Virtual Console

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This article is about the Virtual Console component of Nintendo's game download
services. For the computer user-interface concept, see Virtual console.
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Virtual Console

Developer Nintendo

Type Classic video game re-release distribution

Wii
Launch date
November 19, 2006
Nintendo 3DS

June 6, 2011
Wii U

January 23, 2013 (soft launch)

April 26, 2013 (official launch)

Platform(s) Wii

Nintendo 3DS

Wii U

Status Wii: Discontinued January 30, 2019

3DS: Operational

Wii U: Operational

Website Wii

Official US website

Official UK website

Official Japanese website

Nintendo 3DS
 Official US website

Official UK website

Official Japanese website

Wii U

Official US website

Official UK website

Official Japanese website

Virtual Console (バーチャルコンソール, Bācharu Konsōru), also abbreviated as VC, is

a line of downloadable video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game
consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family handheld game console.
The Virtual Console lineup consists of titles originally released on past home and
handheld consoles. These titles are run in their original forms through software
emulation (excluding GBA titles on 3DS), therefore remaining mostly unaltered, and can
be purchased from the Wii Shop Channel or Nintendo eShop for between 500 and
1200 Wii Points (Wii), US$2.99 and US$9.99 (3DS) and US$4.99 and US$9.99 (Wii U)
depending on system, rarity, and/or demand.[1][2] Virtual Console's library of past games
currently consists of titles originating from the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super
Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64, Game Boy
Advance, and Nintendo DS, as well as Sega's Master System and Genesis/Mega
Drive, NEC's TurboGrafx-16, and SNK's Neo Geo AES. The service for the Wii also
included games for platforms that were known only in select regions, such as
the Commodore 64 (Europe and North America) and Microsoft's
and ASCII's MSX (Japan),[3] as well as Virtual Console Arcade, which allowed players to
download video arcade games. Virtual Console titles have been downloaded over ten
million times.[4] The sale of past games through the Virtual Console is one of Nintendo's
reasons for opposing software piracy of old console games. [5]
In late January 2019, the Virtual Console service was discontinued on the Wii. [6]

Contents

 1List of Virtual Console games

o 1.1Japan
o 1.2North America
o 1.3PAL region
 2Wii
o 2.1Library history
o 2.2Control
o 2.3Titles
o 2.4Storage
o 2.5Game saves and save data
o 2.6Suspending play
 o 2.7South Korea releases
o 2.8Taiwan and Hong Kong releases
 3Nintendo 3DS
o 3.1Library history
o 3.2Titles
o 3.3Storage
o 3.4Game saves and save data
o 3.5South Korea releases
o 3.6Taiwan and Hong Kong releases
 4Wii U
o 4.1Library history
o 4.2Control
o 4.3Titles
o 4.4Storage
o 4.5Game saves and save data
 5Nintendo Switch
 6Third-party support
 7Differences from original games
o 7.1Peripherals
o 7.2Controllers
o 7.3Content
 8Languages
 9Criticism
 10PAL issues
 11See also
 12References
 13External links

List of Virtual Console games[edit]

Main article: Lists of Virtual Console games

Virtual Console

Wii Shop Channel

Nintendo eShop
(discontinued)
Platform

Wii Wii U Nintendo 3DS family

Arcade

Virtual Console Discontinued Was available in Wii No

Arcade (games already purchased can Mode only, now
 discontinued
be redownloaded) (games already purchased
can be redownloaded)

Home systems

Nintendo
Entertainment Discontinued
System (NES)/ (games already purchased can Yes Yes
Family be redownloaded)
Computer (FC)

Super Nintendo
Entertainment Discontinued Available on the New Nintendo
System (SNES)/ (games already purchased can Yes 3DS and New Nintendo 2DS
Super be redownloaded) XL models only[7]
Famicom (SFC)

Discontinued
Nintendo 64 (games already purchased can Yes No
be redownloaded)

PC
Engine/TurboGrafx- Discontinued Available on Japanese 3DS
(games already purchased can Yes
16 (HuCard and be redownloaded)
Systems only (HuCard only)
CD-ROM games)

Was available in Wii

Discontinued Mode only, now
Sega Master System (games already purchased can discontinued No
be redownloaded) (games already purchased
can be redownloaded)

Was available in Wii

Sega Genesis/Sega Discontinued Mode only, now
(games already purchased can discontinued No
Mega Drive be redownloaded) (games already purchased
can be redownloaded)

Neo Geo AES Discontinued Was available in Wii No

(games already purchased can Mode only, now
 discontinued
be redownloaded) (games already purchased
can be redownloaded)

Originally available
Removed from Wii Shop in Wii Mode only
Commodore 64 (removed from Wii Shop
(North America and
Channel in August 2013[8] No
Channel in August 2013,
PAL regions only) (games already purchased can
but games already
be redownloaded)
purchased can be
redownloaded)

MSX Discontinued
(games already purchased can Yes No
(Japan only)
be redownloaded)

