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@jmbarnes101 the AVS is the second coming! I'm so pumped!

Now they need "Bomberman '93" in the house!!! These TG-16 games are often really pricey in the plastic, which makes them a perfect match for official emulation.

@earthboundlink I agree. The Wii was obviously an outstanding success, but Nintendo didn't fully grasp the reason why and was confused about where to go from there.

There's no denying that the sales figures have been a downward trend, though, whatever you believe to be the cause.

@Kirk I'm split as to what I want Ninty to do with the NX VC. While I don't want to have to wait for them to slowly rebuild the library again, the NES games look so poor that I would be willing to wait for the emulation to be redone. SNES games aren't perfect, but they are much better.

Ouch, no Contra! I'll be sticking with the new AVS. Full support for all original peripherals and games, plus Famicom carts, homebrews, and online leaderboards. FTW!

Edit: Missed Super C on there the first time. Not a bad list, though, just not what I'm looking for. There are way too many hidden gems to be found on the cheap in the retro market to buy something that doesn't support carts.

This will make some people happy this holiday, though!

I hope this shakes out well. I love gaming history and coffee table books. I'm pretty sure that educational material fits squarely within fair use. Using images of a game's artwork when writing about those games and said artwork is well within all of our legal rights.

@owendershot I'm a little worried about that as well. Hopefully, they won't push back the Wii U release, as other indie devs have done. I'd like for this and "Yooka-Laylee" to be a last hurrah of sorts for the Wii U - as I'll probably be getting "Breath of the Wild" on NX.

@RadioShadow There's plenty fun about emulators (including the VC), but I also enjoy owning and playing from the original cart.

Cool little expiriment. I'd like some basic features in NES games (Bilinear AA filter on/off, perfect pixel mode, over scan on/off, brightness filter on/off) before we start adding additional content. The VC needs some work just getting the games right.

@Enigk That's my thought on why they value went up on the game in question from the article. Technically, a sealed game should be worth more, but an absolutely perfect (just opened, never played) CIB game is actually more impressive than a sealed copy. It takes the mystery out of the equation - everything is visible and in AAA mint condition.

If they change the design on Mega Man, I'm in for a shot. That character model is just too ugly to bear, though.

@PtM I haven't found myself whining about the recent bout of censorship yet, but it's starting to get annoying. Nintendo's image would improve a lot if they stopped worrying about it so badly.

@Spideron AA can be good when it's just used to enhance edges in modern games. I agree, though. The original output is the most fugly in all games represented.

The second pass fix of the UltraHDMI is more helpful by far, and many of the games look better with a little AA on the 3D graphics themselves (some of the effects clearly had blurring in mind when they were created).

@liveswired I'm definitely interested in getting the UltraHDMI mod. N64 has benefitted the most from the jump to HDMI, followed by the NES (mostly because of lack of native RBG and S-Video.

Are you thinking of picking up the AVS next month?

@retro_player_22 The Retron 5, etc. aren't really targeting the same audience. Those are emulators (even when playing from a cartridge). This is a reproduction with HDMI output, and is going after the audience thinking of modding their original hardware.

It seems to me that March would be a great time to launch a console in the U.S. Tax season, baby!

"Star Fox Zero" on track for 40k LT in Japan. The Platinum Curse continues!

Sweet additions. Very happy with my $13 drop

Just discounts... Are there going to be any rewards available at some point?

My Nintendo is losing me quickly. Can't see myself bothering to gather points (play Miitomo) much longer if things don't make a dramatic turn around.

800,000 seems low, even considering the circumstances. NX must be getting enough high-profile Wii U ports to make the U redundant.

This list also seems to be telling of some inherent racism within the company. It would go a long way in adding some international perspective to Nintendo if the board of directors has any sort of diversity.

@Yorumi I totally agree. The idea that simply striking gold (or riding lightning) again is all that Nintendo needs to do to stay relevant is ridiculous. That's equivalent to telling a gambler just to keep rolling the dice.

Lightning can't be bottled: trends are too unpredictable to rely on as a livelihood. Nintendo's best assets are their talented staff and IPs. That's where a smart investor puts their money if they're building Nintendo. If the new NX platform is a means to increasing productivity across platforms, then Nintendo will see incremental success over the current generation by output alone.

