I’m a gamer. Specifically, I’m a massive retro gamer. In between playing newer games like Dragonball Fighter Z or Far Cry 5, I like to take a quick run through games like Streets of Rage 2 or Super Mario 64. I love playing retro games to remind myself of why I got into gaming in the first place. One of the big reasons I was able to play a lot of older games as a teenager was the Wii Virtual Console.
This week, Nintendo announced that it has no plans to bring the Virtual Console to the Switch any time soon. I think that’s a huge mistake.
I grew up with a Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64. I never got to play the Super Nintendo, TurboGrafx-16, or NES unless I was on vacation to a beach house that happened to have one. The Wii Virtual Console allowed me to play so many classics that I otherwise would have never been able to try. Games like Super Metroid, Bonk’s Adventure, or Actraiser were games I only played because Nintendo made them available on the Virtual Console. The possibility of this library coming to the Switch had many people like myself excited. Classic games on the go? Both popular and obscure? I can’t imagine why that wouldn’t turn a massive profit for everyone involved.
There’s also the other elephant in the room following this announcement: Ever since the Switch was announced back in 2016, people thought the notion of Nintendo GameCube games on the Virtual Console would be a slam dunk idea for the system. Could you imagine how many people would buy Super Smash Bros. Melee or Mario Kart: Double Dash to play it on the go?
Now, the concept of GameCube games ever coming to the system is in limbo. It’s a shame too. The GameCube has so many underrated classics that could have received more attention on the Switch due to the system’s booming install base.
All this is not to say that classic games can’t be released on the Switch. Nintendo did say that classic NES games will be playable on the Switch through its new Nintendo Online program. Sega has also announced the “Sega Ages” initative, which will see the release of a lot of classic Mega Drive and Genesis games on the Switch — including the original Sonic The Hedgehog — but it just seems unfortunate that retro gaming fans won’t have all these games organized and priced under one unified banner.
I will always love the Virtual Console for expanding my gaming tastes. It allowed me to play so many games I probably couldn’t have played otherwise. I hope this isn’t the end of the Virtual Console. I think classic games on the Switch could sell extremely well due to retro fans like me buying them to play wherever we go. Maybe one day it will come back, but for now all I can say is for the first time in the Switch’s life, Nintendo made a huge mistake.
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