Wii Virtual Console Discussion Thread

Can we make this thread the official CAG Wii VC thread? All VC news, rumors, prices, additions etc are to be put here instead of many little threads all about the VC.

I will start off eith my own question: Does anyone know if Banjo Kazooie, Tooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Goldeneye, or Perfect Dark be on the VC?

I don't think they've announced the first batch of games top be available for the VC, but I'm hoping that Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario are among them.

[quote name='pop311']Can we make this thread the official CAG Wii VC thread? All VC news, rumors, prices, additions etc are to be put here instead of many little threads all about the VC.

I will start off eith my own question: Does anyone know if Banjo Kazooie, Tooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Goldeneye, or Perfect Dark be on the VC?[/quote]

No. Rare owns the rights to the Banjo games and Perfect Dark, and Rare is now owned by Microsoft. As for Goldeneye, I'm not entirely sure about the rights, but I remember somebody being quoted as saying it's not going to happen. I'll try and find the actual quote.

I hope we get more 3rd party support for the virtual console...things like Street Fighter Alpha Anthology would be nice.

I would love to see some Neo-Geo games on there. SNK, where art thou? I just hope that they won't be horribly overpriced.

Its a shame I wont get to use it, Ill have a wii, but it wont be connected to the web, cant afford it. But if I could, I would like to see old NES games like River City Ransom, I love that game.

Games I'd like to see and are very probable to be in the VC:

Chrono Trigger
Earthbound
Earthworm Jim 1&2
Final Fantasy 2,3,4
Illusion of Gaia
Kirby Superstar
Secret of Mana
Super Mario RPG
Zombies Ate My Neighbors

[quote name='orimental']I would love to see some Neo-Geo games on there. SNK, where art thou? I just hope that they won't be horribly overpriced.[/quote]

Yeah i agree. That would be great. Turbografix 16 games also (though they might have already announced some will be on there).

Chrono Trigger.

This is one of the disappointments of Nintendo's PR work so far: there isn't much VC info to discuss.

I think the VC will be the biggest missed opportunity with the Wii if Nintendo maintains its existing price structure. They could exceed the Xbox Marketplace sales by a factor of ten if they'd stop to realize the potential to reel in new gamers and fleece old gamers at slightly lower prices. Instead, they're just stealing the typical Marketplace game price ($5) and making that their "average" cost per game over VC.

A point made on the Wii boards by another poster (forget who, sorry) is especially relevant: why should you buy games at $5 a pop when you can go purchase a compilation disc of 20 or 30 of them at Best Buy for $29.99? Nintendo can't pretend like there are major delivery or development costs that drive the price to $5. (There's middling to no development, and the cost to deliver per game is more than likely higher on the customer's end in their ISP costs.) If it weren't for the VC, these ROMs would be sitting unused generating no income.

The problem is that some of us (myself included) were dumb enough to re-buy those ROMs when they were re-released for the GBA. If we would have crossed our arms and turned away, maybe we'd see lower prices on the VC. Instead some of us ponied up $19.99 for Ice Climbers, or $29.99 for SMW. So now Nintendo can point to those sales and point to the VC prices and say, "Look at all the money we're saving you!"

I'm preparing myself for a big disappointment in the hopes that it will make the VC seem comparitively better at launch. I would love to build up a library of all my favorite ROMs to be played on the Wii on the big screen, but at these prices it ain't gonna happen.

$5 for something like Earthbound or Super Mario RPG is fair to me.

...or for something that hasnt been released a million times over.

$5 each game? Wow that is really expensive, it should be a dime a game, I mean there not re-developing it and there is no shipping involve. Maybe there will be free download a game day, or if its your birthday you could pick up a couple virtual games for free.

They could also add the ability to play modified retro games, mutliplayer support, new graphics, new levels, ability for other homebrew programmers to develop there own mods and distribute them.

Any of you guys thing the price of these games will ever drop, just like regular games? I know they probably wont be on clearance in a bargain bin or anything, but I'd like to hope.

[quote name='Riyonuk']$5 each game? Wow that is really expensive, it should be a dime a game, I mean there not re-developing it and there is no shipping involve. Maybe there will be free download a game day, or if its your birthday you could pick up a couple virtual games for free.

