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Wii U Virtual Console Details

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I'm curious if people who injected VC WADs onto the Wii mode in their Wii U will end up getting discounts. I'm sure Nintendo sees it coming, and it's an obvious concern, but oh man, the GAF threads that will pop up if it does happen.

And how would they even fix that if it did happen? Would they just ban the people? Brick them? Speculation overload

I think there's no speculation :) it certainly won't work. In the Wii > Wii U transfer process they check the games you have on the Wii against their online records for purchase before allowing the transfer. I imagine the Wii U VC discount will check in the same way.
 
Yeah, I won't believe that until I can download Earthbound from my US Wii U. NOA hates Earthbound fans money.
Earthbound was weeks away from US release on Wii VC in early 2008 before the axe fell. The digital manual, the ESRB rating and everything was ready.

That they're releasing Mother 2 on Wii U VC in Japan implies that whatever copyright hurdles the game had before have likely been adjusted. I'd say an American release is probably a done deal too then (maybe Europe as an import too). NOA may be shitty but they're not stupid, they know the demand for this particular games, and they're not going to give it away for 30¢...
 

oatmeal

Banned
Why is everyone saying they will trickle releases when that's only for this trial campaign?

We don't know anything about the releases. Unless I missed something?
 
Isn't it strange that this "30 year celebration begins today", and Balloon Fight is the first game released? Why couldn't Super Mario Bros have been the first release? Seems so stupid to drag this shit out for so long when you've already got everything up and running right now.



1. Black border around the edge of the screen in Wii mode that doesn't exist when you use an actual Wii

2. Stretched and maybe cropped aspect ratio when playing VC games in Wii mode. I can change the aspect ratio to 4:3 on my original Wii since it's SD and the VC games play in full 4:3 like they are supposed to be. Not so with the same VC games in Wii mode.

How many fucking times do I have to say this in this thread, even on this one page?

I knew all that, but I just wanted to hear why he said they look worse. Like was he suggesting the actual image quality was worse, etc? Because if anything the HDMI connection should make them look sharper.
 
well they look worse because of what I just said.

Why is everyone saying they will trickle releases when that's only for this trial campaign?

We don't know anything about the releases. Unless I missed something?
Iwata implied this with what he said in the Nintendo Direct video. Made an excuse about how hard it is to emulate these games which is such bullshit.
 

Margalis

Banned
Also I would point out that there may be licensing issues at play. I assume that is the actual reason you can't get digital versions of UMDs, even though it's technically trivial, and why in Japan you can convert UMD to digital but at a price determined by the publisher. It's also why some games never came out in digital form for the PSP Go.

Isn't it strange that this "30 year celebration begins today", and Balloon Fight is the firs game released?

Iwata was the programmer of Balloon Fight.
 
well they look worse because of what I just said.

Well, look worse to me implies a worse image quality. You can change the Wii U's output to 4:3 mode and play VC games just fine. So technically they can be played just fine. It just requires a lot of bullshit to get it working right.
 

serplux

Member
Why is everyone saying they will trickle releases when that's only for this trial campaign?

We don't know anything about the releases. Unless I missed something?

You didn't, it's just people's expectations for Nintendo. I'm honestly expecting them to release 10 NES and 10 SNES titles at launch, and then put out a release or two a week until a few more platforms emerge, where a steady stream of VC titles will be put out.
 
Well, look worse to me implies a worse image quality. You can change the Wii U's output to 4:3 mode and play VC games just fine. So technically they can be played just fine. It just requires a lot of bullshit to get it working right.
Yeah because it isn't enough just taking that extra step to go into Wii mode, we have to go to the Wii U's display settings and switch to SD with a 4:3 aspect ratio any time we want to play a VC game and then switch it back to HD 16:9 when we're done.
 

CrunchinJelly

formerly cjelly
In an ideal world the Virtual Console would have been seen as a platform for games, rather than the current broken up mess.

When Nintendo launched the VC on 3DS, they should have allowed people to bring over their Wii games. But that wasn't possible because there was no account system.

We should be at a point where Nintendo hit a switch and everyone can download all of their VC games (Wii, 3DS) and play them in the new Wii U wrapper (and at 60Hz for PAL people).

What instead is happening is people are essentially having to pay three times for ROMs. Plus it seems Nintendo are starting all over again for Wii U. NES and SNES. Where are Mega Drive games? Where are N64 games?

