How Big Is Nintendo's Virtual Console?

Motley Fool looks at the plans for Nintendo's retro library on the Revolution and considers it highly:

Ultimately, I think the retro games will be a plus for Nintendo's new system. The broad universe of compelling intellectual property available to Revolution owners represents significant added value. Even though Sony and Microsoft have their own online strategies in place, they won't have the benefit of widely recognized characters like Mario, Zelda, and Sonic the Hedgehog. If Nintendo's sales surge thanks to retro games, third-party software developers like Activision (Nasdaq: ATVI), Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS), and THQ (Nasdaq: THQI) will have the confidence to back the Revolution 100%.

-- Nintendo's Future: The Past?

I'm not sure how excited I am over the idea of playing NES games in downloadable form. I'm already swimming in nostalgia, from an original Atari to a Sega Genesis CD system (the sweet small form one that plays CDs or carts). It's the kind of thing that I would likely play with on a sleepy Sunday afternoon or maybe get really jazzed about for a week until some other shiny thing walked past.

Most probably, I'd guess, it will help smooth out a launch ... a la how Geometry Wars seems to satisfy people when no AAA title is around to wow them. Personally, I think the DS is the single best thing Nintendo has walking into the Revolution. With enough integration between the two devices and similar online experiences ... the Revolution is as good as sold to me.



tagged: nintendo, gaming