They could also add the ability to play modified retro games, mutliplayer support, new graphics, new levels, ability for other homebrew programmers to develop there own mods and distribute them.[/quote] Heh... a dime would probably cover the bandwidth costs.

[quote name='6669']Any of you guys thing the price of these games will ever drop, just like regular games? I know they probably wont be on clearance in a bargain bin or anything, but I'd like to hope.[/quote]I think what we will see is promotions that will make them cheaper (free download with game purchase, etc). But just like with all games, if they aren't selling, they'll see price drops. But it would probably have to be from the standpoint of "Are NES games selling as well as we hoped at their current price point? If not, should we lower the price?" I'm curious if individual publishers have any control over pricing, or if it's all governed by Nintendo.

[quote name='sonderiaom']Games I'd like to see and are very probable to be in the VC:

Chrono Trigger
Earthbound
Earthworm Jim 1&2
Final Fantasy 2,3,4
Illusion of Gaia
Kirby Superstar
Secret of Mana
Super Mario RPG
Zombies Ate My Neighbors[/QUOTE]

Slaps sond. The WHOLE Enix Trilogy must be included.

I'd like to see Ogre Battle 64 and "Sin & Punishment" included. $10 for each of those is reasonable.

[quote name='dothog']
A point made on the Wii boards by another poster (forget who, sorry) is especially relevant: why should you buy games at $5 a pop when you can go purchase a compilation disc of 20 or 30 of them at Best Buy for $29.99? Nintendo can't pretend like there are major delivery or development costs that drive the price to $5. (There's middling to no development, and the cost to deliver per game is more than likely higher on the customer's end in their ISP costs.) If it weren't for the VC, these ROMs would be sitting unused generating no income.

The problem is that some of us (myself included) were dumb enough to re-buy those ROMs when they were re-released for the GBA. If we would have crossed our arms and turned away, maybe we'd see lower prices on the VC. Instead some of us ponied up $19.99 for Ice Climbers, or $29.99 for SMW. So now Nintendo can point to those sales and point to the VC prices and say, "Look at all the money we're saving you!"
[/QUOTE]

The $5-$10 you'll spend on the VC will probably cover the costs of the free wi-fi multiplayer and the infrastructure of the network that they're working on (and maybe, you know, make some profit for Nintendo). I don't know if people are griping about the practice of charging for content, or that Nintendo is doing it. In any case, unless someone's heard otherwise, Sony is going to charge for it, and MS is charging for it. I'm more upset about microtransactions that give other players willing to pay an advantage over others.

People will pony up the $5 because 1. its Nintendo games and 2. people love buying stuff like this because it seems like a tiny purchase at the time. I'm as much a fan of compilations as the next guy, but really, how many of the dozen games available on some of these compilation discs are worth it? I got the Sonic Collection for the 3 main Sonic games. Don't get me wrong, Sonic Spinball and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine are bonuses, but would I pony up cash if they were offered individually for $5? No way... the reason those compilations are costing $30 is because that's likely the max anyone's willing to pay, and since selling them is pure profit, the developer is okay with this. Likewise, I don't know anyone who'd pay more than $10 for a N64 game, so therefore $10 is the max.

As for the VC games that I'm pretty sure are confirmed (by way of screenshots of the dashboard and E3 playables):

Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros 3
Super Mario World
Mario 64
Legend of Zelda: LTTP
Donkey Kong
Sonic
Bonk's Adventure

Any others? Give me Mario Kart 64 online, and I'll be set for years. That's all I want. I think they'll put MK64 on the VC, probably not online though.

