No Virtual Console
Nintendo Switch Features that Still Annoy Us in 2018
The Nintendo Switch has been a blessing in its first year and a half of existence, to the point where some of us clutch it tightly to our bosom overnight as we slumber, peacefully dreaming of our next day’s gameplay session. Just in case you were wondering why my Switch smells of sweat and unfulfilled ambition.
Despite this, that won’t stop us from nitpicking at its minute faults like withered old curmudgeons. Because as gamers, we feel entitled for reasons that not even we can fathom, so let us collectively shake our walking sticks with disdain, lamenting the absence of, say, a virtual console. This complaint isn’t necessarily without logic, considering that this feature has been a staple of Nintendo consoles dating back to the Wii’s premiere over a decade ago. Not only can we not play games we’ve already bought digitally, but now, we only have a scant few SNK titles haunting the eShop, serving as a grim reminder of what once was.
As we now know, the reason for this possibly lies with the upcoming paid service for the Switch, wherein for a small fee (emphasis on the small; it really is a meager sum when you compare it to its contemporaries), you will be treated to a selection of NES titles, complete with online gameplay.
Be it due to this paid online, or simply as another superficial way to keep the 3DS relevant, it seems apparent that the virtual console may never be arriving on the Switch, which is both a shame, as well as a roadblock in introducing enthusiastic fans to Nintendo’s considerable backlog.
