Was Virtual Console support part of the original vision for the hybrid platform?
A leak of various Nintendo emails and internal documents seems to suggest the company once explored bringing its beloved Virtual Console store to the Switch.
The fresh claim comes via Yakumono, also known as LuigiBlood — a prominent and respected preservation and emulation enthusiast with a keen interest in all things Nintendo. According to LuigiBlood's post on Tumblr, the details surfaced thanks to "a new leak of iQue emails".
The Tumblr-post reveals that during the early development of the Nintendo Switch, as far back as 2015, Virtual Console support was part of the original vision for the hybrid platform. Of course, we now know this isn't the route Nintendo ended up taking — instead opting to bundle a selection of various retro titles into their ongoing Nintendo Switch Online subscription service.
LuigiBlood shares that this potential Virtual Console application, codenamed "Clipper", was reportedly worked on by several internal Nintendo teams. The post also outlines the emulation work carried out during this early development phase, and is well worth a read if you like the nitty-gritty of such things.
The suggestion is that any work on this VC "Clipper" project came to an end by around May of 2017, by which point the Switch was available on the market.
Many of us no doubt have nostalgic memories of hoarding various Virtual Console classics on the Wii, Wii U and 3DS — and this suggestion from LuigiBlood is a bit of a look at what could have been during the Switch era. Buying Super Mario World for sixth time without being tied to a subscription model... anyone?
So, would you have preferred to see a Virtual Console on the Switch, or are you generally happy with how Nintendo has handled retro titles this generation?
