After a year and a half on the market, it seems as though the Switch Virtual Console might just be on its way. This is if a recent datamine is to be believed. The datamine in question suggests that Nintendo DS, GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance, NES, SNES, and N64 games are on the way to the Switch eShop.
The peek behind the curtain into a potential Switch eShop was done by Twitter user KevDoy. He explains that “Nintendo just added a Virtual Console section to the… Switch eShop JSON.” He highlighted the lines in question that may suggest that classic Nintendo games are on the way to the Switch. You can see his tweet below:
Nintendo just added a virtual console section to the Nintendo Switch eShop JSON that includes n64 and DS categories. @Nintendrew_ pic.twitter.com/pChIEmt0BK
— KevDoy (@KevDoy) September 25, 2018
Despite the datamine, however, KevDoy also points out that “this is probably just Nintendo standardizing the file.” The same lines of code can be found on the 3DS’s eShop JSON, for example, and that doesn’t offer GBA, DS, or N64 titles for download.
Fans have been asking Nintendo since day one for its Virtual Console service to hit the Switch. The Wii, Wii U, and 3DS all had Virtual Console games, which offered players the chance to play classic games on their modern consoles. It was something of a revelation, and the Virtual Console proved successful for Nintendo. Despite this, however, Nintendo decided to release its NES and SNES Classic mini consoles instead of a Switch Virtual Console service. The move proved very successful, however, and recently rumors have begun circling regarding a potential N64 Mini.
Earlier this year, a Nintendo spokesperson speaking to Kotaku explained that “there are currently no plans to bring classic games together under the Virtual Console banner as has been done on other Nintendo systems.” The new datamine could mean that Nintendo has changed its mind, however. We’ll have to wait on official word from Nintendo on this one.