The quality of Nintendo's product has always been a major player in their success as well. If they are able to more efficiently deliver software across all of their devices, they can afford to take delays when necessary to ensure that they can rebuild the - now figurative - "seal of quality" that has taken a hit in the past year, as they try to support Wii U and 3DS while building a library for a new console.

This is where third-parties come in as well. In addition to rounding out the library of the console with a better mix of games (that compliment and contrast with Nintendo's own offerings), and creating additional software revenue for Nintendo, their games fill in the software gaps between Nintendo's releases.

Additionally, third-party releases create an ecosystem in which gamers don't feel like they HAVE to buy a second console with a Nintendo device, even if they inevitably do. The realities of a system are less important than the idea of a system at the point of sale ; if one can conceive of needing to buy additional hardware on top of the Nintendo console (which isn't a stretch at this point) at the point of sale, the Nintendo console will only ever be a second pickup for all but the core Nintendo fanbase.

A movie theater that doesn't show Disney (Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars) films is only ever going to be a niche, quirky alternative theater. With the exception of a market phenomenon - like the Wii - a venue/console needs to have mainstream AAA content to lead the market.

... and now to bring this long rant home.

No one single element - not a unique control scheme, not excellent 1st party titles, not a steady stream of new content, not third party support, and not powerful hardware - is going to move massive amounts of consoles on its own. Success for Nintendo is going to be a balancing act of up-to-date hardware, a concerted effort to fill a proper release schedule (a first-party game most every month), an affordable price tag, and enough incentive for third-parties to bring at least their most popular titles to the console for the life of the system.

Here's the harsh truth: the Wii struck a wild chord with the mainstream, but it wasn't mainstream itself, and it didn't put Nintendo into the gaming mainstream. It caught on like wildfire, but ultimately put distance between Nintendo and the everyday gaming market.

There's no arguing that it wasn't a successful system, but the kind of success that Nintendo needs is steady growth in the communities that turn out to buy game consoles generation after generation. Another flash in the pan like the Wii would be a short-term solution that would inevitably lead Nintendo back to the trend of decline it's experienced since the NES (which would mean even lower sales than the Wii U).

Much of what Kimishima has said been saying lately seems to indicate that he understands this reality, and even that he foresaw the larger effects of the Wii when most of Nintendo was just grinning and tossing money in the air. I am cautious, but have great optimism that, under his leadership, Nintendo will begin building a steady foundation for a future of success.

*One a side note: mobile, movies, and merchandise are coming in a big way. We might fret over this possibility, but this kind of exposure is going to be huge in turning heads back to what Nintendo is doing with their current games. If their new platform is capable (doesn't have to be cutting-edge, just current), affordable, and they hire enough hands to blitz us with high-quality software, Nintendo will be on it's way back to big, steady profits.

It's going to be a big year!

That's rough. Looked interesting in a trashy sort of way. Sad to hear that it's garbage.

So, we're going to get a My Nintendo code for the physical edition, right? Or is Nintendo seriously punishing us for not wanting the download large files onto the miniature hard-drive they provided?

Yes, I have an external. No, that's not the point. If you're going to have a digital only rewards program, have a platform that supports it.

That list is missing most of my favorite gamepad experiences.

This would be fantastic as a supported feature. Sometimes Nintendo appears blind as to ways of making their brand prominant again. This would be a big step in the right direction.

@MJKOP I took advantage of the sale and bought "Life of Pixel" for $4.99, and "Space Harrier 3D" at $3.99 - both generated 10 coins

Maybe "Perfect Dark" wouldn't have been such a slide-show in hi-res mode.

I love My Life in Gaming. Great feature!

I'm glad that someone finally took the time to put the HDMI mod head to head with the component cables. I'm going to keep mine, but may mod my spare GCN as a more affordable way to get a great picture out of that unit.

*Might even throw on a Spice Orange Japanese case while I'm at it.

I'm actually enjoying it. Got "Warioware", and a DK theme for my 3DS for free. The platinum points are quite generous.

My wife almost has enough for "Zelda Picross" now, as well. Not too shabby for launch, but they'll need to add new content quickly to make it interesting.

I can only hope they have expanded features almost finished and not just "cooking". I can't see myself playing it in a month if this is the full experience.

