And for the most part, Nintendo has stopped adding to this library, and have made it incredibly unclear if they plan on adding more stuff later or not.

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack (yes, that's what they call it), has a total of 140 (59 NES, 51 SNES, 11 N64, 19 Sega Genesis). It causes some strange graphical glitches in Nintendo's own games.įor some actual numbers: according to the Wikipedia, the Wii U VC has 311 games total in the US, while the 3DS VC has 223. Plus, strangely enough, the N64 emulation used for Nintendo Switch Online is notably worse than that used on the Wii U. What the summary fails to make clear is that when Nintendo shutters the 3DS and Wii U store, a lot of games that were available on the 'virtual console' for those platforms will simply no longer be available for legal purchase.Įven if you opt for the more expensive Nintendo Switch Online subscription (there are two tiers, the more expensive one gets you Sega Genesis and N64 games), those 'virtual consoles' contain a fraction of the games that are available on the 3DS and Wii U. Kotaku adds: 'We currently have no plans to offer classic content in other ways,' is an incredibly shitty thing to read, because under zero circumstances is a subscription-based model an acceptable substitution to actually owning a game. The announcement post from Nintendo initially had an FAQ question, which read, 'Doesn't Nintendo have an obligation to preserve its classic games?' The company deleted that part from the blog post.

What's shitty about these closures in particular, though, is that both shopfronts offered users the ability to purchase and then own many of Nintendo's greatest ever titles, something you're now largely unable to do ever since the company switched to a subscription model with Nintendo Switch Online. The 3DS is 11 years old this year and the Wii U ten, so digital store closures were always going to happen sooner or later.

Kotaku adds: In terms of people playing and enjoying the games they already own, Nintendo says: Even after late March 2023, and for the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates and enjoy online play on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.' All of this is expected stuff. Nintendo has announced that in March 2023 the online storefronts for 3DS and Wii U systems will be ceasing operations, a move that the BBC reports has attracted a lot of backlash from fans.

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