Virtual Console (Wii)
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Virtual Console, sometimes abbreviated as VC is a video game download service that is currently offered by Nintendo for its Wii gaming console. Described by Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata as "the video game version of Apple's iTunes Store", the service features titles from past Nintendo consoles (NES, SNES and N64) and formerly competing systems, the Mega Drive/Genesis and TurboGrafx-16. Nintendo has mentioned MSX compatiblity but has yet to announce any games from it. [1]. Gamasutra also announced that Commodore 64 titles will be released, but no further announcements have been made.[2]
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[edit] Library history
While the gameplay remains unchanged for all of the classic titles offered via the Virtual Console, Nintendo has stated that some of the games may be improved with sharper graphics or better framerates[3]. The following was previously stated in this article, it has been confirmed by Nintendo officially that the VC is in fact Region-locked, therfore making the following statment untrue: "In addition, gamers may be able to download games that were not previously released in their region"..., and some multiplayer games may be playable online, if it is technically possible[4]. The Virtual Console service will not be used exclusively for retro games, however no specific non-retro game has been announced for the Virtual Console [5].
Satoru Iwata stated in a speech on March 23, 2006, that Nintendo, Sega and Hudson Soft are working in collaboration to bring a "best of" series of games to the Wii[6]. This gives the companies a pool of over 200 Sega games from which to choose. At E3, Hudson also declared it would bring upwards of 100 titles to the Wii's virtual console. Additionally, Hudson mentioned that its lawyers are working on acquiring the licenses to games from now defunct companies[7]. There are widespread rumors surfacing on the Internet which speculate that there will be Neo Geo, Sega Saturn, Game Boy, and Commodore Amiga games on the service at some point in the near future[8].
[edit] Third party support
Unnamed Nintendo employees have reportedly speculated that licensing issues will be a predominant factor in determining whether a game is available for Virtual Console[9], giving the examples of GoldenEye 007 and Tetris as games that might be too expensive to license for the Virtual Console. Tecmo has announced it plans to "aggressively" support Virtual Console by releasing classic games such as Ninja Gaiden, Rygar, and Tecmo Bowl[10]. Tecmo was the first third-party game developer to release a game on the Virtual Console (Solomon's Key on the NES). Craig Harris of IGN reported that Rareware titles not featuring Nintendo characters would not be available to download due to Rare's current licensing, but neither Rareware nor Microsoft (who currently has majority ownership of Rareware) has confirmed this[11]. SNK Playmore has recently announced intentions to help support the Wii Virtual Console by releasing the Samurai Shodown series and a few other games to the Virtual Console[12]. Midway also plans to bring classic Mortal Kombat games to the Virtual Console[13].
Atlus, Namco Bandai, Banpresto, Capcom, Chunsoft, D4 Enterprise, Enterbrain, HAL Laboratory, Irem, Jaleco, KEMCO, Koei, Konami, Midway Games, NCS Masaya, Netfarm, Paon, Rocket Company, Square Enix, Sunsoft, SNK Playmore, Taito, Takara and TOMY are confirmed supporters[14].
[edit] Issues Regarding PAL
With the launch of the Wii in territories using the PAL television system, it has become apparent that in most cases the games supplied for the Virtual Console run in 50Hz mode. This means that (with the exception of Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong Country, and TurboGrafx-16 games) all games run at roughly 17% slower than their designed operation speed and have borders covering about 10% of the screen.[15] The issue is particularly noticeable in games that have a particular reliance on speed, such as Sonic The Hedgehog[16] (which as a result, still suffers from issues from its original PAL Megadrive version) and F-Zero. Setting the Wii console to 60Hz mode does not resolve the issue, and Nintendo has made no announcement regarding this issue on PAL Wiis.
It is assumed that the reason for this is due to the fact that the NTSC versions of the games lack language options for non-English European countries, but this doesn't make sense in most cases, since some games didn't have said option in the beginning, and in most if not all cases the drop to 50hz was actually a hardware issue. When running on modified hardware the PAL versions of these games are able run at the same originally intended speed as the NTSC originals so there is no technical reason why 60hz mode can't be supported, the reason is not due to differences in PAL/NTSC code.
It must be noted that when the UK's Nintendo Official Magazine tested these Virtual Console games, they did not notice any slowdown or top and bottom borders.
