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Nintendo's Opportunity: Creating the Ultimate "Nintendo Box"

With yesterday's announcement of select Wii games being available for download on the Wii U eShop, Nintendo has the opportunity to make a system that can play every Nintendo home console game and more. The company's massive backlog propelled the Wii VC to great heights during its first two or so years, but it was quickly forgotten. Nintendo shouldn't make the same mistake again.

Having these three Wii games selling at $19.99 regular price and at $9.99 for their first week is the first step towards building excitement about the Virtual Console once more. Nintendo needs to continue this wave of great games by committing to at least one VC release every week. Of course, the library should also be expanded to include the N64 and GCN games everyone has been asking for.

Cross buy has huge potential for handheld and older console games on Virtual Console. Nintendo could allow players to buy Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, NES, SNES, and N64 games on either the Wii U or 3DS VC and receive a free download code for the other system. This is all speculation, of course, but this would explain the release of GBA games on the Wii U eShop when 10 titles had already been made available as part of the 3DS Ambassador Program in 2011. As far as handhelds go, DS games could also come to 3DS and the Wii U.

With the power of the Wii U especially, Nintendo has the perfect change to allow players to play console games from the NES-Wii U and handheld games from the Gsmeboy-DS on one system. Even if the Wii U is floundering, Nintendo can always fall back on its greatest strength, an impressive library of over 30 years of gaming.
 

Krazy4Krash

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I agree, Nintendo needs to embrace what they have and put more of their existing content on the eShop. Not only that, they need to be cross-platform on Wii U and 3DS where possible. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is not even a Virtual Console game and they're giving away free downloads to one version when you buy the other. Saves could be shared, too.
 

Jimmu

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I've wondered myself for a long time why Nintendo hasn't expanded its Virtual Console to meet its potential. There is a huge library of titles that could be offered but Nintendo seems to keep it so limited. I can see why they'd want to release Virtual Console games a few at a time, to keep a constant flow of money coming in. I feel that they should consider releasing titles weekly (multiple if possible). Adjusting the code of a game to suit a new console surely couldn't be too time consuming, they could be making them at a faster rate. It's such a shame that they haven't tapped into this, and while I think it will improve somewhat, I doubt Nintendo will try this anytime soon unfortunately.
 

Ventus

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One VC release per week? Hell no man. There are 365 days/year. 52 weeks a year. Nintendo needs to crank out at least 2-3 titles a week. There are so many great games -- not just your standard Mario and Zelda and Kirby -- that they could take advantage of to release on the eShop. And to do that they need to release at a faster pace than what htey currently are doing.
 

Sheik

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I'm pretty sure Nintendo used an idea at least somewhat similar to this back when they were advertising the Wii, how it could play games from every preceding console in their lineup (NES/SNES/N64 through Virtual Console, GCN through backwards disc compatibility). It's honestly not a bad idea.
 
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The main question.
Is doing all of this going to be a profitable venture for Nintendo. Sure they are doing it now in limited quantities. But would going full on with this, does it make good business sense?
 

Salem

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I think it'll be better of they make their own version of the Atari Flashback for Nintendo consoles that has cross-buy with the virtual console.
 
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For first party games I say this needs to happen ASAP. For every other game you need the developers of each game to ok it. And I am sure many would want the game bought 2x, once for each console. Or give you a discount on the 2nd one (like shovel knight does)
 
For first party games I say this needs to happen ASAP. For every other game you need the developers of each game to ok it. And I am sure many would want the game bought 2x, once for each console. Or give you a discount on the 2nd one (like shovel knight does)

I never understood the concept of paying for the same game on two linked systems. Perhaps it would be an issue if the Wii U and 3DS were a generation apart, but they're not. It's great that Nintendo is catching onto this even if download codes still aren't the most convenient form to purchase the same game for the other system. For generational differences, I really like what Nintendo did with early Wii U VC games. Picking up amazing classics, like Super Metroid, for only 30 cents was no push over.
 

Hanyou

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There are so many games I love that, last time I checked, aren't available on the VC.

Pilotwings 64. The DKC games. Harvest Moon 64 (third party, but come on--this is a classic that deserves to be on there).

The VC should allow me to play as many classic games as possible, as soon as possible. Why is that so hard?

Not only that, but games should be cross-platform. There's no reason I shouldn't be able to access my entire pre-Gamecube VC library on my 3DS. Having to buy VC games twice is just absurd.

I wish they'd capitalize on the potential of the VC, but Nintendo's gonna Nintendo.
 
There are so many games I love that, last time I checked, aren't available on the VC.

Pilotwings 64. The DKC games. Harvest Moon 64 (third party, but come on--this is a classic that deserves to be on there).

The VC should allow me to play as many classic games as possible, as soon as possible. Why is that so hard?

Not only that, but games should be cross-platform. There's no reason I shouldn't be able to access my entire pre-Gamecube VC library on my 3DS. Having to buy VC games twice is just absurd.

I wish they'd capitalize on the potential of the VC, but Nintendo's gonna Nintendo.

Three things I'd love for Nintendo to do are bring Rare games to the VC, make Super Mario Advance 4 Super Mario Bros. 3's E-Reader levels available for download, and give Virtual Boy games a second chance on the Virtual Console.

Nintendo has definitely been slow with putting some of their games on the service. But if copyright issues for games, like Earthbound, could be resolved, I still have faith, however slim.
 

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