Nintendo To Look Into More Platforms For Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console

By Ishaan . April 26, 2011 . 4:44am

When Nintendo release a firmware update for the Nintendo 3DS in May, one of the things you’ll be able to do is access a Virtual Console-type service for older portable game systems. One title already confirmed for this service is The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX for the Gameboy Color.

 

So far, Nintendo have only confirmed support for the Gameboy and Gameboy Color, but during a recent investor briefing for the past fiscal year, they also confirmed that they intend to look into other platforms further down the line.

 

Something that needs to be pointed out is that games from the Sega Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16 games have already been announced for the service. As far as portable Nintendo systems go, that leaves the Virtual Boy and the Gameboy Advance.


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  • Well thats good, but not a feature I bought or desire in the device. Guess Ive never big on nostalgia and reliving past games in old glory. More power unto Ninty on adding more platforms and supporting it robustly worldwide.

    • You don’t want (like prefer not having) old gams available as downloads? I can see not using it, but not wanting it there is bizarre.

      • Games have evolved, why would I want to devolve to playing other games before my time? Its not like these are vintage movies nor manuscripts from days of olde. Id just rather they concentrate on more new features and original content, IMO.

        • I dislike complete remakes of games, but there’s nothing wrong with re-releases, especially on a digital platform where it takes next to no resources from the developer/publisher.

          Besides, good games are timeless and can even give you perspective on the games you enjoy today. Decades of excellence would be a download away during those slow months with no notable releases, or when you just want something new.

          Not to mention games haven’t evolved as much as you may think. Genres have traded blows for popularity, hardware and their manufacturers have come and gone, but we’ve yet to reinvent the wheel.

        • “Games have evolved, why would I want to devolve to playing other games before my time?”
          Erm, because a game can be fun and amazing without being on modern hardware? Call me a slight fanboy, but I personally enjoy a lot of older titles more than most of the stuff coming out now. I for one typically prefer the “old” games (Most titles on the SNES VC, not to mention GBA ‘classics’, and let’s not even go into my hype for the TG16 releases on 3DS. :3 ) to the unoriginal titles we see anymore. For just one of many examples, I feel that damn near any PSX era JRPG will beat the crap out of “modern” and “evolved” RPGs, at least in terms of enjoying the experience. And yes, I honestly feel I can say all of this without being under the effects of the nostalgia goggles. There’s a reason these titles are universally praised, and spoiler: it’s not just because they’re old.

          In summary: You should want to “devolve” to playing games before your time because they’re good titles. They have held through the test of time by having revolutionary gameplay and being -FUN-. I really am saddened if simply because a game is ‘old’ by your standards, that means it’s apparently not worth playing. What pray tell defines a game as being worthwhile for you? It apparently isn’t gameplay.

          I swear, kids these days. . .

          • malek86

            Actually, I’m going to back him up on this one. We shouldn’t make the automatic assumption that any new game is going to be worse than the old games. We should keep some optimism around, and follow the industry as it changes, instead of fossilizing on the old.

            Good that Nintendo has the VC option available for those who want it, and I’m definitely going to pick up a couple titles myself (also as a way of bringing around more than one game on the console), but in the end, I bought a 3DS because I wanted to play new stuff. VC really wasn’t high in my priorities list.

          • Ack. My apologies if I gave the wrong impression there. I enjoy many newer releases, and as such I’m hardly of the opinion that we should automatically assume any new game will be worse than old games. (Hell, I just picked up Mortal Kombat and finally got Vanquish last night. Pretty damn excited to play both today after work!) I was rather commenting that in terms of enjoyable gameplay, I typically find myself having more fun revisiting older classics than with the majority of modern releases now.

            My complaint was moreso his attitude towards older games. That playing them is “devolving” from the current era of gaming when often enough older titles deliver a lot more on gameplay and genuine enjoyable experiences than a lot of the crap out there now. Again, his choice in words that I quoted above:

            “Games have evolved, why would I want to devolve to playing other games before my time?”

            The problem here is an equally terrible assumption to make. The one that apparently because a game was released more recently, it’s therefore better than those that game before it. Paradox put it -perfectly- with “Good games are timeless.” If the idea that a game is old and therefore a “devolution” from modern (and therefore good. . . ?) gaming, well. . . Super Metroid, Mega Man X (1 and 4 for the shining examples), Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Chrono Trigger, FF6-9, Symphony of the Night, Link to the Past. All these titles would all like a word with you.

  • i really hope they bring neo geo pocket. I want to play the king of fighter games on it. also if they get import games, they have to put the wonderswan series of handheld on the eshop considering Gunpei Yokoi made the handhelds.

  • GBA games would be nice!
    I wonder how much the games will be?

    • gatotsu911

      Given Nintendo’s current pricing scheme for re-released games, I’d guess somewhere between $8 (the price of SNES games) and $10 (the price of N64 games).

      • PrinceHeir

        $9!! :D

  • we can pass on the virtua boy but if you put in gba Nintendo will have the most definitive handheld on the market with access to a potential great catalog. Throw in Neo-Geo Pocket and WonderSwan color and we’re golden.

    • TanyaRei

      no dont pass on the virtuaL boy

  • With the Wii’s successor announced I think it would behoove Nintendo to simply make the Virtual Console in its entirety available on the 3DS. Who could say no to such a large, official library of retro games on the go?

    Though, if their goal is to make every 3DS VC title compatible with stereoscopic 3D then I imagine that’d be a bit much.

    • “behoove” should make it where vc content can be shared amongst the two systems.

      • neo_firenze

        Absolutely.

        There is no good reason that VC content should not be shareable between the 3DS and the new console. There is also no good reason to not allow users to transfer their purchased Wii VC games to the new console, just as DSiWare games will be able to be transferred to the 3DS soon.