@MJKOP Does the same go for games on sale?

As soon as those retail codes start rolling out, I'm down with My Nintendo. Platinum points are great, considerino you're doing PR work in exchange for discounts. The Gold system needs to be fixed, though.

Great little gamr. A lot of depth for a "freebie". Unfortunately, I only own three of the compatible amiibo (including the one I bought to go with it). There's a very expensive game trapped within this give-away.

LOOOVE that game!

The stock shortages at "some" retailers easily identifiable online. None of the major chains have ANY in stock. Neither does Amazon.jp.

I've been pretty happy with the sale. Got "Sin and Punishment" (N64), "Wario Land 3" (GBC), and "Earthbound" (SNES) on a discount. Also picked up "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance", which is new to VC this week.

All a matter of preference. Previous sales (that others have raved about) have failed to intice me. This one was just the right games at the right time for me.

Nintendo has a lot of work to do, in terms of getting their games in the public eye.

All of this downtime leads me to believe that Nintendo Account will be launching relatively early this year... Maybe in time for "Miitomo" and "Pokemon Go"?

Love this game. Can't wait for "Tactics Ogre" next, please!

@gatorboi352 That killed "Splatoon" for me, as well. Not being able to choose my game type and (at least vote on) the map was a total deal-breaker. My biggest beef in shooters is playing the same maps repetitively - "Splatoon" taken that monotony to a whole new level.

Love this game!

The people pushing emulation clearly don't understand the aim of this project.

@OorWullie Should be done... Plain and simple.

@Thatguywhoeats Same boat.

Pre-ordered Roy. Just getting him shipped to the house. He was my main on "Melee".

I know that Nintendo is just distracting us with sales to cover the annual January drought, but it's working! Picked up "Sin and Punishment" last week and will get "Vs. Excitebike" this week. I love these Japan Only VC releases.

Also, as stated before, "Wario Land 3" is the purest of gems. I will be getting that, as well.

I'll probably get one of my spares (don't ask) modded when my local resellers start fitting consoles. I already have a component cable for my main console, but I'd like to see how much greener the grass is with the HDMI out. Yes, I'm a little bit nutty about picture quality.

For a more practical comparison, I'd like to make a request to Nintendo Life:

Can you pit this mod against something in a more comparable price range? Facing off a $300 mod with a cheap (>$100) converter hardly demonstrates the value of this modification. At the very least, I'd like to see it against a Wii with component out. That is a cheap and readily available option.

For the purists, a better comparison would be the GCVideo HDMI vs. RGB through the Framemeister. From what I understand, RGB to Framemeister produces an image very close to the sought after GCN component cable - and the price tag is similar to the cost of modification.

A shout to the folks at Video Game Perfection for reaching out and answering some questions about this mod. Thanks @BuckoA51 ! It's great to see people pushing the boundaries of these old consoles, and helping to usher the original hardware into a world of home video that is increasingly incompatible.

@A01 SD-type cards can hold much more info than a disc and have faster read speeds. A return to cards/carts would make a world of difference. No more need for massive day one DLC. Much larger games can fit on the cards and wouldn't require a partial install for performance.

@BuckoA51 Thanks for the images. I'd like to get a hold of a modified unit to test them side-by-side. I feel like a clean video comparison of the various cables (composite, s-video, and component) against the HDMI output would do wonders for establishing just how big an improvement the mod could offer, especially for those without access to a component cable.

All of those images could fit cleanly inside a 1080p frame simultaneously. A fun project, for sure!

What I want to see is some side-by-side of the HDMI mod vs. Component through a Framemeister. This video looks heavily compressed and is full of digital noise.

Theoretically, the HDMI mod should look better than the official component cable, as the digital video is never converted into analog. What I'm seeing here is a little troubling.

My current setup is component out, through a passive switch (my AVR has only one "legacy input" for component video - and sixth-gen consoles top out at component), then out of my AVR via HDMI and into my DLP projector.

The GCN still looks fairly sharp on 120" this way. I leave the i/p scaler off on my AVR, as the projector seems to have a better up-scaler on board (plus I can always switch my display mode to "native" and pop out a ~40" unscaled 480p image that is absolutely razor sharp.