Handheld systems

Game Boy No No Yes

Game Boy Color No No Yes

Available through the Nintendo

Game Boy Advance No Yes
3DS Ambassador Program only

Nintendo DS No Yes No

Game Gear No No Yes

Japan[edit]
Main articles: List of Virtual Console games for Wii (Japan), List of Virtual Console
games for Nintendo 3DS (Japan), and List of Virtual Console games for Wii U (Japan)
There were 38 Famicom, Super Famicom, Nintendo 64, Sega Mega Drive, and PC
Engine games available at launch on the Wii Virtual Console for the Japanese region.
The Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console launched with 7 Game Boy and Game Boy Color
titles. New Virtual Console software is added on Tuesdays (Wii) and Wednesdays
(Nintendo 3DS, Wii U) at 2:00PM JST and there are currently[when?] 659 titles for the Wii,
244 titles for the 3DS (256 for Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors) and 466 titles for the Wii U
available.
North America[edit]
Main articles: List of Virtual Console games for Wii (North America), List of Virtual
Console games for Nintendo 3DS (North America), and List of Virtual Console games
for Wii U (North America)
There were 12 total NES, SNES, N64, and Sega Genesis games available at launch on
the Wii Virtual Console for the North American region. Two TurboGrafx-16 titles were
added two days later on November 21, 2006. The Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
launched with 4 Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles. [9][10] North America saw its first
release of Commodore 64 games on the service on February 23, 2009, and its first
Virtual Console Arcade games on March 25, 2009. As of January 26, 2017, there were
398 titles for the Wii, 172 title for the 3DS (184 including those available for Nintendo
3DS Ambassadors and Donkey Kong: Original Edition) and 267 titles for the Wii U
available.
Though the Virtual Console lineup initially only covered games that had been released
in North America, first George Harrison indicated in an interview that there was a
possibility that Nintendo or other Virtual Console providers would localize Japanese
games that have never been released in English. [11] This later came to reality, and former
Japan-only games have appeared on the North American Virtual Console. The first
game to be added with such localization was Sin and Punishment for the Nintendo 64.
While other previous Japan-only titles had been released through the Virtual Console
prior to this, the first being Battle Lode Runner from the TurboGrafx-16, added on April
23, 2007, this and all others were originally written in English and required no
localization. Despite the fact others fit the category, there are currently 25 titles listed
under the "Import" genre with 1 removed: Sin and Punishment, Super Mario Bros.: The
Lost Levels (previously available in North America as part of Super Mario All-
Stars), Ninja JaJaMaru-kun, Alien Soldier (although the game was previously available
in North America through the Sega Channel), DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki
Adventure, Puyo Puyo 2, Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, Dig Dug, Gley Lancer, Super
Fantasy Zone, Break In, Star Parodier (Removed), Cho Aniki, Final Soldier, Digital
Champ: Battle Boxing, Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou, Bomberman '94, Detana!!
TwinBee, Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair, Pulseman, Secret Command, Street Fighter II:
Champion Edition, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, Ironclad, Ufouria: The
Saga and Monster World IV. Furthermore, at least two import titles (DoReMi
Fantasy[12] and Puyo Puyo 2[13]) were released without any English translation, and thus
only Japanese text is available in these games while Monster World IV was fully
translated to English.
PAL region[edit]
Main articles: List of Virtual Console games for Wii (PAL region), List of Virtual Console
games for Nintendo 3DS (PAL region), and List of Virtual Console games for Wii U (PAL
region)
A total of 17 NES, SNES, N64, Sega Mega Drive and TurboGrafx titles were available
at launch on the Virtual Console in Europe and 11 titles for the Oceanic region
(TurboGrafx games were first added there from July 6, 2007 [14][15]). As of December 8,
2016, there are 385 titles in Europe and 384 titles in Australia and New Zealand for the
Wii, 168 titles for Nintendo 3DS (178 for Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors) and 258 titles for
Wii U available.
Though the Virtual Console titles primarily cover only the games that have been
released in Europe, Nintendo UK has commented that there is a possibility that in the
future, Nintendo will localize Japanese and North American games that have never
been released in Europe such as Super Mario RPG, which was released on the
European Virtual Console on August 22, 2008, after being unreleased in that region for
12 years.[16] In March 2007, Hudson released three TurboGrafx games which were not
originally released in Europe: Double Dungeons, Dragon's Curse,[17] and Battle Lode
Runner. Five Hanabi Festivals have been held since, releasing former Japanese and/or
North American exclusive titles.

