Nintendo Switch Rumored to Emulate GameCube Games
According to Eurogamer, the Nintendo Switch will have GameCube games on its Virtual Console emulation service. The first games are supposedly Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, and Super Smash Bros. Melee. Nintendo is also reportedly looking into the possibility of using the Wii U's GameCube port adapter, adding even more control options for the system. Could Star Fox Adventures and Assault be coming to a modern console near you? Well, probably Star Fox Assault. Rare games are much harder to emulate correctly, so that one might take some time, considering that the original SNES Star Fox is still unavailable on any Virtual Console.
News sourced from GoNintendo. Original source via Eurogamer. Boxart sourced from MobyGames.com.
Comments
Well, if it works anything like the Nintendont homebrew (a GameCube virtual machine for Wii) or the virtual Wii mode on the Wii U, it won’t exactly be emulation, not like most people think about when they fire up Project64 or something. Whereas an emulated environment is using the host software to execute processes, a virtual environment like vWii or Nintendont actually recreates the original architecture, running native processes though the host hardware. The difference here mainly being that emulation tends to be slower. The emulator is, in essence, having to “translate” those processes to something the host software can understand, and then have the software deliver those instructions to the hardware. A virtual machine like Nintendont basically cuts out the middleman by setting up a virtual environment that is understood by the hardware, no “translator” needed. I’m sure there are a couple spots in there that aren’t strictly correct, but that’s the basic gist of it. Point being, Star Fox Adventures actually runs perfectly fine on Nintendont, and is actually playable on Wii U, not just Wii, using Nintendont inside vWii mode (virual machine within a virtual machine, pretty cool stuff). So, we could actually see Star Fox Adventures (and other Rare titles) on the Switch VC, provided the rumor is true in the first place and provided they use virtual machines versus straight-up emulation.
I think I speak for us all when I say they should just focus on the next SF game… provided there is ever one in the next 10 years…
Awesome! I might get a Switch just for Game Cube games, but I think I’ll just stick with the Wii U until it’s age catches up with it. Like I said before, the Switch feels like a step BACKWARD to me with it’s lack of… Touch-screen? Motion sensors? Two screen play? It was confirmed that it won’t work with Wii-motes? =;( Call them “Useless Gimmicks” all you want, but I don’t want to play video games with out them!
@Arecaidian Fox
I was using emulation in a general way. I understand Nintendo does a bit of cleaning and refactoring to get the games onto the Virtual Console service. That said, it’s cool there’s an emulator for Wii U that can emulate GameCube. I hadn’t heard of that.
@codym512s
The Switch probably (more than 90% sure) has a touch-screen and motion sensors, they just haven’t been officially revealed. Two screen play can’t be required by a game because the game has to be playable on the go.
Ah the good old days can’t wait to see if its true.
This is all I have to say. (Clears throat) YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
If this turns out to be true, then this would be great. Imagine playing Adventures and Assault with you on the go with the Switch on the Gamecube’s VC library. I’m up for that and it will keep the series relevant until we get a new entry in the series which I see it likely to happen down the road in the Switch’s lifecycle. Not to mention that for the newcomers getting into the series will finally be able to play both Adventures and Assault on the Switch and know that those 2 games exist after all. If they were able to bring forth Command on the DS library on the Wii U, then I can see it happening with both Adventures and Assault on the GC VC library.
it nice, but i still have my wii to play them so i don’t have to worry much, it most going to original version upscale to fit with the resolution gaming like 1080p, which is not much as remastered one, which nintendo hardly do it.
It IS still possible for Adventures to be ported on the Switch, but from what I’ve heard, it won’t be easy. Even though the game data was still owned by Rare, Nintendo did manage to get Donkey Kong 64 and the DKC trilogy on eShop with their permission. Either way, I’ll be content with the GameCube getting some more well-deserved love in the future.