Topic: Nintendo Conducts Focus Surveys for its Virtual Co

[Knoxxville]

I dunno if this has been addressed, but flash memory ain't fail safe.  If we do decide to purchase rather then rent/subscribe, what happens if the memory fails?  Would we have a unique "friend code" that identifies us to be able to re-download games that we've already paid for and lost due to faulty memory?  Or how about if your Rev goes defective, and your new one had a different online code.....then what?

[Ian Sane]

"Subscriptions suck! Why should I spend $50 per month for cable Internet when I lose it if I stop paying? I should just build my own network for millions of dollars."

Yeah but when I lose my internet connection every file I've ever downloaded off the internet doesn't just magically disappear.  That's kind of what this is like.  It is sort of like renting but you get to keep your games as long as you pay.  So it's kind of a tease.  Personally it just bugs me.  I would never be able to enjoy myself if I knew the games I downloaded would disappear the second I cancelled my subscription.  To me that's like a magazine company going to your house and taking back the issues you got from them.

"And about being able to get used S/NES cartridges - you can't overlook the fact that they're really old, and after 20 years or whatever, they're prone to breaking down, or the save battery running out. I had a few cartridges like this, and this problem won't occur for the download service."

I know.  My damn Earthbound cartridge is like this.  But it's not that much different then having your games stored in memory that could also break down over time.  Technically you can change save batteries and fix connectors.  But if a game in your memory gets deleted it's gone.  I've never heard of anyone owning a cartridge where the actual game itself has been permanently erased from the cart due to age.  Plus with the downloads if your memory fries you lose EVERYTHING.  With used copies you can lose some games but aside from a natural disaster or crime you're not likely going to lose everything all at once.

[Artimus]

The subscription service is BETTER than renting. For less than the price of Netflix you get to play unlimited games. Think about it. For $15 you can play 20 N64 games for a whole month! And another month is just $15! If you just got 20 N64 games you'd be able to subscribe for over two years before you approached the cost of buying them flat out. For people who just play a game to beat it it's the best rental deal EVER.

[stevey]

Killer Instinct WOOT!

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Originally posted by: Artimus

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Originally posted by: Spak-Spang
Though I dunno I completely trust IGN.  Their Revolution news has been lacking and sometimes downright horrible.  It's like they aren't reporting news, but reporting speculations from various sources.

That was directly from this survey, not speculation.

Besides, what speculation have they been reporting?

Tp using the revmote was speculation  

[stevey]

[Artimus]

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Originally posted by: stevey
Killer Instinct WOOT!

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Originally posted by: Artimus

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Originally posted by: Spak-Spang
Though I dunno I completely trust IGN.  Their Revolution news has been lacking and sometimes downright horrible.  It's like they aren't reporting news, but reporting speculations from various sources.

That was directly from this survey, not speculation.

Besides, what speculation have they been reporting?

Tp using the revmote was speculation

That wasn't IGN's story...

[IceCold]

Technically you can change save batteries and fix connectors. But if a game in your memory gets deleted it's gone.

Well, you could always back it up to an SD card just in case anything were to happen..

[Nephilim]

Itunes and most webstores that allow downloads, allow you to redownload something within a few days
so even if there was a blackout, just as u have downloaded it and whiped it, should allow you to redownload

[KDR_11k]

If it's like the iQue you can redownload anything you have previously downloaded. But on the iQue games only cost 5$ for an N64 game...

[Ian Sane]

"But on the iQue games only cost 5$ for an N64 game..."

Really?  Okay so Nintendo is totally ripping us off with this $20 nonsense.

[mantidor]

You people talk like if this was absolutely confirmed, theres a reason this is a survey you know?

[JonLeung]

I say a better mock-up should be designed (or shots of a near-finalized version should be obtained), and the selection improved, hopefully both from the results of this apparently private survey, and a more public survey should be released.

Sure, a very, very public survey might not be worth it for its responses alone, especially if the results of this private one is already considered accurate, but it would at least spread the word about the Virtual Console.  I wouldn't mind being approached in a Best Buy or Future Shop by a Nintendo rep asking me what I want to see available on this service.

[KDR_11k]

Ian: Remember, that's in China where major software has its retail price cut to single digit numbers in order to compete with the thousands of counterfeit sellers.

[Ian Sane]

"Ian: Remember, that's in China where major software has its retail price cut to single digit numbers in order to compete with the thousands of counterfeit sellers."

I know what it's not really that different here.  Emulation is easy and free.  It's harder for N64 games but for NES and SNES it's just incredibly simple.  That's Nintendo's competition here.

[Michael8983]

Assuming this is all accurate, I'll probably start with the subscription fee for the first month just to sample the games I've never tried and re-sample the ones I have. Then by the end of the month when I cancel the subscription I'll have a list of the titles I actually want to download for keeps.
Chances are this service is a going to be around for a long time and will transfer to Nintendo's future consoles but I agree that it would a risk to rely entirely on the subsciption service because you just never know what could happen. It could be a great way to try before you buy, though.  

[Artimus]

N64 games are easy to emulate. You just need a controller to play them properly.