Wii[edit]
Library history[edit]
The first few Virtual Console games were released to the Wii Shop Channel on
November 19, 2006, alongside the launch of the Wii. [18]
While the gameplay remains unchanged for all of the classic titles offered for the Virtual
Console, Nintendo has stated that some games may be improved with sharper graphics
or better frame rates.[19] In reality, however, many games suffer from drops in frame rate
or have graphical glitches not present in the original, and many PAL SNES games run
with significantly reduced borders compared to the original cartridge releases. As with
disc-based games, the Virtual Console service is region-locked—that is, different
versions of games are provided to different regions, and game availability may vary
from region to region.[20]
Nintendo stated that the Wii Shop Channel would not be used exclusively for retro
games, and WiiWare games have appeared in North America as of May 12, 2008.
[21]
 These original games are made available through the WiiWare part of the Wii Shop
Channel, as opposed to through the Virtual Console.
Satoru Iwata stated in a speech on March 23, 2006, that Nintendo, Sega, and Hudson
Soft were working in collaboration to bring a "best of" series of games to the Wii. [22] At E3
2006, Hudson also declared it would bring upwards of 100 titles to the Wii's Virtual
Console. Additionally, Hudson mentioned that its lawyers were working on acquiring the
licenses to games from now defunct companies.[23] Nintendo
announced MSX compatibility on September 19, 2006, [24] announcing on February 23,
2007, that the MSX titles Eggy and Aleste would be released in Japan.[25] In February
2007, a heading for Neo Geo AES games was added to the Japanese Virtual Console
page,[26][27] and in September of that same year, games for that system appeared on the
list of future releases, priced at 900 points each. [28][29] Also in September Hudson
announced that games made for the TurboGrafx-CD format would also join the Virtual
Console beginning in October 2007, with five titles to be released for the remainder of
2007 and ten titles for 2008, each priced at 800 points. [30]
On June 1, 2007, Nintendo of America issued a press release to announce the
upcoming release of its 100th Virtual Console title, which was Zelda II: The Adventure of
Link. Within this press release, Nintendo stated that more than 4.7 million Virtual
Console games had been downloaded, at a rate of more than 1,000 titles an hour. [31]
Neo Geo AES support was added on September 18, 2007, for the Japanese Virtual
Console, becoming the first addition to the list of consoles since the TurboGrafx-16 was
added two days after the U.S. launch. [32][33]
On October 9, 2007, Nintendo announced that 7.8 million Virtual Console titles had
been downloaded,[34] and as of December 2007, this number topped ten million. [4]
Games from several new past consoles were added during 2008: Master System on
February 26, 2008, for Japan's Virtual Console; [35] Commodore 64 support was added on
March 28, 2008, for Europe's Virtual Console. [36] and MSX support was added on May
27, 2008, for Japan's Virtual Console.
On February 23, 2009, the first three Commodore 64 titles (International Karate, The
Last Ninja and Pitstop II) were added to the North America Virtual Console for the first
time.
On March 25, 2009, simultaneously with Nintendo's Keynote Speech at Game
Developers Conference, Nintendo launched 'Virtual Console Arcade', launching with
four titles, Mappy, The Tower of Druaga, Star Force and Gaplus.
On February 4, 2011, Sega announced that a Virtual Console release of Puyo Puyo,
released in Japan in Spring 2011, is the first Virtual Console to feature Wi-Fi support for
online multiplayer.[37]
The Wii Shop Channel has functionality to allow games to be updated. This has been
used four times so far to update Military Madness, Star Fox 64/Lylat Wars, Kirby 64:
The Crystal Shards (in North America and Europe),[38] and Mario Kart 64 (in Europe and
Australia). Several NES and SNES games released before March 30, 2007, have also
been given updates in Europe and Australia to fix previous problems with the Wii
component cables. These updates are free of charge to those who have downloaded a
previous version of the game.
In later years, some games have been removed from the service due to their licenses
expiring, namely R-Type and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, among others. The
three Donkey Kong Country SNES games produced by Rare were unknowingly
withdrawn. Since Nintendo retains the rights to these games, the reason for their
removal remained unknown, however, they have since been released on the Wii U
eShop and were also added back to the Wii Shop Channel around the same time as
well. Sonic the Hedgehog and its sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2 were both removed in
Japan in 2012. While the games returned to the Wii Shop Channel in 2013, they were
removed yet again on October 30, 2015, on the Japanese Wii Shop Channel and Xbox
Live Arcade in that region while the 3D Classics versions ported by M2 are still available
on the Nintendo 3DS for download via the 3DS eShop. However, both North America
and Europe still have both games available to download on the Wii Shop Channel and
Xbox Live Arcade. While these and other removed titles can no longer be found or
purchased from the Shop Channel, they remain available to those who have purchased
them prior to their removal. Such users may still re-download them on their Wii consoles
and even transfer them to a Wii U system using the "system transfer" tool. Any Wii
Virtual Console titles can be transferred to the Wii U and played via its Wii Mode.
Control[edit]
Virtual Console games can be played using different controllers. The Wii Remote itself
(turned on its side) can be used for NES, Master System, TurboGrafx-16, and
some Mega Drive/Genesis and Neo Geo AES games. The original and the pro versions
of Classic Controller (sold separately from the console) can be used for all Virtual
Console games. The controllers from the GameCube can also be used for all games on
the Virtual Console, except for some multiplayer TurboGrafx-16 games that use the
GameCube controller for the fifth player. As a result of this, the wireless GameCube
controller (the WaveBird) has seen increased popularity.[39]
All Virtual Console games have their buttons mapped to the respective buttons on the
controllers, however, in certain circumstances, users can use X and Y instead of A and
B, if the original controller does not have X and Y buttons (for example the NES). [40] In
certain titles, such as Nintendo 64 games, there may be specific controls tailored to the
Classic Controller or GameCube Controller. Nintendo 64 titles that originally
provided force feedback via the Nintendo 64 controller's Rumble Pak peripheral,
however, are not supported by the built-in "Rumble" feature of the GameCube
controller.
The button mapping has become the cause of problems and concerns, however. The
button mapping is rigid and is not customizable. Because of this, many games are
difficult to play. All Neo Geo AES fighting games have very awkward control schemes
and glitches when changed to GameCube controllers. Nintendo has acknowledged this
issue but has not put any effort towards fixing it on the Wii. Currently, all Wii U Virtual
Console games support customizable button mappings.
With the release of Bomberman '93, it was revealed that TurboGrafx-16 games can
support full five-player games. Since a single Wii can only have four Wii Remotes and
four GameCube controllers connected at the same time, a combination of the two are
needed for five-player games. The same issue is found in 5-8 player Commodore 64
games as well. Because the Wii U doesn't have GameCube controller ports, only up to
four-player games can be played on the system.

Classic GameCube USB

Wii Remote
Controller[a] Controller Keyboard

NES/Famicom

Super NES/Super Famicom

 Nintendo 64

TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine

Sega Master System

Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive/

Neo Geo AES

Commodore 64

MSX

Virtual Console Arcade

^ a The NES Classic Controller, the SNES Classic Edition Controller, and Club
Nintendo's SNES Classic Controller have at least partial functionality with all Wii Virtual
Console releases but may require button remapping to accommodate for the lack of
buttons.
MSX games also support USB keyboards, as the original system featured their input.
[41]
 However, Commodore 64 titles use a pop-up "virtual" keyboard, which can be toggled
on and off by pressing the "1" button on the Wii Remote, and are only used to set up the
game and are not for input during gameplay.[42]
Titles[edit]
Main articles: List of Virtual Console games for Wii (Japan), List of Virtual Console
games for Wii (North America), List of Virtual Console games for Wii (PAL region),
and List of Virtual Console games for Wii (South Korea)

PAL region
North
Japan, Taiwan, and Hong South
System Americ
Kong Korea
a
Europe Australia
Commodore 64 (NA & PAL Regions
- - - - -
only)