[quote name='chargeup45']
People will pony up the $5 because 1. its Nintendo games and 2. people love buying stuff like this because it seems like a tiny purchase at the time. [/QUOTE]
For one game that they know, like folks chiming in for rarities like SMRPG or Mother (assuming those get released to the VC). But my guess is that people aren't as crazy to experiment with $5 as you think. I'm not sure exactly what the "golden price" that encourages consumers to buy old video games on a whim, but I think Nintendo needs to look closely at the way iTunes does things with mp3s or other game developers do with old game collections and not look at Xbox Marketplace.
[quote name='chargeup45']
I'm as much a fan of compilations as the next guy, but really, how many of the dozen games available on some of these compilation discs are worth it?. . .No way... the reason those compilations are costing $30 is because that's likely the max anyone's willing to pay, and since selling them is pure profit, the developer is okay with this.
[/QUOTE]
Here's list for the coming Sega Genesis Collection, according to http://www.joystiq.com/2006/08/10/surprise-sega-genesis-collection-coming/
[quote name='Joystiq']Planned for release sometime this fall -- we were told November before -- this virtual time machine will have the following games: Alex Kidd: The Enchanted Castle, Altered Beast, Bonanza Bros, Columns, Comix Zone, Decap Attack, Ecco the Dolphin, Ecco: The Tides of Time, Ecco Jr., Eternal Champions, Flicky, Gain Ground, Golden Axe, Golden Axe II, Golden Axe III, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III, Phantasy Star IV, Ristar, Shadow Dancer: Secret of Shinobi, Shinobi III, Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Super Thunderblade, Sword of Vermillion, Vectorman, Vectorman 2, Virtua Fighter 2

There are also these unlockable games available on the PS2 only: Zaxxon, Tac/Scan, and Zektor. There will be "wireless multiplayer" on the PSP, but we're not sure to what extent.[/QUOTE]
I'm guessing that just about everyone interested in keeping old 16-bit games on hand could come up with a minimum of 6 games from the above. So in Nintendo's pricing structure, you get those 6 games for $30. Sega's releasing the above collection for $20 MSRP.
http://www.sega.com/corporate/corporate.php?item=pr_20041102b

$30 for 6 games versus $20 for those 6 and a shitload more. Take your pick. Why would anybody buy Genesis games over the VC if they have a PS2/PSP? Nintendo could compete with the pricing, but nah, REGGIE SEZ CASH GRAB, YALL.
[quote name='chargeup45']Likewise, I don't know anyone who'd pay more than $10 for a N64 game, so therefore $10 is the max.[/QUOTE]
I have a feeling Nintendo's pricing research went something like yours.

Nintendo Veep: I really need to finish this up and figure out how much we'll charge for the VC games.
Janitor: Well, I know a dude that said he'd pay $8 max.
NVP: Sweet, I'm done. Feel like takeout?

I would be willing to buy:
- Super Mario World
- Mario 64
- The NES Marios (if they were combined like Mario All-Stars, not $5 each).
- Zelda: LTTP
- Zelda 64
- Zombies ate my Neighbors
- Goldeneye 64 (Unlikely)

That's about it.

wow paper mario would be awesome!

[quote name='dothog']For one game that they know, like folks chiming in for rarities like SMRPG or Mother (assuming those get released to the VC). But my guess is that people aren't as crazy to experiment with $5 as you think. I'm not sure exactly what the "golden price" that encourages consumers to buy old video games on a whim, but I think Nintendo needs to look closely at the way iTunes does things with mp3s or other game developers do with old game collections and not look at Xbox Marketplace.[/quote]

Not for nothing, but XBox Marketplace has been pretty good for MS. 50 million downloads from the entire userbase, and quickly continuing to grow. Isn't that the type of business model you want to shoot for? You can always improve your download numbers by charging a lower price, but then you have to weigh the benefits and risks of doing so. I'm sure Nintendo did the research necessary to properly set up the pricing scheme. And that pricing research seemed to work when you paid $20 for straight NES ports for the GBA.

And once again, I'll add to this that Nintendo also has to pay money to cover the costs of setting up and maintaining the network without any sort of subscription (for the time being). MS spent a boatload of money setting up theirs, enough that they're forced to charge an annual fee for accessing it. The revenue from the VC games should effectively offset the costs of the network, and of course, give Nintendo a profit. You ignored this in your first post and it looks like you did it again in this response.

I don't know why you're bringing up iTunes as a digital distribution system other than the fact that songs cost significantly less than games do. But on that note, Apple is now charging $5 for flash games and Pac-man ports, to be used on an iPod. So in a way, Nintendo is following the iTunes model.

[quote name='dothog']$30 for 6 games versus $20 for those 6 and a shitload more. Take your pick. Why would anybody buy Genesis games over the VC if they have a PS2/PSP? Nintendo could compete with the pricing, but nah, REGGIE SEZ CASH GRAB, YALL.[/quote]

I dunno, and while you're at it, maybe you should ask why people are paying $8 for a cruddy port of Sonic on mobile phones.

http://getitnow.vzwshop.com/index.aspx?id=games_details&appId=4731

Or another Sonic port on GBA...

