Good news for fans of Nintendo’s quirky purple console of yesteryear: with the forthcoming Nintendo Switch, GameCube games will finally debut on the Virtual Console marketplace.
Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion, and Super Smash Bros. Melee are the first three classics rumored to be available on Nintendo’s newest console. Eurogamer obtained the information from three separate sources ahead of the Nintendo Switch event on January 12, 2017.
Also reportedly on the docket is the GameCube’s installment of cult franchise Animal Crossing, which itself includes emulated versions of Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong titles. That means that by this time next year, you could be playing a game inside a game inside an emulator within your portable home console during your driver-less car ride to work.
Apparently, the Nintendo Switch is a console powerful enough to emulate GameCube titles at or better than the originally intended performance. But just as important is the thriving Super Smash Bros. Melee community, still one of the most active competitive eSports titles, despite being first released 15 years ago.
The international blockbuster Pokemon franchise will also very likely see some sort of port to the console. A translation allegedly code-named “Pokemon Stars” is currently in development for the next generation Nintendo console.
Finally, it’s believed that — like the Wii U before it — Nintendo Switch Virtual Console titles will charge you a fee to carry over your purchase from the previous generation’s marketplace. On one hand, you’ll need to pay even more money for an old game you’ve probably already bought on several occasions. On the other, you won’t have to fully repurchase the games.
The Nintendo Switch launches in March 2017.
Follow Nate Church @Get2Church on Twitter for the latest news in gaming and technology, and snarky opinions on both.
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