MSX (Japan only) 13 - - - -

NES/Famicom 147 94 79 77 23

Sega Master System 14 15 15 15 -

TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine 119 59 58 58 -

Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive 91 73 74 74 -

Super NES/Super Famicom 102 63 64 65 13

Neo Geo AES 75 54 54 54 -

Nintendo 64 20 21 21 21 4

Virtual Console Arcade 78 21 20 20 -

Total 659 398 385 384 40

Storage[edit]
Games downloaded from the Virtual Console library can be stored in the Wii's built-in
512 MB flash memory.
Wii system software versions 2.0 and later allow Virtual Console and WiiWare games to
be moved from the console's internal memory to a removable SD card and then back to
the same console. Wii Menu 4.0 added a new menu to run channels from an SD card
provided there is enough free space to hold a copy of the channel in internal memory. If
the console runs out of memory, the SD menu will offer to move other channels to the
SD card.[43]
Virtual Console games are locked to the Wii on which they were purchased—they
cannot be transferred to another Wii via an SD card, although it is possible to purchase
games in the Wii Shop Channel and send them as gifts to people on their Wii Friends
list.[44] This procedure does not work across regions and it has been reported that bought
titles cannot be sent to users from other countries either, even if they are on the same
region.[45] In the event that a Wii is damaged and the Virtual Console games can no
longer be played, Nintendo will provide support (if the serial number or console email
name can be provided).[40] Also, if a Wii owner transfers all data on their console to a Wii
U, the ability to download those titles from the Wii Shop Channel, along with all save
data currently on the Wii, is transferred.
Game saves and save data[edit]
Game saving is functional and intact on the Virtual Console for all games which
originally had a save feature on their cartridge. Saved games are saved to the Wii
Internal Memory and function exactly as the original cartridge did. A game that in its
original cartridge form did not have any form of save feature will not have any save
game feature on the Virtual Console (though depending on its original system it may
have the suspend feature as described below).
Most first-party N64 games used internal cartridge memory for game save data and
thus will save properly on the Virtual Console. A select few first-party and nearly all
other N64 game cartridges utilized the extra memory capability of the N64 Controller
Pak.[46] Saving of data to the Controller Pak is not supported by the Virtual Console, so
for those games which used this feature, the save feature will not work properly in the
Virtual Console.
An extreme example is that of Mario Kart 64 which uses internal cartridge memory for
progress and save game data. Consequently, all progress is saved properly (since it
was saved to the cartridge itself) but one of the features in Mario Kart 64 (saving ghosts
for racing at a later date) will not work since that particular feature utilized the Controller
Pak, and the option to copy data to the Controller Pak won't function in those games.
Suspending play[edit]
Like other emulation software, the Wii Virtual Console enables the user to suspend play
of a game at any time. To do this, users simply return to the Wii main menu from the
game.[47] Two exceptions to this are the N64 and Neo Geo AES, titles which do not
support this feature.[48] The N64 will allow play to be halted by returning to the Wii Menu
but will require the person to start from the title screen to continue playing. Note that
suspending play enables the player to pause the game indefinitely but does not function
as a "save state" in that, once the game is resumed, the user will be able to pause play
again (overwriting the suspend point) but will not be able to return to the previously
suspended state.[47]
The suspend feature will not be available if the user resets the Wii with the reset button
on the front of the console during gameplay. Further, if the Wii loses power during
gameplay, there is no further suspend state, nor will there be a way to restart from the
previous suspend state. There are some exceptions, however. Arcade games released
by Bandai Namco feature an updated menu and when reset during gameplay the save
state will be saved before the console is reset.
South Korea releases[edit]
Main article: List of Virtual Console games for Wii (South Korea)
There were 10 titles total of NES, Super NES, and Nintendo 64 games available at
launch on the Virtual Console for South Korea. The store updates irregularly on
Tuesdays. There are 40 titles available. Depending on the game, they are playable in
either Japanese or English. Super Mario World is the only game that can be bought in
either language. Companies currently supporting by publishing games are Bandai
Namco Entertainment, Hudson Soft, Irem, Konami, Nintendo, Taito and Windysoft.
Taiwan and Hong Kong releases[edit]
Main article: List of Virtual Console games for Wii (Japan)
Since Nintendo of Taiwan and Nintendo of Hong Kong never offered a Chinese version
of the Wii console in Hong Kong or Taiwan, they have released Japanese Wii's in that
region and by hardware extensions, the Japanese Virtual Console is also available for
customers in Taiwan and Hong Kong and like other regions are able to buy
Japanese Nintendo Points cards at certain retailers.

Nintendo 3DS[edit]

The Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console logo

Library history[edit]
On June 6, 2011, Nintendo launched the Virtual Console service for the Nintendo
3DS on the Nintendo eShop. Games released for the service include titles for the Game
Boy, Game Boy Color, NES, Super NES (New Nintendo 3DS only), Game
Gear and TurboGrafx-16 games (available in Japan only). There are also special
features available while playing Virtual Console games, such as viewing classic Game
Boy titles with the traditional green screen or viewing them in an emulated border.
A separate, but related set of games are 3D Classics, which are remakes of classic
titles that make use of the Nintendo 3DS's stereoscopic 3D capabilities.
When asked if Virtual Boy games were going to be available for download on the Virtual
Console for the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé told
Kotaku that he couldn't answer, as he was unfamiliar with the platform.
"As a consumer, I have experience with every Nintendo platform and, I think every
accessory, including the Superscope, with the exception of the Virtual Boy... so it's
difficult for me to articulate a point of view back to our parent company [in Japan] why
we absolutely have to have a Virtual Boy store"
— Reggie Fils-Aimé
The author of the piece, Kotaku's Stephen Totilo, called upon readers to "argue for a
Virtual Boy store on the Nintendo 3DS, if you can." [49]
In response to an August 2011 price drop on the Nintendo 3DS hardware, Nintendo
announced plans to give early adopters of the system a number of Virtual Console
releases as appreciation of their support. [50] Owners of the system who logged into the
Nintendo eShop by a specified time in their home markets became "Nintendo 3DS
Ambassadors".[50] In September 2011, ten NES titles were made available through
Virtual Console to the Ambassadors at no cost before their general release; the games
included marquee titles such as Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.[50] They
were released to the general public for purchase at a later date, with additional features
such as simultaneous multiplayer across multiple systems; Ambassadors received the
new features as free software updates.[51] On December 16, 2011, Ambassadors
received access to ten Game Boy Advance titles, also at no charge, that are not
scheduled to be released to those who are not Ambassadors. [50] Unlike other Virtual
Console-branded releases, GBA games are not emulated, but rather they run directly
on an ARM7TDMI processor core; the "AGB_FIRM" kernel running on the other CPUs
is responsible for emulating the Game Pak, applying a video filter, and allowing the
brightness to be adjusted or the game quit without manually rebooting the 3DS. Many
save types supported by AGB_FIRM (many of them having been discovered in
September 2017, after injection became convenient and accessible to most users of
custom firmware) were not employed in the ten official GBA releases, but can be used
by games unofficially "injected" into a GBA VC title. [52][53]
On February 1, 2012, Punch-Out!! the first non-ambassador NES game was released
on the Virtual Console service. Since then, other NES games that were not part of the
ambassador program were released including third party games by Capcom, Konami,
and Tecmo such as; Mega Man, Castlevania, and Ninja Gaiden. Furthermore, two NES
import titles were added in North American and Europe; Summer Carnival '92
Recca and The Mysterious Murasame Castle in both 2013 and 2014, respectively. As of
January 2017, Game Boy Advance games have not been released to non-
Ambassadors on the Nintendo 3DS.[54]
TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine games were added to the service in Japan starting
with Gradius and China Warrior on December 25, 2013, in Japan. R-Type and Alien
Crush were later added a few months later in February, the following year. As of now,
no new TG-16 games have been added to the Virtual Console service.
On November 12, 2015, it was announced that during a Nintendo Direct that Pokémon
Red, Pokémon Blue, and Pokémon Yellow would be released on the Virtual Console
service on February 27, 2016, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series. The
games will feature Local Play for trading Pokémon and battling, replacing the game link
cable due to the Nintendo 3DS having wireless connections, but Game Boy Printer
features in Pokémon Yellow, like other titles on the Virtual Console, will still not be
usable on the Nintendo 3DS.
On March 4, 2016, during a Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced the addition of SNES
games on Virtual Console for New Nintendo 3DS. Taking advantage of its upgraded
hardware on the New 3DS, the games support "Perfect Pixel mode", which allows these
games to be played at their original resolution and aspect ratio. SNES games are not
supported on the original Nintendo 3DS models or Nintendo 2DS.[55][56]
Titles[edit]
Main articles: List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (Japan), List of Virtual
Console games for Nintendo 3DS (North America), List of Virtual Console games for
Nintendo 3DS (PAL region), List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (South
Korea), and List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (Taiwan and Hong Kong)

PAL region
South
North Taiwan and
System Japan Kore
America Hong Kong
a
Europe Australia

Game Boy 70 50 49 49 13 4

Game Boy Color 20 31 29 29 7 3

Game Boy Advance (Nintendo 3DS

10 10 10 10 - -
Ambassadors only)

Game Gear 22 16 16 16 - -

NES/Famicom 111 64 63 63 15 -

Super NES/Super Famicom (New

49 30 31 31 - -
Nintendo 3DS only)

TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine (Japan
4 - - - - -
only)

3D Classics 24 22 22 22 - -

Total 310 223 220 220 35 7

Storage[edit]
Virtual Console games are saved on an SD card and are accessible through the
Nintendo 3DS home menu.
Game saves and save data[edit]
The save feature for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual console service is similar to the Wii's.
However, unlike the Wii's, the games can save a single "restore point" that can be used
as much as the player wants to but is replaced and overwritten if the player makes
another one.
South Korea releases[edit]
Main article: List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (South Korea)
Before the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console officially fully launched in South Korea,
the New Nintendo 3DS Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary bundle came with the
Virtual Console version of Super Mario Bros. pre-installed. The full launch includes six
games with three being for the NES and three of them being for Game Boy.
Taiwan and Hong Kong releases[edit]
Main article: List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (Taiwan and Hong Kong)
Nintendo of Hong Kong launched the Virtual Console in Taiwan and Hong Kong for the
first time in Nintendo 3DS/Nintendo 3DS XL systems in Chinese, their first releases are
the Japanese versions of Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, Pokémon
Green and Pokémon Yellow for Game Boy on the same day of the Japanese release on
February 27, 2016. The Pure White Nintendo 3DS released in Taiwan & Hong Kong
uses the Japanese region firmware but all online features are blocked so the Japanese
Nintendo eShop can't be used and likewise the Japanese Virtual Console can't be used
either.

Wii U[edit]

The Wii U Virtual Console logo.

Library history[edit]
In January 2013, Nintendo announced a native version of Virtual Console, which would
be launched for Wii U on April 26, 2013, in North America and April 27, 2013, in the
United Kingdom.[57] Initial releases came from the NES and Super NES libraries,
with Game Boy Advance titles being made available starting April 3, 2014, [57]
[58]
 with Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS being added starting April 1, 2015. Unlike with the
Wii, titles originally released on the arcades and non-Nintendo consoles (with the
exception of the TurboGrafx-16) were not offered.
In a July 2011 interview, Nintendo's Amber McCollum stated that select GameCube
titles would be made available for download on the Wii U console via the Wii U's
own Nintendo eShop.[59] However, no titles have been made available.
Wii U Virtual Console titles include the option to use Off-TV Play on the Wii U
GamePad and Miiverse integration. Users who own the Wii Virtual Console version of a
game will be able to get the Wii U Virtual Console version of that game for a discounted
price.[60] Nintendo also announced some individual games would be released prior to the
full Virtual Console launch as part of a special promotion celebrating the 30th
anniversary of the release of the Famicom.[60] Existing Wii Virtual Console games can be
accessed via the Wii Mode. The UK Virtual Console service offers versions of games
from both North America and Japan, in lieu of slower PAL versions. [61] On December 25,
2013, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine and MSX titles were added to the service in Japan. In
January 2014, Nintendo announced Nintendo DS games for the Wii U Virtual Console.
[62]
 In June 2014, the Nintendo DS game Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is
Your Brain? was released on the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan and PAL regions. [63] In
early April 2015, immediately after a Nintendo Direct announcing them, Nintendo DS
and Nintendo 64 games were added to the Wii U Virtual Console on April 1, 2015,
following a Nintendo Direct.[64] On June 14, 2015, prior to Nintendo's E3
presentation; Mother was released worldwide and for the first time in North America and
Europe on the Virtual Console service, under the title "EarthBound Beginnings". It was
previously going to be released in North America back in 1990, but was cancelled due
to the Super NES already on its way, causing Nintendo to move on. The game had
been fully translated in English. On July 14, 2016, TurboGrafx-16 support was finally
added to the North American Virtual Console, launching with three games; Bonk's
Adventure, New Adventure Island, and R-Type. Anyone who had downloaded them via
the Wii Shop Channel on the Wii or Wii Mode, would get those titles discounted,
between $2.99-3.99. TurboGrafx-16 support was added to the European Virtual
Console, just two weeks later on June 28, 2016.
Control[edit]
Wii U
Wii U Pro Wii Classic USB
GamePad Wii Remote
Controller Controller[b] Keyboard
(Off-TV Play)

