain that they rather have a VC model.

Kind of sucks that 2 is launching with Mario Kart. If not I'd have let my online expire at the end of the year. Only use it for MK and Splatoon.

@8bit-Man I loved the Virtual Console and never wanted a subscription

I purchased a lot of games through the VC on both the Wii and Wii U. I have never purchased an NSO subscription specifically because they tie the classic games to it without the option to purchase them. I would have purchased the subscription if either the games weren't tied to it or they were also available for purchase to play completely offline. Instead of getting my money for the classic games and a subscription, they're not seeing any of it because that money is being spent buying original cartridges.

@BringleWorkshop Yeah, recent translations are opening up a massive libraries on the older consoles! I’m currently playing through the SNES Fire Emblems we never got. I really enjoyed ToTK and Dread but I slowly chipped away at Wonder until I finished it, wasn’t bad just didn’t grab me like the older ones, I can’t even remember a single stage from it. I don’t think newer games are all bad but there’s nothing truly compelling anymore like it was during the earlier generations. As you say I think there’s more fun to be had revisiting games you missed or translations patches.

@croz
Yeah, to me, Mario Wonder felt like it was made by people that didn't enjoy or truly understand what made the originals so special, and then they overcompensated with heavy level gimmicks. On top of that, the Flower Kingdom didn't seem like an interesting place, and the overly talkative Prince Florian didn't help things.

I've thought the same thing about translations. It's like a whole new SNES library opened up to me. I've got such a long list of cartridges to get ahold of now. I'm currently going through the SFC version of Final Fantasy V, even though I've beaten the PS1, GBA, and the Pixel Remaster versions . Before that, it was a bunch of stuff I hadn't played before like Dragon Quest V, Ganbare Goemon 2/3, and Sailor Moon: Another Story.

@8bit-Man
i feel like theres 2 main reasons that situation happened.

The first being the usual case of the internet being hard to get a general consensus since often multiple different takes are attributed to the same people so people who said one thing often weren't people saying the other and it can be hard/impossible to keep track of who said what so things become vague

the other being that at the time subscriptions were very new and models like Netflix felt very promising, it wasn't really until later that cracks in the model started to show such as licencing issues causing shows to be removed from services and the issues of content being delisted became more apparent.

Though in a lot of cases it feels like a third option where people are fine with the service existing but wish there were options to purchase content similar to things like gamepass or ps+ so the content wasnt exclusive to the service (that way people could purchase and keep their favorite games)

one flaw which came up at the time was also the wii not having an account system and the wiiu/3ds not incorperating them till later so purchases wouldnt fully carry over between systems.

apologies for the somewhat rambling message.

@GameOtaku that's the sort of platform they're building right now. Everything will be carried over now, and your advance in all of those classic games, you'll be able to transfer that to future console generations, not just to the Switch 2.

@MrCarlos46 woow, that'd be so cool! I think they might do that. Add a 3D screen for 3DS games. Let's see what the future holds for that.

I’m hopeful there will be more of an incentive to subscribe. I didn’t renew my subscription because I just didn’t use it. I’m overloaded with a backlog and I don’t typically play online. Give me GC NSO and I’m there though!

Yea, I would've been happier with VC. It's wierd but I barely play NSO outside of some whacky release just to check it out, or just the classic mario + zelda titles. I dedicate my time to games that I buy, and not what I rent. I'm wierd like that.

My only complaint is the slow drip feed. Honestly, it’s great otherwise, I have no other complaints.
I understand they can’t just release a game a week, they’d blow through their catalogue pretty quickly, but this release schedule is SLOOOOWWWWW. Still, at this point, no plans to cancel my sub.

I hate the fact that there’s different “apps” for different systems. It should be one app / hub that we can navigate by a menu of sorts.

Would be a bit crackers if it didn't continue onto the NS 2 era console. Lol.

Cool beans.

@Edu23XWiiU
Yes but it could still be done the individual purchase course as well. They know what games we’ve purchased from VC. So why not say if you bought ROMs from them in wii/wiiu/3ds on VC you could just redownload them for free. Why does it only have to be a rental service when you could have a much more personalized gaming experience instead of dumping a lot of games you’d never touch jist sitting there taking up precious memory space?

I have no problem with NSO staying, but it would be great to also have the option to purchase games as well. I never used the NES, SNES etc on the switch but if I could purchase a game to download to keep I absolutely would. As it is the only reason I bought a subscription was for MM2

I’m an arcade nutter who bought north of 70 Arcade-Archives games, so Hamster got a boatload of cash from yours truly.
I don’t mind Ninty chasing after the subscription model.
It just means they won’t be seeing any of my dosh for classic console games, as I’m playing these on SteamDeck instead.

@BrazillianCara Oh God, that was FIVE YEARS? Where has the time gone?

Nintendo needs to do what Playstation and Xbox do with their online. Be able to talk without being in a game and also actual voice chat in every game and not leave it to the developers to add it individually to each one.

Oh boy, I can't wait for more drip fed content!

@GameOtaku precious memory space? Those are just megabytes hahaahaha. And, no, they don't know if you owned those games before, how would they, if I may ask?

@PessitheMystic Meh, disagree. Now that they have finally trickled out a significant library, it's better to have access to all of it without having to put out money just to try out something new.

It would also piss me off to have to re-purchase all of those games, for the third or fourth time, just to play them on the latest thing.

@Edu23XWiiU
They should it’s tied to your account. They send receipts for purchases. Or they could just let us transfer the rom vc files from sd cards to the system.

Hopefully it will continue to be optional. I played a lot of Splatoon 2 back when the service was free. Once it went paid I had had my fill of online gaming and went without. I prefer offline games for the most part anyway.

The change I'd most love to see other than obvious ones like new consoles and the option to purchase is Special versions of N64 games a la some of the NES & SNES games. It was in that generation that unlocks became the core of game design.

For example, if I have mastered SMB3 and GoldenEye 007 on previous consoles and just want to show something towards the end of the game to a friend or to relive it, I can do that relatively quickly in SMB3 with warps (due to its being designed around not having a save feature). But I would have to earn my way there on GoldenEye and other N64 games which there might not be time for or would be not worth it.

@Thomystic
that would be neat since yeah, there are definitely times when you may not feel like unlocking everything again.

in a theoretical situation where games were purchasable it would be nice if it let you swap between the normal and "special" versions from the menu (with separate saves) similar to how playstation games on ps4/5 iirc give you the option to swap between different regions of the game (though that would also be a cool feature for NSO legacy content)

NSO itself is okay, not amazing, not bad, just okay. The value however is outstanding. The service costs peanuts and you get online play, cloud saves, emulators, and can buy game vouchers. The game vouchers by themselves pay for the cost of the basic NSO plan if you buy them once a year or more.

And it seems like not a popular opinion anymore, but I greatly prefer the emulator apps being part of NSO than having to pay $5 for every NES game, $8 for every SNES game, and $10 for every N64 game, have people forgotten how damn expensive virtual console's prices were?? Because they were expensive I only bought a handful of games I knew I'd like, with NSO since everything is included I've gotten to try out tons of games I wouldn't have bought at VC prices and had a lot of fun experiences-- and all for the cost of something I would have paid for anyway. I had maybe around 15-20 virtual console games on my Wii U costing somewhere around $150-$200 over the 5 year life of the Wii U, now I have a library of over 300 retro games and growing, costing around $230-$260 over the 8 year life of the Switch, most of which I would have paid anyway for the ability to play online and buy game vouchers.

The biggest improvement I want to see with NSO is for Nintendo to lean more into the "Expansion" aspect of it, give us more DLC as part of the service! IMO the expansion is still a good value, but not as good as the basic service.

@Papasears1982
I am curious if the whole NSO test thing a while back was a sign they were leaning more towards online features on their system, like it was something for them to test the waters (though i didnt look much into the leaks or whatnot so it could be something very different)

one thing i did find somewhat frustrating on switch in regards to online features was that it felt like in quite a few ways it was a step back from wiiu since aside from miiverse the wiiu also had the ability to message friends and share screenshots, and with the switch offering an easy way to take screenshots/videos then it would have been great for that.

really so long as its not anything intrusive along the lines of what Microsoft were originally planning for Xbox one then im happy to see more online features on Nintendo systems

@GameOtaku that was on the Wii and the Wii U, but, the audience lost between the transition of those two consoles, and the lack of popularity of VC on the Wii U, led Nintendo to change the way of offering their legacy game, and made that suggestion of your irrelevant. Actually, there was that transfer system between Wii and Wii U, that was also very unpopular, so, there you have it hehehe.

@Edu23XWiiU
They could’ve done both. Problem was they restarted it not only once but twice given the 3ds also had VC. VC that wasn’t even the same as its counterpart the WiiU with no Crossbuy available. Not too mention the slow drip feed of games is it really any wonder why they say it didn’t work out? Not that the idea of having VC was bad but their execution of it just set it up to fail.

@GameOtaku during the Wii era, the drop of releases was great, but, like I said before, it was the same during the Wii U era, they even added Wii titles, and I have no doubts that they were planning to include GC titles on the VC offers, but, since people back then thought it was crap, Nintendo basically did a clean slate, and presented the current product, that's working well, and that's how it's going to be kept for the future.

