Gaming Why is Nintendo so STINGY with Virtual Console games?

[the_randomizer]

Just a couple points to make:

1. You may not realize it, but Virtual Console is a Nintendo programmed emulator, bundled with a ROM. It's proven. Exactly the same technology as fan-programmed emulators found online. There is no porting, or reprogramming the games involved.

2. Backward compatibility goes WAY back before the PS2. The Atari 7800 could play Atari 2600 games back in 1984.

1 - Exactly, if it weren't the case, how would hackers find out that ROM files could be injected as .wad files into preexisting Virtual Console games. They're emulators, just very bare bones, no frills emulators. I personally didn't use the Wii Snes, etc VC games because there was no bilinear filtering, thus making games look like utter garbage on LCD TVs. The Wii U however seems to have corrected that now that the games look filtered this time around. People can't just grasp the concept that the emulators' code has to be rewritten for the Wii U to function properly, such as sending A/V information to the controller, save/load states, etc. Part of the reason I use emulators is because Nintendo refused to do good job with the service.

2 - Yep, I knew that as well. The first console I played that had such a feature was the Super Gameboy.

 

[TripleSMoon]

I think part of this may have to do with a trickle-down effect. If Nintendo releases VC games a little bit at a time, people are more likely to take them in one buy one, and overall buy more as time goes on. However, If they just blow their load and release hundreds of them all at once (or within a short time period), people are just gonna pick and choose a few they want with limited funds, and never go back to the others.

It sucks, but from a business sense it makes sense.

I think I'm going to stop buying GB/GBC games from VC, anyway. The original GB games don't have any color palettes like when played on a GBC or GBA (especially noticeable in Donkey Kong for the Game Boy), and it just flat-out looks better on the original hardware. Sure, it's nice to have all my gameboy favorites in one handheld on the go (with save states, too), but I don't play the ones I have anywhere nearly enough for that to be a real dealmaker for me.

I probably will still buy NES (and hopefully, eventually, SNES) games on the eShop though, since there's no other way to officially play them on the go (except for the NES classics line for GBA, which have decreased resolution, and the GBA ports like Super Mario Advance and Zelda: aLttP/FS).

 

[PolloDiablo]

2 reasons why....
1. licensing issues with each game (each time you want to port/emulate Street Fighter 2 to a different console, you have to ask Capcom for permission, no matter how many times you did it in the past)
2. they're lazy
3. they have to port their proprietary emulators and tweak them for each specific game, and (apparently) that takes a really loooong time because.... they're lazy

Nintendo does this, so you realize that using emulators and downloading roms illegaly is the best option

I came to that conclusion in a different way...
Back in the day I was the only kid in town who had a Gameboy, everyone else only had Famiclones, Mega Drives or PlayStations (pretty much, only consoles supported by a pirate market) or used emulators. All my friends trade pokemons and battle each other with TGB Dual, but I was stuck with the REAL thing never to be able to use my beloved team of Pokemon Red or complete the Pokedex.
The same happened with the 2nd generation, I got Silver on launch month... but I never found anyone to play with.

By the time Ruby&Sapphire came out, I said "fuck it" and started to use VBA. I haven't bought a pokemon game since Silver. But I still bought a GBA, with lots of single player games

 

[MarioFanatic64]

SMB2 and SMB3 are already available in Japan, so expect them international within a few months.

 

[TripleSMoon]

SMB2 and SMB3 are already available in Japan, so expect them international within a few months.

Which SMB2? The Japanese SMB2 is the game america calls "the lost levels," which is already available here in America.

 

[the_randomizer]

Got a complaint, this might be useful
http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/webform/

 

[MarioFanatic64]

Which SMB2? The Japanese SMB2 is the game america calls "the lost levels," which is already available here in America.

Both.

 

[TripleSMoon]

Both.

Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) hit Japan before America? Talk about irony!

 

[Ethevion]

I never realized how many people want to play old games. I'm guessing new games have become too mainstream?

 

[pasc]

just give me majoras mask and re-release every exe game with onlne and I will gladly throw my money at the screen (in 3D !).

I never realized how many people want to play old games. I'm guessing new games have become too mainstream?

No, thats not it. I for one love to play old games because the have a certain appeal.
It might be because I grew up with them and loved them when I was younger.

Or I appreciate the effort that developers used to have with limited capabilities.

OR it is a game like Shenmue, Majoras Mask etc etc etc. that is deemed SO awesome that you must have played it.

 

[gamefan5]

I never realized how many people want to play old games. I'm guessing new games have become too mainstream?

Nostalgia is a powerful thing in the gaming industry.
+ If gives a chance for newcomers to play older masterpieces.

 

[Rizsparky]

I never realized how many people want to play old games. I'm guessing new games have become too mainstream?

I'm guessing nostalgia

 

[Sychophantom]

I never realized how many people want to play old games. I'm guessing new games have become too mainstream?

It's not the start of some digital hipster shit, raving about Pong being the best game ever, or the Atari 2600 having better games than the Wii U. Some games just stand the test of time. Chalk it up to that.

 

[the_randomizer]

Letter from NOA rep. Ugh, I guess it might happen, but don't hold your breath

Hello,

I can see why you want to see the Mother/Earthbound series released in the Americas, but at this time we have no plans to release them in this market, either on disc or via download.


I realize this is disappointing, but your comments have been documented and made available for other departments here to use as they see fit.

Sincerely,

Brian McFarlane
Nintendo of America Inc.

 

[duffmmann]

I suspect that Nintendo is stricter with the code for games being implemented in the 3DS VC. The 3DS has yet to be hacked (or if it truly has, it hasn't been spread to the masses yet), if Nintendo let any oldschool game get released on the 3DS VC no questions asked, it seems possible to me that someone could find a nice little exploit (a la the Twilight Hack) and then spread word about how to execute it to the masses. Now I don't know if that is the case or not, but this would mean that Nintendo had gotten much stricter on examining every game's code when they wish to be instated on the VC. Which ultimately would slow down releases to the VC.

Or, I could be just way off and have no other idea why they are taking their sweet as time.

Though I do have one more thought, next time there is a big lull in 3DS news and releases, Nintendo might just come around and be like, oh, we're releasing SNES or GBA (to the masses) games to the 3DS VC now. Enjoy!

 

[PolloDiablo]

Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) hit Japan before America? Talk about irony!

in fact... it hit japan before america when "the game" was first released

 

[duffmmann]

It's not the start of some digital hipster shit, raving about Pong being the best game ever, or the Atari 2600 having better games than the Wii U. Some games just stand the test of time. Chalk it up to that.

So true, Super Mario Bros. 3 is still one of the greatest games of all time. As is A Link To The Past.

It annoys me so much that there are still people that can't get it in their heads that great games can have limited graphics and still be in 2D.

 

[duffmmann]

in fact... it hit japan before america when "the game" was first released

Well they got Doki Doki panic before we got Mario 2, but we got Mario 2 before they got Mario USA (by 4 years actually!).

 

[PolloDiablo]

Well they got Doki Doki panic before we got Mario 2, but we got Mario 2 before they got Mario USA (by 4 years actually!).

I was referring to that, they got "the game" before america (but with a different name )

 

[duffmmann]

I was referring to that, they got "the game" before america (but with a different name )

And the inability to run. Doki Doki is considerably different for that one fact alone.