Virtual Console should be an expanding universal platform for Nintendo devices, not some broken up mess where Nintendo want to charge you for each platform and for the purpose of getting the emulator for the Wii U.

They should have made all the Wii U emulators work on Wii U then put up all the existing ROM dumps in the eShop.

We should be starting with GameCube games for Wii U but I guess Wind Waker HD put a bullet in that.
 
I have to re-purchase everything? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!

$1.00 for NES, $1.50 for SNES per game to upgrade from Wii to Wii U versions. With that upgrade, you're getting full Wii U functionality, including Off-TV Play, Miiverse integration, and fully-customizable controls compatible with the Pro Controller and the GamePad.

Not bad for all the added features!
 
That they're releasing Mother 2 on Wii U VC in Japan implies that whatever copyright hurdles the game had before have likely been adjusted. I'd say an American release is probably a done deal too then (maybe Europe as an import too). NOA may be shitty but they're not stupid, they know the demand for this particular games, and they're not going to give it away for 30¢...

Ding ding ding, we have a winner. The Mother fanbase is ridiculously passionate. They will pay a premium.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Also I would point out that there may be licensing issues at play. I assume that is the actual reason you can't get digital versions of UMDs, even though it's technically trivial, and why in Japan you can convert UMD to digital but at a price determined by the publisher. It's also why some games never came out in digital form for the PSP Go.

That's a bit different.

Sony can't know whether that UMD you have is a legitimate copy, or some sort of exploit. And they probably don't want to just have people trading around the same copy of the game to their friends and getting free games.

Nintendo does know what games you bought on Wii or 3DS VC.

There may be a licensing issue, sure, but it might just well be the nature of physical technology that prevents Sony from doing it... and Nintendo might just be seeking $$$.
 
I'm fine so far with the discount program. Of course free would be better but paying $1-1.50 to upgrade to HD and Gamepad functionality is not a bad deal at all.

And the Earthbound copyright issues better be resolved and it better come to America otherwise there's gonna be riots this time methinks. I'm a bit bummed though, was hoping Itoi's Mother news would be more along the lines of a compilation of all three games. Maybe this is somewhat unrelated to that though, who knows.
 

serplux

Member
well they look worse because of what I just said.


Iwata implied this with what he said in the Nintendo Direct video. Made an excuse about how hard it is to emulate these games which is such bullshit.

I honestly have no idea why Nintendo doesn't just make a system-wide emulator for less demanding platforms, especially since they have the documentation for the damn things. But anything N64 and above, it's tough to do an absolutely perfect emulation job for every game released on that platform, so I appreciate that they want those releases to be faithful to its original platform.
 

SmokyDave

Member
If you own a UMD you also own a unique identifier for the digital copy. There's no reason you can't get a digital version if you own a UMD. Except money. The fact that UMD is a physical mechanism for delivering digital data that you can also get digitally is a distinction without a difference.
UMD = Apple.
SNES Cart = Apple.

VC Download = Orange.
PSN Download = Orange.
 

andthebeatgoeson

Junior Member
They shouldn't charge a thing. I'm not going to buy them again because it was almost fuckin charity when I bought them originally. I don't play them and really fell for nostalgia. I played Space Harrier once or twice. I have enough games to play thru from the current generation. And it's a dollar. They should be happy I bought the damn system. I don't want to do another charity case.

It's nice but I'll skip most games since I already transferred it. They should really get behind the idea that these digital games should be persistent. It should be an attractive option that lasts for the next few generations. But unless they get a great upgrade, it doesn't seem worth it. How much will they get out of this? A few bucks more yet hurt the relationship? Poor show, Ninty, poor show. And I can easily afford this but me buying these games has little value, except for about 5-10 hours this entire year. I'll be double dipping for Zelda Wind Waker but I might have to rethink this shit. I haven't even finished playing thru RE: Revelations but already considered it for the Wii U. Stop abusing me, hardware companies.

$1.00 for NES, $1.50 for SNES per game to upgrade from Wii to Wii U versions. With that upgrade, you're getting full Wii U functionality, including Off-TV Play, Miiverse integration, and fully-customizable controls compatible with the Pro Controller and the GamePad.

Not bad for all the added features!