[edit] Pricing
On September 14, 2006, Nintendo revealed that Virtual Console games in Japan would be priced at JP¥500 for NES titles, JP¥800 for Super NES titles, and JP¥1000 for Nintendo 64 titles, with points purchasable via credit card or a "Wii Points" card. In the United States, Wii Points are priced at $19.99 MSRP (2000 points), yielding game prices of US$5, US$8 and US$10, respectively[17][18]. Wii Points in the UK cost £6.99 per 1000 when buying them directly online by credit card, and a card with 2000 points typically retails at £14.99. In the Eurozone points are €20 per 2000.
| Country | NES | SNES | N64 | Mega Drive/Genesis | TurboGrafx-16 | Commodore 64 | MSX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wii Points | 500 | 800 | 1000 | 800 (600 in Japan) | 600 | - | - |
| Australia | $7.50 | $12 | $15 | $12 | - | - | - |
| Canada | $6.25 | $10 | $12.50 | $10 | $7.50 | - | - |
| Europe | €5 | €8 | €10 | €8 | €6 | - | - |
| Japan | ¥500 | ¥800 | ¥1000 | ¥600 | ¥600 | - | - |
| United Kingdom (with points bought online) | £3.50 | £5.60 | £6.99 | £5.60 | £4.20 | - | - |
| United Kingdom (with points bought on point cards) | £3.75 | £6.00 | £7.50 | £6.00 | £4.50 | - | - |
| United States | $5 | $8 | $10 | $8 | $6 | - | - |
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has indicated that new small-scale titles could be developed and sold through the Virtual Console at a price of between JP¥500 and ¥1000 (approximately US$4-$9, GB£2-£5),[19][20] and that free downloads may be offered as a bonus with the purchase of specific Wii titles, similar to Nintendo Europe's VIP 24:7 incentives[21].
[edit] Storage and Control
Games downloaded from Virtual Console library will be stored on Wii's built-in 512 MB flash memory, or on SD cards, though to play these games they must be copied back onto the Wii's internal memory. If the internal memory is filled, Virtual Console games can be deleted to create more room. If the player wants to play those deleted games at a later date, they can be downloaded again at no additional cost. The Virtual Console games are locked to the Wii they were bought on, so a player cannot play their Virtual Console games on another Wii by simply swapping the memory cards. In the event that a Wii is damaged and the Virtual Console games can no longer be played, Nintendo will provide support. [22]
The Virtual Console service will be region-locked - that is, different versions of games will be provided to different regions, and game availability may vary from region to region. [23]
Virtual Console games can be played using three different controllers. The Wii Remote itself (turned on its side) can be used for NES, TurboGrafx-16, and some Sega Genesis games, and the separately sold Nintendo "Classic Controller" can be used for all Virtual Console games. The controllers from the Nintendo GameCube can be used for all Nintendo systems' games, however Nintendo's site claims that it can only be used with some TurboGrafx-16 and Sega Genesis titles.[24] All Virtual Console games have their buttons mapped to the respective buttons on the controllers, e.g. users cannot use X and Y instead of A and B. [22]
With the release of Bomberman '93, it was revealed that TurboGrafx-16 games can support full 5 player games using a combination of Wii Remotes/Classic Controllers and GameCube Controllers (e.g., 1 Wii Remote and 4 GameCube Controllers or 3 Classic Controllers and 2 GameCube Controllers).
| Platform | Wii Remote | Classic Controller | GCN Controller |
|---|---|---|---|
| NES | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SNES | No | Yes | Yes |
| N64 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Genesis | Some | Yes | Yes |
| TurboGrafx-16 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
[edit] Titles
There were 12 titles total of NES, SNES, N64, and Genesis games available at launch on the Virtual Console for the North American region. Two TurboGrafx-16 titles were added two days later on November 21, 2006. The store is expected to update on Mondays, but so far has not done so consistently since it has had updates on two Tuesdays since launch.[25] Around 30 titles are expected to be released by the end of 2006. There are currently 25 Virtual Console titles available; a current list of released and anticipated titles with additional available information can be found at the Wikipedia article linked above.
There were 17 titles total of NES, SNES, N64, Mega Drive, and TurboGrax-16 games available at launch on the Virtual Console for the European region. The store is expected to update on Fridays.[26] Around 37 titles are expected to be released by the end of 2006. There are currently 17 Virtual Console titles available; a current list of released and anticipated titles with additional available information can be found at the Wikipedia article linked above.
