<BODY><IMG SRC="http://www.wiiloaded.com/images/portal/VC_mario.jpg" ALIGN="RIGHT" ALIGN="TOP">First it was the Virtual Console launch lists for all the regions( 1 2 3 ) and now Computer and Video Games.com had a chance to talk to Nintendo about the Virtual Console and they got a bunch of great info you need to hear.
One thing we all already assumed was that VC games could be stored to the Wii's internal memory and onto SD cards and this interview confirms it.
Can games be stored on external media such as SD cards, and what happens if you run out of storage space?
Nintendo: Games that are downloaded can be stored either to the Wii's internal memory (512MB) or onto SD cards, which plug into the SD slot on the front of the Wii.
However the Nintendo rep went on to give an answer to the question that has been nagging Wii fans for a while. What if I delete the game but then want to play it again?
Nintendo: In addition the console also stores a history of all of your downloads so that if you have to delete any VC games for any reason you could re-download them for free at a later date.
This is great news as I know many people would be really annoyed and ticked off if they had to pay for a game they'd already downloaded. If you read the part about saving to the SD card and then thought about how great it would be to take your VC game to a friend's house, then think again.
Will you be able to take your VC games to a mate's house, say, on an SD card?
Nintendo: No. All VC games will be locked to the console they are downloaded on so even if they are on an SD card they can't be used on other machines. You will have to take your Wii with you.
This was expected because Nintendo would be losing a bunch of potential sales if they let people get away with it. Nintendo has also had a reputation for being very customer friendly whenever a system or game happens to break or malfunction.
Does that mean that if your console breaks you lose your VC games forever?
Nintendo: No. Nintendo will offer support to help Wii owners with problems to recover their games.
So that means that weather or not you were at fault for breaking your Wii Nintendo will still help you get your games back. Another question that we couldn't wait to get answered was...
GameCube games are played with GameCube pads. Can they be played with the Classic controller too, for those who don't actually have any GC pads?
Nintendo: Nintendo GameCube games can only be played using Nintendo GameCube controllers. The Classic Controller will not work on these games.
It's a shame that Nintendo didn't allow this but it make a lot of sense from a buisness standpoint. If they were to allow this they wouldn't make as much money from Classic and GameCube controller sales. Nintendo also clarified which controllers the the VC games would be compatible with.
Can you specify which controllers it will be possible to use for each of the VC games types (NES, SNES, PC Engine, N64)?
Nintendo: All virtual console games can be played using the Classic Controller or Nintendo GameCube pads. The Wii Remote can also be turned on its side and used as a traditional controller to play NES games. However, a game will only be playable with the control mechanism it was designed for. So, for example, you will play NES games with the D-pad, not an analogue stick or motion-sensitive functionality.
When using a mixture of Wii and GameCube controllers, the Wii Remote or Classic Controller will take priority. So if you have two Classic Controllers plugged in they instantly become player one and two regardless of how many GameCube pads are inserted.
Other information that was present in the interview is that every VC game downloaded will come with a virtual instruction booklet for you ignore, much like the ones you get with your current games. And for all those people planning to import Nintendo's got some news for you.
Nintendo: The European Virtual Console will be available only to European machines. If you import an American machine they would have to connect to the American service and use American Wii Points cards to buy content. Their warranty would also be void so this is not recommended.
Bad news for people who were hoping to pick up the US or Japanese VC games. Read the full interview here </BODY> | 
- D4rk 
