Former Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aimé has been discussing how the Switch Online N64 games could be added to with Wii and GameCube titles.
Chatting with CNET about his book, Disrupting the Game, Fils-Aimé observed that while the NES and SNES mini consoles were reasonably successful, Nintendo has a superior opportunity to service retro game fans and “leverage” old libraries without releasing retro-styled hardware.
Instead, simply ensure the old games are playable on the Switch.
They’ve got GameCube content to leverage, They’ve got Wii content. I see this future of digitally delivered content to you, the consumer, as just this burgeoning opportunity that I would want to keep taking advantage of.”
Reggie Fils-Aimé
It’s great advice, of course. The hardware is already in production, the online service is already providing retro gaming experiences through the NES, SNES, and N64 libraries. Expanding these to include GameCube, Wii, and Wii U games is the logical next step.
But will it happen?
Speaking personally, I’ve found that the Switch is fantastically adept at being a proxy retro gaming system. Every retro title or collection I’ve played, from Turrican Flashback to Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour, to G-Darius HD, has been incredibly playable and felt right at home on the Switch. In fact, in some cases, they’re even more playable than the original platforms.
So, do we want to see GameCube, Wii, and Wii U games joining the Switch Online N64 library? Damn right: please make it happen, Nintendo!
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