I'm fairly certain Nintendo isn't planning to have VC at all for Switch. They've mentioned "classic games" being part of the subscription service, but to my knowledge they've never used the term "Virtual Console" and I'm pretty sure there's a specific reason for that. Nintendo's definition of "Virtual Console games" are ones that use emulation. I'm pretty confident any legacy games that appear will be specialized online-enabled Switch versions. That'll be their way of avoiding having to accommodate people who wouldn't want to pay again for VC games they already own on Wii, 3DS, and/or Wii U, as well the real reason for introducing the "Mini Classic" systems.

People want to see Xenoblade 2 details and gameplay. Show anything about Fire Emblem Switch. Show what Retro Studios is working on. The rest is easy. These are highly anticipated games.

What will we likely get? Mario and Rabbids

I think this is a very plausible outcome.  Either this, or they get rid of the "virtual console" moniker and go the Neo Geo route of just releasing each piecemeal.  That way, when they someday optimize their horrible e-shop, they can categorize all of these as "retro" or "classic console" titles. 


On the plus side, if they go this route, maybe they'll be a little more flexible in asking price?  Probably not. 


General rule of thumb, folks - have low expectations, then maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised.

The the very fact that NeoGeo games are already on the Switch eShop and lack the "Virtual Console" label is pretty strong evidence in and of itself that VC isn't planned for Switch. Going by the Nintendo's classification rules for eShops on their previous systems, those NeoGeo games wouldn't be allowed not to have the VC label as they're emulations. 

Wait, didn't they already announce what the online service's would cost? I could have sworn I remember headlines awhile back about it being crazy low like $20/year.

I think Nintendo will do what they said they will. Primarily focus on 2017. I imagine there will be a few glimpses of 2018, especially early 2018, but that 's it. At the rate the Switch is selling, Nintendo won't abandon it, so I don't think that is a concern. If what has been announced so far, doesn't go a fair ways towards justifying your $300, then you probably made a mistake in buying the Switch in the first place.

I think the whole premise of the article is just going to set people up for disappointment (those that want a big 2018/19 blowout at this year's E3). There has to be a balance between keeping it close to your chest and keeping nothing secret. I personally think Nintendo is finding a better balance than they have in past years/decades.

As far as talking more before E3, so as to avoid scoops, why should they give a damn? While it may put some PR plans slightly astray, their biggest concern with leaks is probably who is doing it/who should they entrust with info (especially PR agencies and some second/third-parties).

Yes, Sony has announced alot of games, years before they come out. It's become such a pattern that people have caught on and seem to be increasingly tired of it.  FF XV or Vesus XIII, The Last Guardian, Kingdom Hearts 3, FF VII R. The first two games took a decade to release and for the last two, a 2018 release is looking pie-in-the-sky and they were revealed 4 and 2 years ago, respectively.

They announce games so far in advance, that some of them end up getting cancelled/in limbo. There are some games Sony has revealed in years past that may not make it until 2020 or beyond. Will they release on the PS4 at that point or the PS5? Will that have justified your purchase? I think not.

I understand wanting to be hyped/exciteed. I do too. But hype for the sake of it doesn't do us or even Nintendo, ultimaely, any favors.

I don't know how you can be "fairly certain" of something like that. You're reading way too much into Nintendo not talking about it, which is weird because that's how Nintendo acts most of the time. I think it's extremely unlikely that they're going to stop selling emulated classic games. They may do what lolmonade said and call them something else, but I'd be absolutely shocked if those games don't come to the system.

I can be fairly certain by using logic with observation-- all their recent behavior points to that conclusion (and it's not as if I claimed I was 100% certain). Plus, I've got a pretty good track record when it comes to knowing how they think and operate (I correctly predicted when and how they'd released the standard size New 3DS in the US -- Fall 2015 in special bundles-- dead on the money-- I was wrong about the charger being included though... I also correctly guessed very early on that NX would be a  stand alone portable that could play on a TV). And you're right, they're not going to stop selling emulated classics-- they'll continue selling them on 3DS and via classic mini systems, just not Switch (but we'll still get updated ports of them).

I think the nature of the article is absurd in general. The past two years have been hellish because Zelda has been continuously pushed back. If Nintendo is going to show off ANY game it should be one that's on-track for being released and has significant amounts of development time invested in it. Shenmue 3 was the biggest atrocity I have ever seen put on an E3 stage, and I suffered through the demos of Wii Music and the ridiculousness of the Nintendo Land reveal.

If showing only things that are coming in 2017 means no Xenoblade 2, that's fine, at least that doesn't get my hopes up like the ridiculousness that was showing both Bayonetta 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles X two years early. I don't want to see "Metroid (tentative title)." I want to see what I have to look forward to in the near future and if it's not worth getting excited about, that's Nintendo's own damn fault for wasting their time on creating a game that doesn't aim for their target audience. I didn't buy a Switch- I own one, but only because of some very generous people. If not for them, I wouldn't have been remotely interested in ARMS, and to be honest, I still won't be picking up the game when it launches.

If their plan for selling classic games was based on mini systems they wouldn't have discontinued the NES Mini. I really don't understand how you can come to such a radical conclusion based on so little information.

I'm suing Evan_B for this statement. It made me do such a big double-take that I got whiplash. What happened to ARMS biggest promoter on this forum?

Yeah! What the Fudge, Evan_B???

It wasn't confirmed.  It was taken from a shareholder meeting, I think, where they were discussing the possibility of approximately $25/yr, but nothing had been officially announced.

I think it would be odd to reveal things about the e-shop, online, media streaming, etc. during E3, because they are still scrambling to meet the bare minimum for a modern console.  If they want to do anything related for their E3 presentation, maybe do a Direct unveiling the services before then and just toss in a mention of a free game download for everyone starting then.  There are also basic UI tweaks like themes to announce at some point.

Some easy goodwill could be created by porting recent 3DS releases to Switch, such as the new Fire Emblem.  There are also still plenty of Wii U ports left, although too many could make the system look bad.

For this year, the Switch already has a good big Christmas title.  Getting more portable developers on board with official game announcements would flesh out the lineup elsewhere.  Otherwise, they can coast a bit until next year, unless Sony or MS drop a surprise portable competitor faster than we expected.

You're assuming the discontinuation is permanent-- it probably won't be. I suspect this was a trial run to test the waters before they had to focus their resources on launching the Switch, and likely part of larger plan to test a new Classic console each year before a full launch, later down the line. That said, I expect its eventual return, or at the very least expect new SKUs with alternate selections of games and/or the ability to connect to the eShop to purchase additional ones.

And also, how exactly is it radical? You get that I'm predicting the same basic games will still be coming, just not their original unaltered versions, don't you?

One thing we also know is coming at some point is a Mario Maker port or sequel.  If they don't have anything else big to show (not sure if a Smash port counts), E3 would be a good time.

Nintendo could decide to skip VC for a generation with the idea that when they come back people will be totally willing to pay for them again because "absence makes the heart grow fonder"

likely they want to resell you the old games again. They know with Nintendo fans: Nintendo fans will buy the same game multiple times out of convenience.

Either they announce something at e3, or they plan on reselling you old games again.

Either Nintendo decided you can move Wii/Wii VC games over, or they bleed you dry.