Virtual Console: Anyone else turned off from buying games?

I own all the Nintendo platforms, and there's a big chance I'll invest in future hardware.

I really dislike the idea that if I buy a game on the virtual console for Wii U, that I can't play it on the 3DS (or future hardware for that matter, given that we had to pay money to "upgrade" from Wii to Wii U, or rely on the fact that Wii U is backwards compatible with Wii, thus going through the Wii virtual OS on Wii U). Especially NES, SNES and N64 games which clearly could run on both the handheld and home console hardware.

Does this turn you off purchasing VC games altogether? Personally, I skipped out on the entire Wii generation, I did not buy a single VC game because of this concern. Now fast forward to Wii/3DS gen, I've only bought Earthbound (simply because to me, that's like a brand new game). Other than that, I refuse buying these games until I am assured that I won't need to re-buy them in future.

tldr;it's ridiculous that I need to pay for SMB 3 on both the Wii U and 3DS VC instead of just one tied to my Nintendo account. Are you deterred from buying VC altogether because of this fact?

Follow up questions, do you think Nintendo will change this in the near future? Given that they've begun baby steps in this direction. I really hope they do it soon, that way I'll splash out and buy a large quantity of retro games on the VC.

Crossplay should be standard. Not having N64 games on 3DS is also a bit surprising. Then, there's DRM. And worst of all, no sales to offset it.

I only have issues with pricing and size. Seven or eight bucks to play GBA games on my Wii U?! Why are these files around 150MB? I added funds to play F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, but I question the logic to Nintendo's eShop strategy. They have gotten plenty of my money over the years to be charging me these bloated non-physical ROM prices.

Probably spoilt by Steam sale...I tend to think the price is too high. Even their digital downloads on Wii U games..pricing is ridiculous same/even more than physical - considering there's no need for them to print on disc/cover etc it should be cheaper.

As long as people continue to buy the same game for each of their platforms, they're not going to change anything. I wouldn't expect to see any change in Nintendo's policies in the U's lifetime. Perhaps next gen, but maybe. It's not a case of whether or not Nintendo can change things, it's that they just don't want to. And as long as people support them, they've no reason to.

Maybe the virtual console isn't for you then, if you don't want to buy the games?

Years ago, I bought several Wii V.C. classic games like the Mario's, Zelda's, Donkey Kong's Etc.... So this year i bought a Wii U , that HAS backwards compatibility, where i can play all my old games. PS4/Xbox don't allow that. So Nintendo gave me the option, to pay 1$ to upgrade the games to the gamepad with additional features. Such a small fee... 20$ for like 10-15 of the greatest SNES/NES games of all time. That's a steal to me. Correct me if i'm wrong but only a limited amount of games with Ps4 and Vita can be tied together, and both of those systems for more expensive that Nintendo's.

I can't think of any Virtual Console games on the Wii U that weren't offered on the Wii other than GBA. I haven't bought any new VC games for the Wii U, other than the GBA games because Nintendo is still bulking up the VC (very slowly)

Would i like Nintendo's games cheaper.....sure. But they aren't going to give their product away. Nintendo has said, in the future the cross functionality of Wii U / 3DS or next systems, will have that technology.... so if you want to wait that is fine. their is a 99 cent PSN flash sale now, but comparing Crash Bandicoot to Mario or Zelda is kinda silly. I'd pay the extra bucks for timeless NES/SNES games. Those games your only buying b/c they are 1$ (so cheap) not because they are great games.

Nintendo has a mesmerizing catalog of games and it is a shame they do not take full advantage of it by providing a full-fledged download system.

Not only would they make tons of money, they would also make fans pretty happy.

Nintendo has the most oppressive anti-consumer DRM scheme in the current industry. They really have to start tying purchases to accounts. That is always going to hold them back.

I would love to play Super Mario RPG on my 3ds!

they like to charge you 10 times for the same game. But for some reason i always think of nintendo games as "magical". Its like they have a grand wizard developing their games who's holed up somewhere in a castle.

The VC purchased on the Wii is playable on the Wii U simply because the Wii U is backwards compatible with the Wii overall. If the Wii U wasn't backwards compatible with the Wii, then those games wouldn't have been playable. So if they make Wii U models without backwards compatibility (like the Wii Mini) then the games won't be playable. The way it should be is that the games are tied to your account, and playable on all Nintendo devices (assuming it has the capacity to do so, e.g 3DS can play up to N64 and potentially GCN games). This is my gripe - if I invest in a large VC library now, then I will need to re-buy the games on future systems. Which means I have payed for the same product many times from the same company. I don't think this is fair.