NES/Famicom

Super NES/Super [a]

Famicom
 Nintendo 64

TurboGrafx-16/PC
Engine

MSX

Game Boy [a]

Advance

Nintendo DS

^ a Wii Remote is compatible with SNES and GBA releases, but may require button
remapping to accommodate for the lack of buttons.
^ b NES Classic Controller, the SNES Classic Edition Controller and Club Nintendo's
SNES Classic Controller have at least partial functionality with all Wii U Virtual Console
releases except DS games, but may require button remapping to accommodate for the
lack of buttons.
Titles[edit]
Main articles: List of Virtual Console games for Wii U (Japan), List of Virtual Console
games for Wii U (North America), and List of Virtual Console games for Wii U (PAL
region)

PAL region
North
System Japan
America
Europe Australia

NES/Famicom 148 94 89 89

Super NES/Super
101 51 49 49
Famicom

Nintendo 64 22 21 21 21

TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine 52 40 40 40
MSX (Japan only) 23 - - -

Game Boy Advance 102 74 70 70

Nintendo DS 31 31 31 31

Total 479 311 300 300

Storage[edit]
Virtual Console games are saved either on the Wii U's flash storage (8GB or 32GB) or
can be saved on a USB flash drive or external hard drive.
Game saves and save data[edit]
The save feature for the Wii U Virtual console service is similar to the Wii's. However,
unlike the Wii's, the games can save a single "restore point" that can be used as much
as the player wants to, but is replaced and overwritten if the player makes another one.
Game saves from Wii Virtual Console games cannot be transferred to the Wii U
versions.

Nintendo Switch[edit]
Main article: Nintendo Switch Online
The Nintendo Switch does not use the "Virtual Console" label for the digital distribution
of its older games from past platforms. However, they are instead releasing Nintendo
Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System titles to subscribers
of the Nintendo Switch Online service, while others are made available via the Switch's
eShop.[65] Classic titles originally released on non-Nintendo hardware, such as the Neo
Geo and Sega platforms, are releasing via the Switch's eShop under the Arcade
Archives and Sega Ages banners, respectively.

Third-party support[edit]
Unnamed Nintendo employees have reportedly speculated that licensing issues will be
a predominant factor in determining whether a game is available for Virtual Console,
[66]
 giving the examples of GoldenEye 007 and Tetris as games that might be too
expensive to license for the Virtual Console. Tecmo has announced its plans to
"aggressively" support Virtual Console by re-releasing classic games. Though Tecmo
did not specify which titles it intended to release, the company is responsible for many
retro classics, such as Ninja Gaiden, Rygar, and Tecmo Bowl.[67] Tecmo was the
first third-party game developer to release a game on the Virtual Console (Solomon's
Key for the NES). Since then, Capcom and Konami, among others, have also released
titles. In 2015, Sega released Sonic Advance, the first Sonic title for the Wii U Virtual
Console, but so far, only in Japan. It is unknown if the game will be released in North
America and Europe.
Matt Casamassina of IGN reported that Rare titles absent of Nintendo-owned
characters, such as Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark, would be unavailable for purchase
due to Microsoft's acquisition of Rare;[68] some of these titles have since been released
for Xbox Live Arcade, as well as on the Xbox One through the Rare
Replay compilation. SNK has announced intentions to release the Samurai
Shodown series and a few other games to the Virtual Console which has brought the
Neo Geo AES to the list of consoles available.[69] Midway had also planned to bring the
classic Mortal Kombat games to the Virtual Console,[70] but later sold the franchise
to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment when it filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Warner
Bros. has not stated whether it will release the Mortal Kombat games to the Virtual
Console. However, it was stated by Ed Boon (co-creator of Mortal Kombat) on his
Twitter account that the SNES Mortal Kombat games have "0.0" chance of happening.
[citation needed]

Differences from original games[edit]

