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1442700cookie-checkNintendo Switch Virtual Console Won’t Be Available At Launch
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2017/02

Nintendo Switch Virtual Console Won’t Be Available At Launch

Expecting to play a bunch of your older Virtual Console titles on the Nintendo Switch at launch on March 3rd? Well, you can’t. According to Eurogamer Nintendo has confirmed that Virtual Console support to play older Nintendo titles from past systems won’t be available at launch.

They do state that they will “have more information in the future” to share with the general public when the time is right. Eurogamer suspects that this is a move to prevent people from forfeiting purchasing day-one title releases like 1-2-Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. They suspect that after the launch window software has become saturated, Nintendo may then introduce the Virtual Console for backwards compatibility with other titles. They did confirm previously that at the very least GameCube games would be playable via the Virtual Console, but whether or not those GC titles could carry over from those who had them for the Wii U wasn’t clarified.

Nintendo has confirmed previously that Nintendo Network IDs will also work similar to Xbox Live or PSN IDs, insofar that digital games can be attached to the NNID and you can then re-download your games to another Nintendo Switch system from your profile. Up to eight profiles can be linked to a single Nintendo Switch unit.

This was all setup ahead of time so that Nintendo’s new online service would be competitive with PSN and Xbox Live as far as digital game purchases are concerned. And speaking of which, while the Virtual Console will not be available at launch for the Switch, the Nintendo eShop will be present.

According to the article the eShop will become active on March 3rd via an automated system update. If you purchase a Switch but don’t update the system, you won’t be able to access the eShop.

Next week on February 28th Nintendo will host another Nintendo Direct, where they’ll cover 60 different eShop games set to be made available throughout 2017 for the Nintendo Switch. The games will be available for digital download from various independent developers as a way to hold gamers over until larger AAA titles are released.

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