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/sega/sega-honors-sonic-with-billionth-port-183152.php

Seems like Reggie's not the only guy looking for a cash grab. See also Street Fighter on Capcom Classics, Street Fighter Anniversary, and Street Fighter on XBox Live. I wouldn't be surprised if it also showed up on cell phones, but I imagine you probably have a problem with the mobile content downloads too.

If you're asking me why people would pay $8 for a cell phone Sonic port, I can't give you a good answer. People like having options, I guess. Why download cell phone games when we've had legitimate portable gaming options for years now? People do it, and I'm sure MS, Nintendo, and later on, Sony have considered this when pricing downloads. I can tell you that I'll probably purchase a few VC downloads, mostly because I can clear off shelf space from the old systems and, for NES games, play a game without blowing into the system.

[quote name='chargeup45']See also Street Fighter on Capcom Classics, Street Fighter Anniversary, and Street Fighter on XBox Live. I wouldn't be surprised if it also showed up on cell phones[/quote]Verizon now offers Street Fighter for their cell phones.

NES games should definetly be way less than 5 dollars, no more than 3 IMO. Many SNES games I would have no problem paying 5 bucks for especially the RPGs and N64 games are pretty reasonable at 5 bucks.

I think most people find the current pricing a little pricey. When VC was first announced, I think that everybody was saying to themselves that they would finally be able to get all the games they never got a chance to play. Now people have to cut back their original desire and only get 1 game a month or something. Honestly, I don't think it's unreasonable if you consider it in terms of buying VC games throughout the life of the system. $200 on VC games at launch is a lot, I agree. But $200 on VC games over the next 4 years makes a lot more sense. How many games do you need at one time anyway?

Oh, and you can always not buy any VC games. My feeling is that there will be plenty of people who will buy VC games regardless of how us cheapass's feel.

I'm obviously not the first to say this I bet, but if somehow, if there is a god, and there is, it's named Goldeneye 64, but if somehow Goldeneye magically was on the list to buy and had multiplayer online, I wouldn't be able to play it because I would cream my pants until I start creaming out my intestines and die.

[quote name='Z-Saber']Verizon now offers Street Fighter for their cell phones.[/QUOTE]

:lol:

Do people get thumb blisters playing this stuff? That's gotta be ridiculous to control.

[quote name='GrimNecroWizard']I'm obviously not the first to say this I bet, but if somehow, if there is a god, and there is, it's named Goldeneye 64, but if somehow Goldeneye magically was on the list to buy and had multiplayer online, I wouldn't be able to play it because I would cream my pants until I start creaming out my intestines and die.[/quote]

I forsee a lot of creaming deaths due to wii excitement (har har har).

I have no problem paying $5 for Super Mario 3 or Mega Man 2, $8 for Sonic 2 or Pilotwings, or $10 for Mario 64 or Star Fox 64. Obviously, many games on those systems arwen't going to be worth the price. But I doubt most of them will even be available, and if they are, I'd likely not buy them. $20 for the NES Classic ports on the GBA wasinsane. $5-10 for other classic stuff is A-ok with me. If you don't want to pay that price, don't. I'm sure free downloads will be bundled with games from here until the end of the Wii's life.

I'm waiting for a clearance on "last year's" Wii points card designs to stock up.

Ugh...everyone is a baby over the pricing. Any Nes game worth the $5 would most likely cost you at least $5 in cartridge form anyway. Plus you don't have to blow in the damn cartridge or hope that the ing battery works. A game like Mario RPG or something that is desirable will actually be available at a budget price for a change.

Everyone wants games for what $1 or $2? If Nintendo offers up cards like marketplace points you can most likely get your cards for cheaper than retail. In the end it means your NES games will be less than $5.

I haven't heard too many people complain about the xbox live marketplace and to me Super Mario Bros. 3 would be worth the $5 more than frogger would.