Nintendo has stated that the Virtual Console releases will be faithful to the original
games, eliminating the possibility of graphical enhancements, customizable controls, or
added online multiplayer features. [71] However, for various reasons, the gameplay
experience is not always identical to the original.
Peripherals[edit]
Some Nintendo 64 games offered optional features that required peripheral hardware,
such as the Rumble Pak for force feedback and the Controller Pak for additional data
storage. Because these peripherals are not emulated or simulated in the Wii Virtual
Console, the games played on the Virtual Console as they would on the Nintendo 64
without the peripherals attached.[71] In particular, Mario Kart 64 cannot save "Ghost Data"
since no Controller Pak is available,[72] Cruis'n USA still allows saving game data but
data cannot be copied to a Controller Pak. Wave Race 64 still has the ability to save
progress but like Cruis'n USA the copy ability that allowed data to be copied to the
Controller Pak cannot be used. Similarly, both games Mario Golf and Mario
Tennis cannot use a Transfer Pak to copy data to or from a real Game Boy Color or the
3DS Virtual Console running the respective companion game.
Three Famicom games—Excitebike, Mach Rider and Wrecking Crew—included the
ability to save player-designed levels via the Famicom Data Recorder. Since this
peripheral was never released outside Japan, the NES versions of these games did not
support this save feature. Despite this, all three games have had the feature
implemented in their Virtual Console releases for Wii and Wii U, allowing players to
save course data to the system's memory or an SD card;[73] however, these features are
not present in the Virtual Console releases of Mach Rider and Wrecking Crew for
Nintendo 3DS, although the 3D Classics release 3D Excitebike does retain this feature
as it is not a Virtual Console release.
The N64 game Pokémon Snap allowed players to take their Game Paks to special in-
store kiosks to print stickers of their in-game photos; the Virtual Console version
emulates this by letting players send a photo to the Wii Message Board once per day
but this was removed from the Wii U version. Also, the Virtual Console versions of The
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (Game Boy Color) and Super Mario Bros.
Deluxe (Game Boy Color) on the Nintendo 3DS cannot print photos from either game,
since this required the Game Boy Printer peripheral to be attached throughout both
games and any features that required use of the Game Boy Color Infared port can't be
used since the 3DS uses different infared technology from the Game Boy Color.
Controllers[edit]
Some reviewers have reported that games play differently due to the different
controllers. For example, Super Mario World is often cited as being more difficult to play
due to the GameCube controller's button mapping. The Classic Controller has a button
layout more like that of the Super NES controller, and an adapter has been released
that enables a player to plug an actual Super NES controller into one of the Wii's
GameCube controller ports.[74] Similarly, most N64 Virtual Console games have mapped
the Z button to the L, ZL and ZR buttons and the C-buttons to the right analog stick on
the Classic Controller, which some reviewers have described as awkward.
[75]
 Furthermore, the mapping of the left analog stick for N64 Virtual Console games does
not use the full range of the stick, and instead uses a range of approximately 67%, likely
due to the differences in design of the N64 controller's control stick and the GameCube
style analog stick. This has been noted to provide a significantly different sensitivity
when compared to the original N64 mapping.
Virtual Console releases of Game Boy and Game Boy Color games on the Nintendo
3DS give the player the option to play the games as they appeared on their original
hardware. By holding a button combination while launching the game, the 3DS presents
the game in its original resolution rather than upscaling it to fit the height of the screen,
making it appear smaller but more crisp. Game Gear games can also be played in the
original resolution by changing the screen settings on the touch screen menu.
Monochrome Game Boy games can be displayed in both "black and white" and "black
and dark green" color palettes, switchable during gameplay.
Content[edit]
While virtually all Virtual Console games play identically to their original versions, some
games have been altered cosmetically to address licensing and copyright
issues. Tecmo Bowl (NES) originally included the names of real football players
licensed from the NFL Players Association, but since the game's release, Electronic
Arts obtained exclusive rights to the license; consequently, the names were removed
from the Virtual Console version, with only the players' numbers being shown.
[76]
 Likewise, Wave Race 64—which featured Kawasaki logos on the title screen, jetskis
and ad banners—had the logos removed from the title screen and jetskis, and the
banners replaced with Wii and Nintendo DS banners due to licensing issues with
Kawasaki.[77] The Mega Drive/Genesis game The Revenge of Shinobi originally
featured Spider-Man as a boss character, but because the license to that character had
expired, the 2009 release for Virtual Console removes the Marvel copyright notice and
changes the character to pink, but retains all of Spider-Man's behaviors and patterns.
[78]
 The Virtual Console release of StarTropics (NES) changes the name of one weapon
from "Island Yo-Yo" to "Island Star", since Yo-Yo is a trademarked term in Canada. [citation
needed]

Other games have experienced minor graphical differences from their original versions
as well; most of these changes (as well as several others) were done due to Nintendo
being more cautious about epilepsy, since many of the games during that time
employed high flickering of color patterns that engulfed the screen. F-Zero (SNES)
eliminates the track dimming when the player runs over the edges of the track, and
Nintendo 64 games render polygons at a higher resolution than in their original
hardware (though sprites and text appear blocky and pixelated by comparison). [citation
needed]
 In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, the screen turns red upon the player losing a life,
whereas the original employed a rapid screen flash (Nintendo has yet to use such an
effect since the Dennō Senshi Porygon incident in 1997).[citation needed]
The Wii and Wii U Virtual Console release of The Legend of Zelda (NES) uses the
updated version featured in 2003's The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition compilation
for the GameCube. While the gameplay is identical to the 1986 original, this release
includes the save screen from the Famicom Disk System version, as well as an updated
translation of the introduction screen.
The Wii U Virtual Console releases of the NES games appear to have been anti-
aliased, resulting in some characters appearing more rounded or blurred compared to
their original, Wii, and 3DS Virtual Console releases. The Wii U Game Boy Advance
games have the graphics similarly smoothed, but give the player the option to toggle
this effect on or off.
One significant difference in gameplay occurred in Kid Icarus (NES), which had its
password system altered to disable certain special passwords that gave the main
character special powers or large amounts of money. [79] Many players did not like this
change, and the later release of Metroid, which used a similar password system,
retained its original behavior.[citation needed] Similarly, Mario Golf originally had a code to enable
password input for special tournaments, but had this feature removed for Virtual
Console.[80]
The title Donkey Kong: Original Edition was available via promotion on the Wii and 3DS
Virtual Consoles, then later was made purchasable on the PAL Nintendo 3DS eShop.
This game is a modified version of the NES release of Donkey Kong to more closely
resemble the arcade version, and was originally featured as a mini-game in Donkey
Kong 64.[81] Both the NES version and Original Edition are available on the PAL Nintendo
3DS eShop.[82] Despite never actually being released on the NES, the game is treated as
an NES title but simply lists "Never Released" in place of the original release year.
Wii U Game Boy Advance games do not support multiplayer modes, Game Boy
Player rumble features, sleep mode, or GameCube-connectivity. Similarly, Nintendo DS
games made available on Virtual Console are identical to their original release,
complete with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection set-up screens; however, as the wireless
features are not emulated, attempting to use online play or local wireless multiplayer
features (such as in Mario Kart DS) will not function, especially as the original service
had been terminated about eleven months prior to the Virtual Console debut.
The Wii U Virtual Console re-release of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros.
3 features all of the levels from the World-e section of the game unlocked automatically,
including levels only released in Japan. This is done by a modified version of the game,
where the levels are contained in the game's data and unlocked automatically. In the
original game, the levels were unlocked using cards purchasable at various stores,
which had dot codes on them containing the level data, and when scanned by
the Nintendo e-Reader peripheral, saved the level to the game's save data for later
usage without the card. While the original game could only fit 32 levels at any given
time, the Virtual Console version has 38 levels in total, which includes every e-Reader
card level ever released.
The Wii U Virtual Console re-release of Animal Crossing: Wild World removes the
requirement to have someone visit your town and buy an item from Tom Nook's shop in
order to upgrade to Nookingtons.
Game Boy games & Game Boy Color games on the 3DS Virtual Console don't support
multiplayer modes or the Game Boy Color Infrared link feature (except for Pokémon
Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal). Game Boy Color games also don't support
Game Boy Printer features, and N64 Connectivity. NES Games also don't support
Famicom data recorder features in games such as Mach Rider and Wrecking Crew.

