Virtual Console

Wii Virtual Console

The Virtual Console is one of many special features of the Wii and the Nintendo 3DS. The Virtual Console allows gamers to download games that have been uploaded by their respective companies. The Wii version currently only has video games from stationary consoles, mostly Nintendo's own NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64. Nintendo will not be uploading Nintendo GameCube games to the Wii Virtual Console due to their large sizes of up to 1.4 GB (the internal memory on the Wii is only 512 MB large), and because the Wii is backwards-compatible with all GameCube discs and most accessories. Hudson, Sega, SNK and Commodore are also backing the Wii Virtual Console with Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega Master System, TurboGrafx-16, TurboGrafx-CD, SuperGrafx, Neo Geo and Commodore 64 games. For the Nintendo 3DS, only games from portable games have been announced, namely Game Boy and Game Boy Color, and likely the Game Boy Advance, considering the 3DS is not backwards compatable. It's noteworthy however, that demos from NES and SNES were shown at E3.

Wii Points

Wii Virtual Console games are bought with Wii Points via the Wii Shop Channel. Wii Points Cards, which are sold at most game retailers, each come with 2,000 redeemable Points on them. However, in Japan, cards are worth either 1,000, 3,000 or 5,000 Wii Points. Wii Points can also be purchased directly through the Wii Shop Channel with a credit card in blocks of either 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 or 5,000 Points.

Pricing

Wii

Console	Wii Points
Nintendo Entertainment System	500
Super Nintendo Entertainment System	800
Nintendo 64	1000
Sega Genesis/Mega Drive	800
TurboGrafx-16	600
Neo Geo	900
MSX (Japan Only)	800
Commodore 64	500
Virtual Console Arcade	500*

While this pricing is true for most games, a few select games have been priced differently. Imported games such as Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Mario's Super Picross in Europe and Australia and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels outside Japan cost 100 Wii Points more than usual.

In the United States, retailers currently only sell 2,000 points cards for $20 apiece, at a price of one cent per point.

*Note: Games released on the Virtual Console Arcade are automatically set to 500 points. However, most Virtual Console Arcade games are priced higher than 500 points.

Controllers

Wii

Various controllers can be used to play Virtual Console games.

• Wii Remote - when turned sideways, it acts as a substitute for the NES controller.
• Classic Controller - can play any game; designed to resemble an SNES controller
• Nintendo GameCube controller- can play almost any game.