Personally, I think I'm the prime example of the target audience for VC games. I'm a huge retro gamer and I love Nintendo games. I'm the type of person who will invest in a large VC library. But because of their current framework, they won't be getting a dime out of their target audience.

personally i just don't like playing a game on a console it wasn't designed for. which might sound stupid, but playing a GBC game on a 3DS for example really does just feel a whole lot different to playing it on an actual game boy system. I bought Super Mario Land for my 3DS and only played about 20 minutes or so before never touching it again, because it's too strange to play on the 3DS.

that probably makes no sense xD the only thing i can think to compare it to is playing ROMs of GB & DS games on a PC. It's just not designed for the interface you're using and feels 'awkward'?

what it reminds me of is when companies release ports of games for newer consoles with no real improvements and expect you to purchase them again out of a pure "nostalgic" want for it. a good example is Resident Evil 4, that's so had so many ports for almost every console, and people do still end up purchasing it, simply for the ease of use of having it on your most up to date console. So it's not something that's just exclusive to nintendo platforms really, it just happens in a different way.

Not altogether for those games that are ridiculously expensive to get elsewhere or imports, I have no problems with. Little more reluctant to get games such as Super Mario Bros. 3, Legend of Zelda, or Castlevania for instance. All of which I already own for the NES.

I'm not reluctant to buying games on the VC, but I am concerned with what will happen when the next Nintendo console is released.

Nintendo has publicly stated that they understand the want for a unified account system. So I do believe that Nintendo is aware. I think the problem is technical, and they are trying to see how they can implement it. I'm hoping that at worse, starting with their next console, Nintendo will move in that direction. At best, they'll do it with a system update on the Wii U/3DS.

It is a huge disappointment. I did own a Wii and did buy many VC games for it back in the day. Of course I no longer have access to any of them, and I've repurchased a few of those games once or twice since then. I think there will be a problem with virtual console and backwards-compatibility in general for years to come, since games like Odama required special input devices just to play. In that case, a sequel or remake is more desirable for the company. Nintendo also won't bend over backwards to translate any old Japanese games, so virtual console will never be this accurate representation of the entire history of Nintendo games.

I do most of my gaming on the Wii U. My 3DS gets use, but not nearly as much. I wish the VC games could be accessed on both platforms. Perhaps Nintendo will rectify this in the future with a true account based system, but for now, I'm not deterred from buying VC games.

They need to give us the Dragon warrior/quest games that never came out here in US on snes.

I don't think pricing is something that should be much of a concern for people. Complaining about 8$ seems petty to me, as does the paltry 1.50$ cost for transferring games to the Wii U menu. It's not something Nintendo had to do for any reason, booting up the Wii menu is fine on its own. My only concern has been ownership. Nintendo believing I don't own my digital games is absurd, and they need to rectify that as soon as they possibly can. Until then, I won't be purchasing anything substantial from the EShop, unless it's heavily discounted.

isnt buying the same game over and over again kind of the standard process with nintendo and their customers?

It costs money to set up those games on Wii U's hardware and 3DS's hardware, since they're so different. That's why it costs money for both.

Sony and Microsoft do this too. Just because a game is linked to your account ID, doesn't mean you can download and play it on any system made by them. Look at all the PS3 games that don't transfer over to PS4, 360 games that don't transfer over to Xbox One and so on..

I don't buy most VC games because I already own them on other systems, but the ones I do buy, I don't expect to be able to play them on every system I own.

I actually don't like Virtual Console at all and instead I would either buy the original copy of the game for the original console, buy the remake for a newer console, or just ditch it altogether and use an e*******. Now don't get me wrong, I like the idea of replaying classic games on newer systems because you can play it again for nostalgia sake and for replacing the original which probably is too old to even work properly, but they charge you so much and in the end, you realize you're paying for something with no monetary value. Oh and @IMAHAPPYHIPPO, just to tell you that I don't mind spending my money on something with no monetary value, as long as it's not stupid like an outdated game or a movie ticket. DLC or in-app purchases for apps are actually nice because they enhance the already good experience with the game you're playing. But old games don't do that and unlike remakes, these are digital copies so you don't actually have a pyhsical copy and it makes it less fun. Kind of like how it's better to have an actual novel than a website to read a book.

Yeah man, I do find it stupid that you have to repay something that has no monetary value twice, but they are tied to the system, not your account, as mentioned by many users like @Bigboi500 and by the manuals for the Wii, 3DS, and WiiU. So even if you delete your account or format the system, it's still there unless you probably hack into the database or something and permanently delete the files of the games yourself, but that would take like freaking forever to do. And Nintendo is wierd, putting handheld games on the WiiU virtual console now but no console titles on the 3DS eShop. And what about the Game-Cube titles, huh Nintendo? Where the hell are they? Many fans wanted it before WiiU launch! Since I haven't purchased a single VC game yet, it turns me off only virtually and theoretically, not technically or realistically.

I don't think that Nintendo will ever change their ways until the next-gen console or handheld comes out (new names instead of spin-off names anyone?) or unless many people complain and make valid reasons on Miiverse, which actually forced them to release Earthbound for WiiU. If they do, it will be just like you said, baby steps and will be a slow progress before complately transitioning into the good from the bad. If they were to change anything, it would probably be the pricing of the games first and the size of them before anything else, because the amount of money and save data needed to play them is even more ridiculous than the issue you're whining about.