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Why the Nintendo Switch should never have a virtual console

Many Switch fans are still missing an important function that they already know from its predecessors: the virtual console. I have a different view. The virtual console has no place on the switch.

Super Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Castlevania – which of these games have shaped your childhood? Nintendo’s treasure chest is almost bottomless. Its content has brought unforgettable hours to generations of gamers. The Virtual Console was correspondingly popular on the Wii and its successor, the Wii U, because old favorite games can be played on new hardware for little money.

When the Nintendo Switch was announced, many fans took it for granted that the Virtual Console also on the new hybrid console would find a home. But that hasn’t happened to this day – and for my part I hope it stays that way.

Start the photo gallery(11 pictures)

These are currently the 10 most popular “Nintendo Switch” games in Germany

With the Virtual Console, Nintendo made retro gamers a great pleasure back then:

With a virtual console, the switch would compete with itself

That is not to say that I do not appreciate the many pearls from Nintendo’s treasure chest or that I am tired of them. In fact, many games that I played as a Nintendo kid from the very beginning are now (again) ready to hand on the shelf, right next to the Switch and PlayStation titles. That feels good and right. Nevertheless, I’m now very happy that I can’t play all of the classics on my Switch. Why?

Let’s imagine it in a very practical way: Let’s say an indie studio is launching a small, fine game, a game in the style of Celeste, Katana Zero or 198X. The team has tinkered with it for years, a lot of passion has gone into it, and now the finished product is finally playable. It should cost 14.99 euros in the eShop.

And then, yes, then Nintendo comes and knocks out Donkey Kong Country 1 to 3, Hagane and Super Mario RPG for the Virtual Console. Each of these SNES hits is now available in the eShop with one click. And none of them cost more than 9.99 euros. At least now, our indie newcomer has a real problem.

Would you now prefer the new, unknown title – or the games that already cast a spell on you as a child? I know how I would choose: Nostalgia draws. And almost always. There is nothing wrong with that either.

No question about it: being able to relive old favorites is something great. But with a virtual console full of classics and curiosities, the Nintendo Switch would hardly have made the development we have seen in recent years – also thanks to many new, cool indie games.

The Nintendo Switch gets even better with the right gadgets:

How the Switch became an indie darling

The Switch has meanwhile blossomed into a real indie machine. In contrast to most AAA games, many indie titles now appear naturally on the Nintendo hybrids. Older indie hits like Shovel Knight or Undertale have found a whole new audience here and were able to celebrate an extensive second spring. Nintendo itself is fueling this development with regular Nindie Directs, which indicate upcoming indie releases.

And the classics? They still live on. You simply score elsewhere and in a different form. Many games from the NES and SNES era are now upgrading Nintendo’s online servicewhere they are made available exclusively to subscribers. Many a classic get a completely new look and a re-release, like Zelda: Link’s Awakening.

Other long-running hits make the leap to the hybrid in the well-known look: In the eShop you can find lovingly put together compilations for Mega Man, Castlevania, Street Fighter or Secret of Mana. My personal favorite is Capcom’s Beat ’em Up Bundle, which brings old-school arcade spanking action to my Switch screen. Would there have been such publications with a Virtual Console in the background? That can at least be doubted.

And so the lack of the Virtual Console is, at least for me, the best proof that less is sometimes more in the gaming world. Hopefully Nintendo will see it the same way. Given the success to date, the chances are good.

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