Languages[edit]
Certain games that were originally released only in Japan have been translated and
released in other regions on Virtual Console. Sin and Punishment (N64), which had
never been released in English but featured English voice acting, was released on the
Virtual Console in North American and PAL regions; all menu commands and certain in-
game text (all originally written in Japanese) were translated into English, but the game
retains its Japanese title screen and dialogue subtitles. The Mysterious Murasame
Castle (NES), and Summer Carnival '92: Recca (NES), which had never been released
in English, were released in English on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2014. [83] At
least one game was fully translated, Monster World IV for the Mega Drive/Genesis was
fully translated to English for both North American and European PAL regions.

Criticism[edit]
Wired's Chris Kohler protested the disparity between the American and Japanese
libraries, both in quantity and quality.[84] The difference between the two libraries became
minimal at one point, leading him to change his stance, [85] only to change it back once
more as North American releases began to slow.[86] In addition, Kohler has also criticized
the overall release strategy, with a handful of games at the beginning and two or three
every week. The pricing has also been criticized as too high, especially for the NES
games,[87] given the prices of many of the games available as used and the near-zero
costs of manufacture and distribution.

PAL issues[edit]
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 50 Hz
mode and in their original unoptimized state. Unoptimized PAL games run roughly 17%
slower than their original speed in 60 Hz and have borders covering the top and the
bottom of the screen. Setting the Wii console to 60 Hz mode does not force the 50 Hz
game into 60 Hz mode (as is possible on emulators and modified PAL consoles).
All currently released Nintendo 64 games are partially PAL optimized, resulting in full
screen games (although still running in 50 Hz and locked to the original slower
gameplay speed). This optimization was not the case for the original cartridge versions
of Super Mario 64, Wave Race 64 or Mario Kart 64, making the Virtual Console
versions superior in that regard.
Additionally, some Super NES games are also partially PAL optimized with reduced
borders but still retaining the slower run speed of the original PAL release (Super Mario
World, Super Probotector and Street Fighter II).
A select few games were already optimized in the original release to begin with, and are
thus just as fast as their 60 Hz counterparts this time around (the most obvious
examples being Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong
Quest).
TurboGrafx-16 games are the only Virtual Console games to actually run in 60 Hz on
PAL Wii systems; this is because the game data was never changed for release in PAL
territories, the original hardware itself performed the conversion to a 50 Hz signal.
One example of a poor PAL conversion is seen in the Virtual Console release of Sonic
the Hedgehog, which retains the slower framerate, music and borders of the original
PAL Mega Drive version,[88] despite the fact that the GameCube release Sonic Mega
Collection allows PAL users to choose which version of the game they want to play.
During Nintendo's "Hanabi Festival" campaign, certain titles that were never released in
Europe were being added to the Wii Virtual Console. Some of these games, namely
Japan-only titles such as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, are run in 60 Hz only,
thus keeping the original speed and gameplay. A small reminder is shown when
previewing the game's channel.
The Hanabi games can be played in both PAL60 (480i) and 480p modes. This makes
these releases look significantly better on progressive displays such as LCD TVs. The
fast moving sprites in NES and SNES games generally create a significant amount of
interlace artifacts on such displays that the 480p option resolves. However Hanabi
Mega Drive titles still run in 50 Hz with the usual PAL conversion problems, despite not
been released in PAL.
Initially, some PAL Virtual Console games would not display correctly on high-definition
televisions when connected via the component lead. However, starting with an update
on April 13, 2007, certain newly added games, such as Punch-Out!!, support the "Wii
Component Cable Interlace Mode". This is a temporary fix to problems with various
Virtual Console games being played over component cable on HDTVs. [89]
The PAL versions of all 3D Classics games on the Nintendo 3DS
except Xevious and TwinBee run much smoother at 60 Hz unlike the Wii's Virtual
Console versions which only run at 50 Hz, mainly due to the fact the 3DS versions are
semi-modified ports of their original NES and arcade versions. The Ambassador and full
release versions of the NES games on the 3DS also run at 60 Hz, but NES games on
the Wii U eShop are again running the PAL 50 Hz version.[90]
When Nintendo 64 games were released on the Wii U Virtual Console, they were
running at 50 Hz again. Super Mario 64 runs at 60 Hz, however Donkey Kong 64 only
runs at 50 Hz.

See also[edit]
 Sega Forever

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