When you bought those re-released NES games for your GBA you paid not only for the game but for portability of the game. If you have a GBA player you can play them on your TV. I knew before I bought certain games exactly what I was getting like all the rest of you should. Even though they retailed at $20 most of them could be had under that number fairly quickly too. Why does everyone act like they got duped?

When it comes to the VC buy what you think will be worth it for you and nothing else....easy as that.

[quote name='chargeup45']:lol:

Do people get thumb blisters playing this stuff? That's gotta be ridiculous to control.[/quote]I don't know, but it's also huge. Most cell phone games are a couple hundered KB, yet Street Fighter is like a MB or two.

[quote name='daroga']I have no problem paying $5 for Super Mario 3 or Mega Man 2, $8 for Sonic 2 or Pilotwings, or $10 for Mario 64 or Star Fox 64. Obviously, many games on those systems arwen't going to be worth the price. But I doubt most of them will even be available, and if they are, I'd likely not buy them. $20 for the NES Classic ports on the GBA wasinsane. $5-10 for other classic stuff is A-ok with me. If you don't want to pay that price, don't. I'm sure free downloads will be bundled with games from here until the end of the Wii's life.

I'm waiting for a clearance on "last year's" Wii points card designs to stock up. [/QUOTE]

You'd pay $5 for Mega Man 2 and $8 for Sonic 2 when you can get collections with a bunch of games in those series for close to $10? Now that's just ing stupid. Even if you only had a Wii you could buy the collections for GC.

wow, i cant believe people are so uptight about the price. granted, some games are available on compilation discs for cheaper. but there are a hell of a lot of other games that arent. toe jam and earl (my first vc purchase for sure) and zombies ate my neighbors come to mind. not to mention harder to find games that go for quite a bit more than 5-10 bucks.

besides, the bottom line is joe consumer will be more than happy to dish out the few bucks for the games,so the price point will likely stay that way. and as for price drops, why on earth would their be price drops for a vc game, theres no production cost, they dont need to dump units off or anything like when a game doesnt sell. as long as vc games sell well on a whole, i dont think theyll mind that not many people are downloading one particular game.

I guess it's a matter of what you think Nintendo's aim is with the VC.

If you think that Nintendo wants to blow a big friendly kiss to established gamers who are looking to track down rare titles or established first party hits, then I can see how the existing price schedule would make sense to you. In this sense of the VC, the VC is mostly a delivery system to get old gamers the old games on a new console.

If you think that Nintendo's intested in using the VC as a way to sell old games to new gamers who are unaware of these games' existence, then I think that Nintendo's pricing may put off some of these potential customers. In this sense of the VC, the VC is a way to instaneously expand the universe of possible games to all gamers (new and old).

We old-guard gamers may know that Super Mario World is an undeniable classic and may not bat an eyelash at whatever the hell Nintendo charges, but it may be a tougher sale to someone who couldn't tell SMW from Burgertime and just wants to download a "cute" game to play. I'm not trying to argue that if somebody tried to sell me Mother via the VC for $8 I wouldn't snatch it up in a heartbeat. I'm arguing that for the general customer Nintendo is going for in the Wii/Blue Ocean way of thinking, there's not going to be a huge amount of name recognition for most titles, and the pricing is going to have to be inviting enough to get people to impulse buy the way they do on iTunes. I don't think that 5/8/10 is going to generate a huge amount of impulse buys from people who just want to try out something new (that is, non-gamers or new gamers).

Again, I guess it all comes back to the intent of Nintendo with the VC. I'm not trying to dichotomize things, but it just appears to be the nature of responses to the VC: people seem to see it as a business or a way for gamers to get old games.

Its going to be something like 500-nes, 800-snes, 1000-n64 right?
If so, ill probably just by snes and n64 games, mainly if they have a multiplayer.

[quote name='Eastsidecracker']Its going to be something like 500-nes, 800-snes, 1000-n64 right?
If so, ill probably just by snes and n64 games, mainly if they have a multiplayer.[/QUOTE]

I think that's the structure.

[quote name='dothog']I guess it's a matter of what you think Nintendo's aim is with the VC.

If you think that Nintendo wants to blow a big friendly kiss to established gamers who are looking to track down rare titles or established first party hits, then I can see how the existing price schedule would make sense to you. In this sense of the VC, the VC is mostly a delivery system to get old gamers the old games on a new console.

