Virtual Console
 |
|
| Developer | Nintendo |
|---|---|
| Type | Older video game re-release distribution |
| Launch date |
Wii November 19, 2006 Nintendo 3DS June 6, 2011 Wii U January 23, 2013 (soft launch) April 26, 2013 (official launch) |
| Platform |
Wii Nintendo 3DS Wii U |
| Website |
Wii Official US website Official UK website Official Japanese website Nintendo 3DS Official US website Official UK website Official Japanese website Wii U Official US website Official UK website Official Japanese website |
Virtual Console (バーチャルコンソール Bācharu Konsōru?), sometimes abbreviated as VC, is a specialized section of the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo eShop online services that allows players to purchase and download retro games (mostly unaltered) for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home gaming consoles and the Nintendo 3DS portable gaming console. Reggie Fils-Aime has stated that a Virtual Console service will also be featured on Nintendo Switch.
The Virtual Console lineup consists of titles originally released on past home and handheld consoles. These titles are run in their original forms through software emulation (excluding GBA titles on 3DS), and can be purchased for between 500 and 1200 Wii Points (Wii), US$2.99 and US$6.99 (3DS) and US$4.99 and US$9.99 (Wii U) depending on system, rarity, and/or demand. Virtual Console's library of past games currently consists of titles originating from the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super NES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Wii, as well as Sega's Master System and Mega Drive/Genesis, NEC's TurboGrafx-16, and SNK's Neo Geo. The service for the Wii also includes games for platforms that were known only in select regions, such as the Commodore 64 (Europe and North America) and MSX (Japan), as well as Virtual Console Arcade, which allows players to download video arcade games. Virtual Console titles have been downloaded over ten million times. The distribution of past games through the Virtual Console is one of Nintendo's attempts at preventing software piracy.
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