        I understand if it’s a little bit of a clunky process to transfer since the Wii/DSi weren’t exactly designed for such purposes, but asking Wii owners to leave their VC games on Wii only would be a shame.

        • puchinri

          Agreed, it sounds very ideal. We can only hope though.

      • PrinceHeir

        hell yeah :)

        just look at PS1 games on PSN. compatible for both PS3 and PSP(and soon to be NGP)

        i don’t know why nintendo can’t make a one universal store that features all systems, wiiware, dsiware, 3dsware, virtual console.

        that would make compatibility and shopping much easier, but then again, nintendo said they design the wii store much differently than the DS versions kinda sucks :

  • malek86

    I hope they won’t take 3D compatibility as an excuse to inflate the price. I mean, no way I’m paying more than $5 for Super Mario Land.

    I also hope they are gonna do something to make them look ok on the 3DS screen. DS games look like crap, so by extension, GBA games probably should too. Some slight filtering might be needed – I usually don’t like filters, but in this case, the unfiltered image would look bad anyway.

    • DS games don’t look like crap. Perhaps you dropped your system in something icky?

      • malek86

        Last time I tried playing Shiren 5 on the 3DS, it looked pretty bad and blurry. That and the terrible controls (d-pad is too low and impossible to press the diagonals on, and analog nub doesn’t work too well with 2D grid-based games) means there are no chances that I would play the game on the 3DS instead of the Lite.

        • Exkaiser

          I’ve played a bunch of DS games on my 3DS, including the Shiren 1 remake, and they all looked fine.

  • dragoon_slayer12

    i hope they put in EVERYTHING in the current Virtual Console (excluding the games requiring a wii mote and ‘chuck, wii exclusives/titles). i want my Soul Blazer series with me at all times!!!!

    but the 3ds is obviously capable of playing everything in the Virtual Console, N64 (possibly gamecube too) and everything before. throw in portable titles too (wonderswan, neo geo pocket, gba), and the 3ds is hands down the greatest portable gaming system, EVER (if u don’t have a xperia play). only thing i ask is to stop taking games out from the store. you have no clue how pissed i was when i finally decided to buy a wii to find out that Soul Blazer was removed (which was my main reason to buy it).

  • This part of what I’ve been secretly hoping for, although honestly it really shouldn’t be much of a Secret. How do you reach instant success worldwide Nintendo? Your system is currently short on games yet you could release your entire library of current Super nintendo, GBA, GBC, NES games all together in one big chunk. And that alone would be a huge incentive for any gamer to buy the system and use your Eshop. Bring me Secret of Mana 2 complete with Wireless or online multiplayer and we will be golden.

    • I agree. And if that eShop would be compatible with Wii Virtual Console games, I’d grab a few classics in a heartbeat. I even have an unused Nintendo Points card I’m saving just in case I can use it to fill my 3DS eShop wallet.

      (Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom would be a day-one 3DS Virtual Console purchase for me.)

      • I’m kind of worried about using that 3DS D-pad for older games though… how’s that working out for you? I honestly don’t like it much at all. ><;

        • I don’t like the D-pad, but it isn’t too bad. I get used to it.

          I LOVE the glide pad. It reminds me of that Neo Geo Pocket analog stick.

          • Oh, I love the Circle Pad, too. Works like a dream and it has so much room in which to move around, unlike the PSP nub. In the case of the D-Pad, I just wish it were a little more “raised”…same with the L/R buttons.

  • SetzerGabbiani

    Ummm….GBA? It makes sense since we’re 2 generations removed and it would spur me to possibly sell my DS lite when I am eventually able to fully replace my library.

  • I want SUPER NES and give me Secret of Mana, Super Metroid, and Zelda. They can shut the damn system off after that for all i care.

  • Well if I’m not mistaken Nintendo has said before they wouldn’t place GBA games on the eShop because they still sell DS Lites, but since they also recently said they are stopping the sales to help promote 3DS sales so anything is possible.

  • gatotsu911

    I should hope so, Nintendo!!

  • Aiddon

    good times; there are a few GBA titles I still need to check out

  • SNES too please!!

  • darkfox1

    I REALLY hope they have GBA games. All those GBA RPG’s like the Final Fantasy Dawn Of Souls, FF4 Advance FF5 Advance and FF6 Advance. As well as other GBA game i had like the DBZ Legacy Of Goku games,Yugioh Games, had dat Street Fighter Alpha 3 on there too, and who can forget the POKEMON GAMES on the GBA? Man the GBA was freaking awesome no one cared bout the games graphics etc just pure funnn. I REALLY hope they bring GBA games to download on the 3DS

  • puchinri

    I never did get to play Link’s Awakening, so I’m excited to hear that. Hopefully there’ll be a great list of titles available after other platforms available have been announced.

  • Hybrilynx

    metroid zero mission was an awesome choice to make for this page.

  • Joanna

    I do hope we get GBA games, but even if we don’t there are enough GB/C and GG games that I want. I sort of wish they would extend it to SNES too. I don’t really buy much off the VC because I prefer handhelds and it’s also the reason why I do buy more PS1 Classics (to play them on PSP).

  • They should not only have handheld games like GB, GBC, GBA, NGP, and SGG but it should also have console games like NES, SNES, Master System, and Mega Drive/Genesis games as well. If we can have TurboGrafix 16 games then why not other classic console games as well especially in 3D. Then we would have at least one handheld portable that can properly emulate classic console games and maybe people will stop using emulators on their Android phones since they’re getting pulled off the market store. They’ve already pulled Genesisoid (A Sega Genesis emulator) and now soon all the emulators will be taken off and with no way to play classic console games on the go.

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