@Edu23XWiiU
I still say what killed it was tgr simple fact your purchases of VC wouldn’t cross gens. Had they kept the library growing from gen to gen with an account system in place it would’ve far surpassed the current rental only subscription. Or they could offer the VC titles in tiers like they do currently for NSO but have the purchase option as an alternative for those that don’t need the online services.

@GameOtaku It did cross gens, from the Wii to the Wii U, basically, and it still failed. Nintendo was always trying to offer wasy for players to enjoy classic through modern means, like the Nintendo Power machine in Japan, that let you buy and download Famicom and Super Famicom games to special rewrittable cartridges. They were even thinking on putting classic games on the DD64, but because that add-on wasn't popular, the idea didn't came into fruition. You can also take a look at all the rereleases of SNES games on the GBA, and the NES Classic Series on the same console, as a sort of "Virtual Console" prototype, but that's when people started to complain about having to buy the same game again, for the fifth time. You can't just put games that people had already bought on another system, since all the systems' architecture was different, you couldn't do that, until the Wii arrived, and Nintendo wanted to keep that virtual library for years to come, but then the Wii U came out, and Nintendo had to also change their approach on the release of their legacy content. And, even if Nintendo would allow you to buy the games that are included on the NSO apps, people would still complain about the pricing of the games, so, better to just put them as part of the subscription offering, and it has been working very well, so far.

@Edu23XWiiU
You can't just put games that people had already bought on another system, since all the systems' architecture was different, you couldn't do that, until the Wii arrived, and Nintendo wanted to keep that virtual library for years to come, but then the Wii U came out, and Nintendo had to also change their approach on the release of their legacy content. And, even if Nintendo would allow you to buy the games that are included on the NSO apps, people would still complain about the pricing of the games, so, better to just put them as part of the subscription offering, and it has been working very well, so far.

Why can’t they do that exactly? It should be no trouble at all to load a Rom into the newer emulators much like how you emulate on a PC. The competition offers similar services and they allow that such as Steam and Xbox off my head. Nintendo for some bizarre reason just had to restart the service not once, not twice but FOUR TIMES between Wii, WiiU, 3ds and now switch under the NSO rental brand. Super Mario Bros. VC on Wii is the exact same as on the WiiU which is the same thing on 3ds which is still the same on switch. Only now you have to pay for it yearly if you want to play it.

@GameOtaku because emulators don't work that way. Since each system as it's own architechture, even emulators need to be developed for each system independently from what came before. Take a look at the N64 emulation, for instance. Those games need extra work, because it's actually very hard to emulate N64 games adequately, since the console read data so fast. Now, with the NSO apps, they're giving a service that can translate the games you played, to future platforms with no additional development barriers, so far. I insist tho, VC was cross gen between Wii and Wii U, but it was still trashed by people. So, complaining for the sake of complaining, it's not ver smart.

@Edu23XWiiU
But the games you purchased are ROMs and all you would need to do is simply load them into the new emulator. This is what you do on commercially available emulators on PC. You don’t have to rebuy your NES games if you buy another NES or similar system such as the Retron line so why should Nintendo expect us to rebuy emulated games every gen when it should be simple as just downloading them into the new program.

@GameOtaku that's just not how it works dude. Even emulators on PC get updated from time to time, and good emulation took a long time to be achieved, specially with N64 games. Still, the service will remain, and if you don't like, that's fine. The majority of people paying for it, are quite satisfied, and that's what matters, at the end.

@GameOtaku
reminds me of the case with the "psone classics" line on ps3/psp/vita while there were differences with the emulators on each system the roms (or ISOs in this case) were the same so they didnt need to be rebought, saves also transferred between each one.

With ps4/ps5 i was disappointed that they reset the library but it seems like at least with a bunch of games on it that they still dont need to be rebought, i know i was able to download legend of dragoon and wild arms 2 without needing to rebuy (despite not having a ps+ sub) because i bought them back on ps3.

@Edu23XWiiU
Yes the emulators get updated. So what? You still shouldn’t have to buy the games over and over and restart the service each generation. The only cross gen Nintendo had with vc was wii to wiiu as you said but it was only select games not the entire vc library and you had to pay a fee to upgrade. Like I said in my last post if you BUY the games you shouldn’t have to BUY them again.

@Mgalens
Exactly! You still own them so even though they restarted the service you don’t have to rebuy them. So when they eventually bring them back you’ll have them.

@GameOtaku platforms changed, so interface and architecture changed, so, no cross download. It was cross gen with the Wii and Wii U, but it wasn't popular, and now, you don't even have to buy the games. So, tough luck dude.

@Edu23XWiiU
It wasn’t popular because you had to pay an upgrade fee to get access. Why should you gave to pay again? Look if you bought the ROM you should be completely in your rights to simply load it into the new emulator. That’s how emulators on PC work!