List of Mario Games for the Virtual Console

Wii

Game	Japan	America	Europe	Australia
Donkey Kong (NES)	02 Dec 06	19 Nov 06	08 Dec 06	07 Dec 06
Donkey Kong 3 (NES)	23 Jul 08	14 Jul 08	09 Jan 09	09 Jan 09
Donkey Kong Country (SNES)	12 Dec 06	19 Feb 07	08 Dec 06	07 Dec 06
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)	23 Oct 07	21 May 07	16 May 07	18 May 07
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (SNES)	21 Oct 08	24 Dec 07	25 Dec 07	25 Dec 07
Donkey Kong Jr. (NES)	02 Dec 06	04 Dec 06	22 Dec 06	22 Dec 06
Donkey Kong Jr. Math (NES)	27 Mar 07	03 Sep 07	20 Apr 07	20 Apr 07
Mario Bros. (NES)	02 Dec 06	19 Nov 06	22 Dec 06	22 Dec 06
Mario Golf (N64)	30 Sept 08	06 Oct 08	23 Jan 09	23 Jan 09
Mario Kart 64 (N64)	30 Jan 07	29 Jan 07	26 Jan 07	26 Jan 07
Mario Party 2 (N64)	02 Nov 10	File:X mark.png	Dec 10	File:X mark.png
Mario's Super Picross (SNES)	19 Dec 06	File:X mark.png	14 Sep 07	14 Sep 07
Mario Tennis (N64)	31 Aug 10	28 Jun 10	18 Jun 10	TBA
NES Open Tournament Golf (NES)	24 Jul 07	18 Jun 07	11 May 07	11 May 07
Paper Mario (N64)	10 Jul 07	16 Jul 07	13 Jul 07	13 Jul 07
Super Mario 64 (N64)	02 Dec 06	19 Nov 06	08 Dec 06	07 Dec 06
Super Mario Bros. (NES)	02 Dec 06	25 Dec 06	05 Jan 07	05 Jan 07
Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)	10 Aug 07	02 Jul 07	25 May 07	25 May 07
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)	11 Dec 07	05 Nov 07	09 Nov 07	09 Nov 07
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES)	01 May 07	01 Oct 07	14 Sep 07	14 Sep 07
Super Mario Kart (SNES)	09 Jun 09	23 Nov 09	02 Apr 10	02 Apr 10
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES)	24 Jun 08	01 Sep 08	22 Aug 08	22 Aug 08
Super Mario World (SNES)	02 Dec 06	05 Feb 07	09 Feb 07	09 Feb 07
Super Smash Bros. (N64)	10 Jan 09	21 Dec 09	12 Jun 09	12 Jun 09
Wario's Woods (NES)	12 Dec 06	19 Nov 06	08 Dec 06	07 Dec 06
Wrecking Crew (NES)	5 Jan 08	19 Nov 07	24 Aug 07	24 Aug 07
Yoshi (NES)	06 Mar 07	09 Jul 07	16 May 07	18 May 07
Yoshi's Story (N64)	30 Oct 07	17 Sep 07	26 Oct 07	26 Oct 07
Yoshi's Cookie (NES)	10 Jun 08	07 Apr 08	04 Apr 08	04 Apr 08

Nintendo 3DS

All games on the Virtual Console of the 3DS will have 3D capabilities.

The following games have been announced for the Virtual Console of the 3DS:

Game	Japan	America	Europe	Australia
Super Mario Land (GB)	File:Question.png	File:Question.png	File:Question.png	File:Question.png

Notes

Wii

• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was only available in Europe and Australia from September 15, 2007 until October 1, 2007. It was then still available to freely re-download for those who purchased it while it was initially available. On August 22, 2008, it was made available again, this time without any time restrictions.
  • This is also the first time that the NES version was made available outside Japan, having been remade for the SNES elsewhere. Thus, its title screen reads "Super Mario Bros. 2", its Japanese name.
• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was regarded by Nintendo as the 250th game to be released on the Virtual Console in North America. This is also the first time Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars got an official European release.
• Timed demos of several Virtual Console games are included in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, all of which star the game's various fighters. The only default Mario title is Super Mario Bros.; Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario World are the others, but they must first be unlocked.
• Despite being the launch title for the SNES, Super Mario World was actually released several months after the Virtual Console's launch.
• Despite the GameCube controller having built-in force feedback, no N64 game supports the vibration feature (originally requiring a separate peripheral). Also, Mario Kart 64 required a Controller Pak to save ghost data, which the VC version does not support.

Changes

Although Nintendo has claimed they will keep all Virtual Console releases as true to the original as possible, they have made several changes to various games for certain reasons.

Super Mario Bros. 2

• The intro story has been rewritten.
• The enemy list has been corrected to properly label Ostro and Birdo

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

• The attack Flame Wall was recolored to avoid the risk of seizures.
• For the European release, the offensive word "bugger" was replaced with the word "pest".
• Moleville has a notably darker color scheme.

Super Mario 64

• The typo at the end of the game, "Mario, it that really you?", has been corrected.
• During gameplay, the drop shadow located at the top and bottom of the screen have been removed and can only return if Mario loses all of his Health Points.

Mario Kart 64

• When the Lightning item is used, the flash that appears during the use of that item has been adjusted to avoid the risk of seizures.

See Also

• WiiWare — Applications and games that can be downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel.