Nintendo talks Switch eShop, announces no Virtual Console for launch

So, there’s a little good and a little bad today in Nintendo Switch-land. Basically, if you were thinking of playing the classics on your Switch at launch, you can think again.

Maybe don’t get rid of that Wii U just yet

Do you have a Wii U (or Wii) loaded up with Virtual Console purchases? Ere you getting a Switch next week? Were you thinking about accessing and playing said library of Virtual Console purchases on your shiny new console? Well… no. Forget that.

Nintendo has outlined the Switch’s version of the eShop, and what you can expect from it at launch. Guess what’s missing. Yeah that’s right – the VC. To be fair, we all but know that it won’t stay that way however.

Remember that this is Nintendo, and they adore selling their classic games over and over (and over) again. So if you think that the Switch won’t have a VC ever, well that’s not going to shake out to be so. It just won’t have it for launch, which is an admitted bummer and a half.

There is some good news though, and that’d be that the funds that you have in your eShop account will indeed carry over to the new console. That might sound like a foregone conclusion, but again, this is Nintendo we’re talking about. So it wasn’t assured, is what I’m saying. You will have to link your accounts to get access to your Nintendo e-cash, but that’s easy-peasy.

In addition, there’l also be a news feature on the new eShop, though that wasn’t detailed in the press release, and -of course- there’ll be a day one update. The good news on that front is that Nintendo says it’ll download in the background. So you’ll still be able to dive right into Breath of the Wild next Friday, and not be hampered waiting for a download.