If you think that Nintendo's intested in using the VC as a way to sell old games to new gamers who are unaware of these games' existence, then I think that Nintendo's pricing may put off some of these potential customers. In this sense of the VC, the VC is a way to instaneously expand the universe of possible games to all gamers (new and old).

We old-guard gamers may know that Super Mario World is an undeniable classic and may not bat an eyelash at whatever the hell Nintendo charges, but it may be a tougher sale to someone who couldn't tell SMW from Burgertime and just wants to download a "cute" game to play. I'm not trying to argue that if somebody tried to sell me Mother via the VC for $8 I wouldn't snatch it up in a heartbeat. I'm arguing that for the general customer Nintendo is going for in the Wii/Blue Ocean way of thinking, there's not going to be a huge amount of name recognition for most titles, and the pricing is going to have to be inviting enough to get people to impulse buy the way they do on iTunes. I don't think that 5/8/10 is going to generate a huge amount of impulse buys from people who just want to try out something new (that is, non-gamers or new gamers).

Again, I guess it all comes back to the intent of Nintendo with the VC. I'm not trying to dichotomize things, but it just appears to be the nature of responses to the VC: people seem to see it as a business or a way for gamers to get old games.[/QUOTE]

I don't know about everyone else but I'm concerned about the price of the TG-16 games most of all. However on the Nintendo systems note, if some of the SNES games I want get released $8 will be a bargain but those will be few and far between. If 7th Saga and 7th Saga 2: Holy Ark gets translated as well as Treasure Hunter G and some of Square and Enix's other notable properties for the SNES I'll be happy, well and Mother released for the NES. I don't know if Square or Enix is willing to get off their asses and put the money into translating those games unfortunately but there's a decent backlibrary. Besides what I mentioned there's Romancing Saga 1-3, Bahamut Lagoon, Dragon Quest V-VI and Secret Of Mana 2. I may have even missed a few. Easy extra money for EnixSquare, they don't have to worry about cost of production for most of the non-FF games and I think they'd be surprised how many the already translated non-FF properties will sell for $8. I'd even go so far as to say most Old School RPGers would pay $10 for the new to the U.S. games translated, I know I would. Personally it annoys me we've gotten all these properties midway through and Square just shrugs off the original itinerations of them unless it's FF and ONE time they didn't give us a choice of whether we'd like the original, COUGHFF3DSCOUGH.

btw thread is spelled wrong in the titles

[quote name='chodax']btw thread is spelled wrong in the titles[/quote]sorry. didn't notice

I've noticed in other threads that people have expectations that the VC games will be upgraded somehow for online play.

Where did that come from? I know Nintendo said they'd trick out a few titles, maybe let you play SMB3 with Yoshi or something, but I don't ever recall reading anything about VC games being online capable. Maybe these expectations are an attempt to justify the price, or maybe they're just wishful thinking. Or maybe Matt C. said it in one of his timely commentaries.

Does anyone know if you can use a Gamecube controller on the VC, or do you have to use the "classic" controller?

Between my gamecube controllers and my Hori gamepad, I really see no need to buy a classic controller, and I hope they don't make me.

[quote name='dothog']I've noticed in other threads that people have expectations that the VC games will be upgraded somehow for online play.

Where did that come from? I know Nintendo said they'd trick out a few titles, maybe let you play SMB3 with Yoshi or something, but I don't ever recall reading anything about VC games being online capable. Maybe these expectations are an attempt to justify the price, or maybe they're just wishful thinking. Or maybe Matt C. said it in one of his timely commentaries.[/QUOTE]

It's wishful thinking. Live Arcade has it, so I figure Nintendo could do it... but will they? Probably not.

The only thing I really see myself using the VC for is N64 games. There are a bunch of games for that system that I never got to play and would be more than happy to pay $10 for. See Paper Mario, Super Mario 64 (I played it a bunch at friend's houses but never owned it), Mario Kart 64( Same thing- lots at friends but never owned), etc.

The one thing no one’s mentioned yet is-how does the DRM work? If it ties it to one console, or requires you to be connected to the internet all the time, then I won’t buy a single game. If there’s some semi-reasonable system that at the least lets you authorize different consoles (ie only requiring a net connection when you authorize a new system, as with Apple), then I’ll probably go along with it, as I trust Nintendo to not screw that up (my X-Box Live account already disappeared from non-use).

Nintendo has to convince me that these games I buy are MINE, and I will be able to keep playing them on a different Wii if mine breaks (unlikely, I know, it’s Nintendo, but still), and keep playing them on the “Wii 2”, etc.

If the DRM is reasonable, then I’m going to be buying a TON of games from this. I thought the final prices were $4/6/8 for the NES/SNES/N64? Well, in any case, I’ll gladly pay $4 or $5 for NES game I want! I remember when these games cost $50 new after all. There’s TONS of games for these systems I wish I owned, and really want to play again.

I’m bored by a lot of the initial lineup I’m sure. (I love Super Mario Bros. 3, but come on, I already own it on the NES, SNES, and Gameboy Advance). But I’m excited by the chance to get more obscure games.

I can’t wait to own Bonk’s Adventure again! I had the first two on my Duo, but don’t have them anymore, and never owned the third. Can’t wait to play them. TONS of games like that.

And if this is successful, I bet we’ll see original development. I’d love new “SNES” games or whatever.

But it does all hinge on the DRM. If the system is bad for consumers, I hope it fails miserably. I certainly won’t use it unless it’s better than Microsoft’s system, and at least as good as Apple’s.
I’m kind of disappointed they didn’t just use proprietary memory cards, and have the protection be that you can’t copy the games, only move them using the Wii. That would be less of a pain, and more consumer-friendly than using an open format like SD, but loading it up with all kinds of DRM which may end up making these games more of a rental than a real purchase.
(The files on the proprietary memory cards would of course have DRM, but it would be completly transparent to the user, and wouldn't require an internet connection to move them to a different console, etc.-Once you downloaded a game, it would be yours to do with what you want in terms of playing it on different systems, even selling it if you wanted to.)

It's already been confirmed that the games are tied to your account, not the hardware.


http://virtualgamer.net/2006/09/14/region-free-wii/
• Will games downloaded from the Virtual Console store be tied to an account like Xbox Live or a one-time-only download like iTunes? Tied to an account. Kaplan discussed a scenario where a player's Wii was broken or destroyed, but would be able to re-download titles they had previously bought to a new Wii machine. Because my left leg was burning from an accidental Zippo oil spill, I neglected to ask if a user would be able to log into friends' Wiis and play their Virtual Console downloads away from their home machine.

[quote name='daroga']It's already been confirmed that the games are tied to your account, not the hardware.


http://virtualgamer.net/2006/09/14/region-free-wii/
• Will games downloaded from the Virtual Console store be tied to an account like Xbox Live or a one-time-only download like iTunes? Tied to an account. Kaplan discussed a scenario where a player's Wii was broken or destroyed, but would be able to re-download titles they had previously bought to a new Wii machine. Because my left leg was burning from an accidental Zippo oil spill, I neglected to ask if a user would be able to log into friends' Wiis and play their Virtual Console downloads away from their home machine.[/quote]And for anyone who cares, the answer to that question is no, as there's no "logging on" to the Wii. You're just on it, pure and simple.

Thanks guys! I hadn't seen that. In fact, what I'd read said almost the opposite.

Hmm...I'm wondering though if that means you can't move your stuff to a new console, you actually have to redownload it (bad if it's no longer available, or if they shut off the service). But at least it's not totally tied to it...

Which means I'll probably be spending a LOT of money on it! Now they just need a VGA adapter...

I can assure you that there will be no titles upgraded for online play, because if even a few titles were upgraded, people would start demanding that they all go online, which would be way too difficult to do.

The only real reason anybody cares about the VC is the impossible hope of online Goldeneye. Just forget about it.

So here's a question: Could you buy a VC game, save it on an SD card and then play it at your friends house? Anybody know if that would work?

[quote name='regisphilbi0']So here's a question: Could you buy a VC game, save it on an SD card and then play it at your friends house? Anybody know if that would work?[/quote]i don't believe that would work, since it is tied to the users account, besides nintendo would lose quite a bit of money if one person bought the game and shared it with ALL his friends (or if someone were to put it online you could just load it onto the SD card w/o even playing), however you do raise a good question