There were 11 titles total of NES, SNES, N64 and Mega Drive games available at launch on the Virtual Console for the Australian region. The store updates on Fridays. Around 26 titles are expected to be released by the end of 2006. Those titles can be found in the table below.
Below is a table of classic games that are expected to be available for download on the Virtual Console Service in the other two regions (Japan and Australia). Titles which have already been released can be found in bold.
| System | Japan[27] | Australia[28] |
|---|---|---|
| NES | ||
| SNES | ||
| N64 | ||
| Mega Drive/Genesis | ||
| TurboGrafx-16 |
Currently the only way to get TurboGrafx-16 games in Australia is by changing your country settings in the Wii menu to the United Kingdom. All available TG-16 games there will be available for purchase. [29] |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Casamassina, Matt. "title=IGN's Nintendo Wii FAQ", IGN.com, 2006-09-19. Retrieved on 2006-11-13.
- ^ http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=11060
- ^ Patrick Klepek. "Nintendo Remaking Classics", 1up.com, 21 June, 2005.
- ^ Juan Castro. "Miyamoto and Iwata Talk Revolution", IGN, July 25, 2005.
- ^ "Virtual Console Launch List", play-nintendo.com, 2006-09-09. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
- ^ Tor Thorsen. "GDC 06: Revolution to play Genesis, TurboGrafx games", gamespot, March 23, 2006.
- ^ Casamassina, Matt. "E3 2006: Hudson Declares 100 Games for Wii", IGN.com, 2006-05-11. Retrieved on 2006-11-13.
- ^ Morris, Chris. "Nintendo, Sega team form gaming iTunes service", cnn.com, 2006-09-09. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
- ^ Cardinal, Chris. "Live From E3: Fun Wii Facts Confirmed", playfeed.com, 2006-05-11. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
- ^ Shawn White. "Tecmo to Aggressively Support Virtual Console", thewiire.com, August 29, 2006.
- ^ Glen Bayer. "Rare games for Nintendo Virtual Console?", N-Sider.com, March 27, 2006.
- ^ Ron Kimberly. "Various new SNK tidbits - Virtual Console support + more", gamesarefun.com, May 15,2006.
- ^ Captain. "Mortal Kombat creator discusses Wii development", aussie-nintendo.com, September 9,2006.
- ^ Niizumi, Hirohiko, Brendan Sinclair. "24 Wii VC devs ID'd", gamespot.com, 2006-09-14, pp. 1. Retrieved on 2006-11-16.
- ^ "PAL Issues with the Virtual Console", videogamesblogger.com, December 6, 2006.
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0llsb77Esc
- ^ Kyle Orland. "Nintendo Japan Conference Not so Liveblogging", joystiq.com, September 14, 2006.
- ^ The Wiire Staff. "Fils-Aime Talks American Launch and More", September 14,2006.
- ^ (Japanese) "Wiiの発売日、価格の発表は9月。WiiとDSの連動は『ポケモン』から", Famitsu. Retrieved on 2006-06-07.
- ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-06-07). Virtual Console Prices Revealed. IGN. Retrieved on 2006-06-08.
- ^ "Iwata: Revolution downloads not free", IGN.com, 2006-06-08, pp. 1. Retrieved on 2006-11-14. (in english)
- ^ a b "Interview: Virtual Console: Secrets exposed", ComputerAndVideoGames.Com, November 3, 2006.
- ^ "Wii upholds Cube region lock", Eurogamer.Com, November 10, 2006.
- ^ http://wii.nintendo.com/virtualconsole.jsp
- ^ http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/11-16-2006/0004476212&EDATE=
- ^ http://wii.ign.com/articles/750/750296p1.html
- ^ Chris Kohler, "Japan Gets Way Better Virtual Console Lineup", Game|Life, 2006-10-31. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
- ^ "Captain", "26 Virtual Console games head to Australia", Aussie-Nintendo.com, 2006-11-02. Retrieved on 2006-11-26.
- ^ "Captain", "Get Turbo Games on your Aussie Wii", Aussie-Nintendo.com, 2006-12-11. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
[edit] External links
- Nintendo - Official Nintendo Website
- The Virtual Console Archive - Virtual Console titles reviewed and rated