But whats the market for this? 100K people? 1 million people? What's the average amount they would get from a guy like me? 5 games? Maybe average $5-$10 bucks from each consumer who made the jump from Wii to Wii U. And a slow roll out. At least give me a window to d/l for free to thank me for buying their system that is not selling like gangbusters. It's hurting the consumers that Nintendo needs the most: gamers who buy launch systems that will go out and use the service. The people who show up in 3 years probably won't care but people like me have given a lot to the company. Send us a thanks. And SmokeyDave is right, they are far behind in the digital realm. This was their chance to make a great leap: set up an account and transfer your Wii digital games and move forward with a persistant online account that can be used for things like theft, loss or just buying an additional machine. They had a great idea to milk the hardcore a long time ago. Multiple different colors. Now, set up an online account for easy transfers of licenses and they could get away with it. But without that safety feature, it's a huge risk. What will they do next gen? Did they totally miss what is happening with digital media the last 5 years? They think I will rebuy again next gen?

I'm already off the Xbox bandwagon because of RROD. There is nothing that states I have to keep buying Nintendo hardware in the future. This should be a slam dunk. Maybe they lose $5million dollars or something but they have to fight back against drought of good 3rd party games with something. This should be easy. 1 dollar seems cheap of them. If that's all it takes to make money on these re-buys, give it to me for free.
 

Frolow

Banned
Alright, couldn't find the images unfortunately. But the general gist was Wii games/VC games had more artifacts if I recall correctly.
 
I assume N64 games will follow later this year, once things get rolling with NES, SNES, and GBA.

GameCube games probably require a lot more work than older systems, especially with them adding Off-TV play and Miiverse integration. Probably won't hear anything about GCN Virtual Console games until sometime in 2014.

Patience is a virtue!
 
I don't understand why it's one f-ing game a month.

Also can you even begin to imagine the outrage if Apple made people pay for retina upgrades for apps? And then charged new customers essentially less than the people that originally bought the app.
 
Interesting that Mother 2 is finally coming out in Japan. That does give me some hope for a western release, at least. My Earthbound cart was dropped and damaged last year. Don't really feel like shelling out $150+ for a new one.
 

Brera

Banned
Guys...do you really think 3rd parties are goin to let you redownload their games for a dollar? Get ready to pay again for the likes world warrior!
 

sajj316

Member
I would be more interested in purchasing VC on the Wii U if it transfers over fine with Nintendo's next hardware. Also, if the VC title plays on the Wii U and offered on the 3DS, I don't want to purchase on 3DS separately.
 

EvilMario

Will QA for food.
1. Black border around the edge of the screen in Wii mode that doesn't exist when you use an actual Wii

2. Stretched and maybe cropped aspect ratio when playing VC games in Wii mode. I can change the aspect ratio to 4:3 on my original Wii since it's SD and the VC games play in full 4:3 like they are supposed to be. Not so with the same VC games in Wii mode.

How many fucking times do I have to say this in this thread, even on this one page?

Definitely our issue with it as well. We use our Wii Mode for a second Animal Crossing town and boy, does it look terribly ugly.

I'm waiting to transfer over Wii VC stuff.. and I may never do it. Not having a selective transfer process and having to wipe my Wii is not appealing to me.
 

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
I can't understand why Nintendo is so inept with Virtual Console. What should have been a joyous occasion is bogged down by incomprehensible limitations.
 

Balb

Member
I assume N64 games will follow later this year, once things get rolling with NES, SNES, and GBA.

GameCube games probably require a lot more work than older systems, especially with them adding Off-TV play and Miiverse integration. Probably won't hear anything about GCN Virtual Console games until sometime in 2014.

Patience is a virtue!

I don't see them putting GameCube games on VC this generation. Think they'd rather go the Wind Waker HD route and make more money that way.
 

Deepo

Member
Since all the games have to be redeveloped, or at least converted a bit for WiiU: Can we please get 60hz versions in Europe this time? PLEASE????

Edit: Just read back a few pages in the thread, and yeah... Nintendo, you didn't get my moneys for the Wii VC, and you're not getting a dime for the Wii U VC as long as it's 50hz. FFS, it's just mind boggling that this is still an issue.
 

Hobbun

Member
So am I reading that release schedule correctly? Only one VC game a month? Granted, it’s more than what we are getting now, but what we receive now shouldn’t even be compared with how pitiful it is.

I am hoping those are just the re-releases (already released on Wii), not the only ones per month.

Also, pretty unhappy about Earthbound being Japan only. I understand why it hasn’t been released here, but I was still hoping Nintendo might still make the necessary changes. But if it’s announced ahead of time “Japan only”, don’t see that happening now.
 

serplux

Member
I don't understand why it's one f-ing game a month.

Again, that's just a promotion for the launch owners of the Wii U. It's 30 cents for one game a month. The full VC will launch sometime in spring, most likely with a decent amount of NES and SNES games.
 

rjc571

Banned
It suggests they didn't talk about 3DS at all. 3DS can naively run GBA code, and they never said they weren't doing it, just no plans outside of Ambassador games.

The GBA ambassador games are pretty gimped, they don't even support basic features (such as sleep mode). They would never be able to sell them in their current form. It doesn't make a lick of sense for them to release handheld games on a console, rather than another handheld, unless there were technical issues preventing them from doing so. Maybe they'll announce GBA games for 3DS at a later date, but I'm not holding my breath.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
I don't see them putting GameCube games on VC this generation. Think they'd rather go the Wind Waker HD route and make more money that way.

Wind Waker is one thing, but actually, most games they'd much rather be lazy, dump the Cube disc, and make free money.

Besides, Reggie implied an interest in Cube games on VC.
 
Again, that's just a promotion for the launch owners of the Wii U. It's 30 cents for one game a month. The full VC will launch sometime in spring, most likely with a decent amount of NES and SNES games.
lol i'm telling you right now, there will be like 10 NES and 10 SNES games max in addition to the 30 cent ones. There's no way they will be even close to parity with the NES and SNES libraries available on the Wii VC even though Nintendo is perfectly capable of doing it with very little effort.
 

serplux

Member
The GBA ambassador games are pretty gimped, they don't even support basic features (such as sleep mode). They would never be able to sell them in their current form. It doesn't make a lick of sense for them to release handheld games on a console, rather than another handheld, unless there were technical issues preventing them from doing so. Maybe they'll announce GBA games for 3DS at a later date, but I'm not holding my breath.

It was probably rushed, since they wanted to get the games out before the end of the year. NES games were also slightly gimped when they were initially released, but I'm sure GBA games will come soon (they've already released over 40 Famicom games in Japan, and over 60 GB games, so I'm not sure how many more titles they could possibly put out until they move to SNES and GBA).
 

serplux

Member
lol i'm telling you right now, there will be like 10 NES and 10 SNES games max in addition to the 30 cent ones. There's no way they will be even close to parity with the NES and SNES libraries available on the Wii VC even though Nintendo is perfectly capable of doing it with very little effort.

Fully expect only around 20 NES and SNES games combined. I'm sure they could release most of their library tomorrow if they wanted to, but it'd be pretty hard to get a spotlight on any of the VC games for new potential buyers. They wanna get the most out of every game possible. I just hope that we finally get Yoshi's Island and Star Fox. SuperFX isn't that hard to handle.
 

beje

Banned
Mmmm... err... it's not like you cannot play those games in your Wii U AT ALL unless you pay. They're going to be there, for free, in your Wii Menu.
 
As another example of good digital practices, see Comixology: if you bought a comic book that was SD only, you'll automatically upgrade whenever it's released in some HD version.
So far, the promise they've kept is the implicit and ideal promise of a digital content platform: whatever you've bought is yours, as new devices support it over time, you can still use it and if these devices lead to an upgrade in the content, the upgrade is implicit.

I can totally see why a long term growth outlook would lead the platform manager to think they should bill you to upgrade but this could sour a number of people who've been used to more customer friendly digital policies.
 

The Boat

Member
The GBA ambassador games are pretty gimped, they don't even support basic features (such as sleep mode). They would never be able to sell them in their current form. It doesn't make a lick of sense for them to release handheld games on a console, rather than another handheld, unless there were technical issues preventing them from doing so. Maybe they'll announce GBA games for 3DS at a later date, but I'm not holding my breath.
Is there any other problem with besides sleep mode? Because I can't think of any.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
One thing I will say is that 30 cents is the right price for first gen NES games.

I wish this were a normal price, I could see myself actually trickling a lot of money into the VC that way. When it's $4-10 dollars, I can never justify it.
 
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