Nintendo Rep: Virtual Console Being Toned Down

[castlezelda]

Supposedly steering towards more original games.

Bummed about how crappy Nintendo of America seems to treat Channels and the Virtual Console? Aren't we all.

The Gamebag was so bummed they emailed Nintendo. When queried about the slowed VC support, a customer service rep replied with what we've all seen coming but hoped wasn't true.

We understand your concern about the lack of service on the VC as of late. Due to sales numbers being far greater recently on WiiWare than on Virtual Console, we have decided to steer in the direction of WiiWare.

Also, we in America have NO plans to update the Internet Channel or the Nintendo Channel. We hope you understand.

While a customer service rep may not sound like the most reliable source, they're trained to follow company policy, and it's pretty apparent by the lack of VC releases in the US for the past two weeks, and its very spotty release schedule otherwise, that Nintendo may be slowing down the service. Still, some things are peculiar about this policy.

It seems very odd to blame the low sales of a service that has zero marketing push behind it, apart from a weekly email to people that have already registered with Nintendo through their Web site. Half of the Punch-Out!! marketing campaign seems to lean towards the nostalgic, so why not tell people the old one is there for 500 points? Pull an Apple and advertise on TV what cool things you can download onto Wii.

And where is the support for VC Arcade?

As for not updating the channels, well, it seems to always be company policy to deny everything until a week after release, so who knows when that might happen. Videos and demos are still updated every week, so it's not like the company has completely abandoned their self-named channel.

Mountains of salt here, folks.

http://vc.nintendolife.com/news/2009/07/nintendo_rep_virtual_console_being_toned_down

Bummer

 

[1337endo]

I won't believe it until it happens.

 

[DBloke]

Toned down?

I think they need to release games before they can be toned down

 

[golfisfun]

Toned down?

I think they need to release games before they can be toned down

with you on this!

 

[FoxRox]

If the VC hasn't been as successful as nintendo hoped, it is their fault. The VC is probably the main reason that I bought my wii originally, only to find out immediatley that there weren't many games available. They only release a decent game once every couple of months (in my opinion).

The majority of wii owners probably don't get the emails saying what new games are released this week, or if they do, they don't read them. I believe the typical user goes to the wii store once when they first purchase the console and get it online, then rarely (if at all) afterward.

Just build up a library of good titles and they will be downloaded. It doesn't take much to prepare a game for VC. Everyone knows there is no change or improvement to any game on there (which would be nice). Virtual Console should be about nostalgia; people buying games that used to be awesome! Not a bunch of crappy shooters from legacy systems that no one ever played.

'exhale'

 

[Skippy]

I think the VC was actually MORE successful than they expected. Look how fast people were running out of storage and begging for some sort of solution (and that was well before WiiWare came out). If they thought people would be downloading so many games, they would have had a better storage solution from the start.

That's my theory at least.

 

[Godwind]

Most of these games aren't gamers usually get excited over. Their just not a very healthy selection of games.

 

[Frog]

I don't believe this at all. It's just some phone/email rep at Nintendo. These reps(Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony) are notorious for just giving their opinions. They don't know and they don't control what does/does not get released on these services. They are just customer-service reps.

 

[DBloke]

Most of these games aren't gamers usually get excited over. Their just not a very healthy selection of games.

We did get something good this week

Revenge of Shinobi
Thats it tho

 

[Frog]

We did get something good this week

Revenge of Shinobi
Thats it tho

Wowa! Missed that one! US? or UK?

 

[DBloke]

UK only as the moment
But with Nintendos release seclude you US types might get it some time in the next few months

 

[golfisfun]

VC seems like a fail to me. They are so stuck on Wiiware.

 

[Cookman]

you gotta be freakin kidding me..... Virtual Console is the best thing on the wii next to
wii games, personally...WiiWare sucks. If they dont have enough good games on VC,
its theyre fault. i could name alot of good games that are being left out of VC, and could name alot of games on WiiWare that are better being left out.....


Conclusion: they are crazy

 

[golfisfun]

you gotta be freakin kidding me..... Virtual Console is the best thing on the wii next to
wii games, personally...WiiWare sucks. If they dont have enough good games on VC,
its theyre fault. i could name alot of good games that are being left out of VC, and could name alot of games on WiiWare that are better being left out.....


Conclusion: they are crazy

agree!

I mean VC is missing some epic games!