I’ve recently played a chunk of Nintendo Classics on my Nintendo Switch. Despite its flaws, I’ve really come to appreciate the service.
Here’s a look at how I’d develop the service over the course of the Nintendo Switch 2 generation. Fair warning, this is pipe dream material.
Nintendo Entertainment System
When Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment System controllers for the Nintendo Switch, I thought they looked stupid. Now, they look antiquated.
These are the only controllers in their entire range to charge via Joy-Con rails rather than USB-C, and the Nintendo Switch 2 no longer has Joy-Con rails.
I imagine Nintendo will seek to release new versions of these controllers, adding USB-C charging, but why stop there?
The current Nintendo Entertainment System controllers added comically small left and right shoulder buttons, designed for accessing the capture (L), home (R), in-game menu (press L and R) and rewind (hold L and R) functions.
These functions only work inside the NES library.
As these buttons register as L and R, rather than ZL and ZR, they cannot access in-game menu in the Game Boy library. On the plus side, this does make the controller a 1:1 match for the Game Boy Advance control scheme.
I’d like to see the shoulder buttons expanded to something akin to Retro-Bit’s rather nice-looking Origin8 controller.
I would welcome three dedicated buttons designed for the in-game menu, home menu, and screenshot functions. Nintendo added these to their Nintendo 64, SEGA Mega Drive, and Nintendo GameCube controllers, after all.
Both the Nintendo 64 and Nintendo GameCube controllers also supported rumble and added a fourth shoulder button (to access the in-game menu), whereas the Nintendo GameCube controller also added gyro and a GameChat button.
My ideal revised Nintendo Entertainment System controller would also add rumble and gyro. These additions won’t make sense until later on.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo added a set of ZL and ZR shoulder buttons to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System controller. Similar to the NES controller, ZL is capture, ZR is home, whereas both are used for in-game menu (press) and rewind (held) functions.
These functions work inside the Super NES library, with capture and home also working inside F-Zero 99.
A revised controller would instead have dedicated capture and home buttons that worked in all titles.
Having them in stock would also help.
Update
I’m glad to see Nintendo are reading these posts as, two days after publication, the controller was restocked and I was finally able to purchase one!
Pokémon mini
If Nintendo can add Virtual Boy, there’s no reason they can’t add Pokémon mini.
Nintendo’s other 8-bit handheld only shipped with ten titles, with an eleventh title (a cut mini-game called Snorlax’s Lunch Time) being exclusive to the emulator in Pokémon Channel on the Nintendo GameCube.
The handheld itself is a childhood favourite of mine, featuring rumble and a gyroscope, which the proposed Nintendo Entertainment System controller would be perfect for this system!
One day I’ll complete Pokémon Pinball mini…
Game Boy
I don’t have much to suggest for the Game Boy (and Game Boy Color) service.
We’re still missing first-party Game Boy titles like Pokémon Pinball, Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land, and Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, as well as some handheld ports like Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Game Boy Color.
There’s also the Japan-exclusive sequel to Mario’s Picross, Picross 2, and the cancelled (but finished) Pokémon Picross. Hey, we’ve got EarthBound Beginnings and Star Fox 2 on the service; a man can dream!
Game Boy Advance
Now we’ve got a perfect controller with the revised Nintendo Entertainment System controller, let’s talk about something else that controller would support.
WarioWare: Twisted! and Yoshi’s Universal Gravitation (known as Yoshi Topsy-Turvy in the US) feature gyroscopes in their cartridges. Adding a gyroscope to the Nintendo Entertainment System controller would enable this controller to be compatible with these titles.
We’ve already seen Nintendo add Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble to the Game Boy library, which makes use of the gyroscope in the Joy-Con and Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, but it would be cool to play these titles on a smaller controller closer to their original system’s form factor.
Like the preceding Game Boy library, my only major gripe is missing first-party titles. DK: King of Swing, Mario Pinball Land, and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land are all games I feel are well overdue their Nintendo Classics debut.
Wii
While I anticipate Nintendo will continue to remake Wii games, I still think there’s logic to building a Wii library on Nintendo Classics.
Titles like Wii Sports, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and Kirby’s Epic Yarn have already been re-released and/or ported to newer systems, so I don’t see Nintendo investing in full remakes of these titles – but they’re still worth playing and (with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on the horizon) are of interest to audiences.
While this service would support Joy-Con 2 controllers, releasing a modern Wii Remote Plus that can charge over USB-C would be awesome, and that charge port could also double as the accessory port for the Nunchuck.
Of course, the big problem with emulating Wii titles is the lack of a sensor bar.
Nintendo could solve this by releasing a sensor bar that plugs into the USB-C port on the top of the Nintendo Switch 2.
Having a proper Wii setup would also open the door for updates to the recently released Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 ports, granting them better control implementations than Joy-Con 2 can offer.
We could also finally have an (official) way of playing Mario Kart Wii online again!
Wii Sensor Bar
Let’s dig deeper into the Wii sensor bar’s potential for a moment.
One of my favourite things Nintendo did on Virtual Console for Wii U was re-release Duck Hunt.
This version used the Wii Remote in place of the NES Zapper, with the tracking being determined by the sensor bar. The only gripe is the addition of a permanent on-screen reticle, making the title too easy.
The same idea could be deployed, this time with either an optional reticle or a reticle that only appears when the trigger is pulled.
Nintendo has a small library of light-gun experiences beyond Duck Hunt that could be brought to Nintendo Classics, with titles such as Yoshi’s Safari and Super Scope 6.
Nintendo DS
A lot of people anticipate Nintendo will add support for the Nintendo DS.
To achieve this, a (mandatory?) second screen attachment would be released.
While I agree in principle, I find the capacitive touch screen technology used on the Nintendo Switch far from ideal for emulating the resistive touch screen used on the Nintendo DS due to a lack of precision input.
That said, scaling up the 256×192 touch screen image to ~5.5x the original resolution to fit the Nintendo Switch 2 screen will help a bit. Joy-Con 2 mouse support could also be another solution for precision control.
The Nintendo DS is home to some iconic titles such as New Super Mario Bros., Nintendogs, and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, and many more.
It’s also home to several cult classics like Star Fox Command, Metroid Prime Hunters, and Rhythm Paradise.
Third-party developers also brought incredible titles to the platform too, such as the Professor Layton series, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, and Elite Beat Agents.
Every title I just mentioned remains exclusive to the Nintendo DS.
Nintendo 3DS
And if they’re doing that for the Nintendo DS, then the Nintendo 3DS is also possible.
Given that Nintendo is releasing a literal (and mandatory) Virtual Boy accessory to ensure players can enjoy the original 3D experience, would Nintendo have similar reservations when it comes to the Nintendo 3DS?
I’d like to hope – given the existence of the Nintendo 2DS – that they are less precious about the 3D functionality of this platform.
While titles such as Luigi’s Mansion 2 have been ported from the Nintendo 3DS, with more rumoured to be on the way, there’s a treasure trove of essential titles that will likely otherwise never see a re-release.
Another thing Nintendo could do to improve the Nintendo 3DS experience is remove the region locking for online play in titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes. As I’m based in the UK, not being able to play with buddies across the pond really damped my enjoyment of Nintendo’s multiplayer Zelda title.
The Nintendo 3DS is another excellent archive of classics such as Super Mario 3D Land, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and Fire Emblem: Awakening.
We also have deeper cuts like Kid Icarus: Uprising, Metroid: Samus Returns, and Steel Diver.
There’s also a wealth of eShop-exclusive games that are completely inaccessible (legally), such as the BOXBOY! trilogy, Dillon’s Rolling Western, and Kirby’s Blowout Blast.
Once again, these are all trapped on the Nintendo 3DS.
And besides, who doesn’t want to see the social media meltdown when the big new game drop in February 2028 is the beloved Paper Mario: Sticker Star?
Wii U
Before we get to the elephant in the room, let’s talk about the validity of Nintendo re-releasing something akin to the Wii U GamePad.
Rather than a second-screen attachment for the Nintendo Switch 2, a dedicated second screen unit would enable Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS titles to be played on the TV. We’ve seen Nintendo offer two solutions for playing Nintendo Classics with the Virtual Boy. This unit could also utilise a resistive touch screen.
I don’t think Nintendo should stop at Nintendo Classics with this device either; their new GameShare system would make these controllers ideal for modern titles too.
Nintendo even confirmed the GameShare is based on Wii U GamePad technology.
At this stage, an actual Wii U library would be daft. There are titles I would like to see given a new lease of life, but that’s a topic I’ll cover another time.
Nintendo GameCube
Aside from improving the emulation quality and adding more titles, one other thing I’d love to see Nintendo tackle is The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures.
The aforementioned GamePad and/or GameShare feature overall would make a compelling facsimile for the Game Boy Advance link cable functionality.
This is a complexity I don’t see Nintendo embracing, sadly.
Super Smash Bros. Melee and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! online, however. Bring it!
What about Pokémon?
I couldn’t believe it when they added the Generation I and II titles to Virtual Console on the Nintendo 3DS.
While I believe The Pokémon Company will never release the older titles again, preferring to keep players focused on their new releases, if we did see classic Pokémon titles again, I don’t think it would be on Nintendo Classics.
Instead, I could see the titles being added as paid downloadable content for either Pokémon HOME or its successor.
These new releases would, like on the Nintendo 3DS, be restricted from modern emulation functions like save states and rewind, but would integrate with their cloud storage service.
And there we have it. Aside from simply adding more titles, that’s how I’d bolster the Nintendo Classics offering.
Whether it’s discovering new favourites or revisiting childhood classics, retro gaming is awesome, and the Nintendo Classics service gets an unfair bad rap in my view.
Go play some old games; they can be every bit as fun today.
Special Thanks
Images of the Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS Lite, and Nintendo 3DS were photographed by the excellent Evan Amos. More of Evan Amos’s photography can be found in his recent book The Game Console 2.0 (available to purchase on Amazon US).
Images of the Pokémon mini were photographed by SnorlaxMonster of Bulbagarden.
All other hardware imagery in this post comes from press releases.
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