Virtual Console

[Jay]

Virtual Console

 

I believe the virtual console system will work something like this -

 

There will be three ways to actually purchase the games, these being

 

A) By using VIP stars, gained from buying games and systems, in this way you will essentially get a free game with the Revolution as it will have enough VIP points to buy one NES game (or something along those lines)

 

B) By using a credit/debit card to pay for more VIP points which are then added to your total and can be used on the virtual console or online star catalogue.

 

C) If you don't have a debit/credit card you will be able to buy vouchers for stars with cash, these will work in the same way as the VIP vouchers included with games and systems now where you simply enter a code into the Revolution. This will top up the stars total.

 

Basically it will work in a very similar way to Xbox Live Arcade, only with the stars also included with systems and games. Somethings about that may not be quite as I've predicted but I think I'm probably going to be fairly close.

 

What I would like to see is something that I feel is one of the best functions of Xbox Live Arcade, the ability to demo a game first - For example you can play the very first level, or the first 20 mins of a game for free. Then you get to choose whether you want to buy it or not, this gives a very small taster and gives those who haven't played games a chance to see whether they like them or not, this would also work ideally for any new games developed for the system. I think its likely and I really hope Nintendo include such an option.

 

I also think downloadable demos and videos will appear, free of charge for new Revolution games and DS games. The Revo games will be playable as you would expect, and the DS games can be sent to your DS simply by enabling the "download play" function on your DS nearby, although these cannot be stored.

 

I'm not totally convinced yet that games will be downloaded in their entirety onto the Revo's memory either, think about it this way - It would take some clever copyright work to stop someone plugging in a USB hard-drive or an SD card and copying Virtual Console Games/Revo Demo's onto them and putting them online, and then no-one would ever pay for them. What I think may happen is the bulk of the file be streamed from an online server, this is certainly possible with NES/SNES games. The only thing stored on the hard-drive will be saved games, which can be backed up on a PC. Once you have bought a game however you will be able to stream it off the server as many times as you want as it will essentially have been "unlocked to you" and your VIP account will keep track, therefore if you accidentally delete a VC game it will still be accesible, likewise if your Revo breaks and you have to replace it you will not have to buy all your VC games from scratch. I could be totally wrong, Nintendo may just have security that prevents VC games being read by PC's but I'm not convinced. All will be revealed in due time

[Nintendork]

I think there will be a way for parents to allow their kids to buy a game once a month like the parental control system on iTunes.. obviously complimented by the games rating system.

 

There has been no word of Revolution demos coming via Nintendo WiFi, in fact we haven't even heard about the DS demos yet.. only demos of back catalogue games.

 

I think as we're working on a standard cheap DVD medium it is not unlikely to see demos featured in gaming magazines rather than as downloads via WiFi.

 

Demos will probably comes on a DRM basis (to avoid unnecesary coding times) where you canplay for a few hours unlocked on the game.. but after those few hours are up you'll be required to pay for the NES/SNES/N64/Sega/Hudson game. You are free to keep the game downloaded until you wish to purchase.. but it will be unplayable.

 

Each file will record time played.. simple DRM tech, but will be based on the system clock so no time travelling.

 

DS demos as Jay described but I really doubt we'll see Revolution demos.. maybe trailers and downloadable extras but not entire demos, that's crazy.

[ShadowV7]

Let the rev console alone let you download either 1 N64,2 SNES,3 NES Games through stars or as a bonus because you bought the console during the first week of release or something.

[Guest Stefkov]

maybe so that peopl ecant put the files on their pc and share it with others, is o make the roms as a completely new file if you can do that. ike a .nrm file (nintendo rom file)when that file has been downloaded onto your rev, it will aquire a unique code and will go directly into the file. if this makes any sense if you put it on your pc and give it to another person, they out it onto their memory card, it wont work.

didnt ninty say that each rev will have their unique own code?? i might have made that up but it would be good against this sharing files.

 

i remember readin that someone i think sony are making it so that when you play a game on your machine, it is assigned to your machine, this then cant be used on any other machiine, i think this was to reduce pre-owned games. well maybe they can do his with the downloads.

[ShadowV7]

They said something about the security so that the games can't be copied,I think it will have unique coding so it can't.

[m_fergy]

you wont be able to download the games to your pc

 

you cant do this with the 360 and i dont think there will ever be a way to do it so you will have to no chance with the rev

 

the system will be almost the same as the 360's just with nintendo games

[ShadowV7]

We know that you won't be able to download it to your PC because it will be easy to copy and spread out.Think of it as a DS and a Wi-fi game,Your DS Game (SD Card) will work on your DS (Rev )easily but when you put your DS (SD Card ) game into another DS(Rev) and try and get online(VC Game) it will get deleted(Won't work),hope you follow that example ok.

[glucoseaddict]

maybe they could actually have game cards, the card has a code, type in the code and it automatically downloads the game that the code corresponds to

 

Great idea there Pestneb! It would be fun to collect game cards of all your fav retro games. Something like Premiere League stickers that kids go nuts for, with the added coolness that you can actually download a game with the card.

 

Nintendo would have to sort something out that you just can't show the card code to all your friends and they can all download the game for free, something like using the Revo unique coding thing so each game code can only be used with the first Revo code it was used with.

 

 

 

I really doubt we'll see Revolution demos.. maybe trailers and downloadable extras but not entire demos, that's crazy.

 

 

Well if people are using WiFi then chances are they have broadband. And seeing as you could download a 300mb demo easily in less than half an hour with a broadband connection, I don't see why distributing Revo demos through WiFi should be a problem.

 

But I agree that getting Revo demos on DVDs packaged with magazines is much more likely.

 

Finally, Nintendo understand the importance of game demos!!!

[ShadowV7]

I really want to have demo-discs for the Rev ,if there was demos for the GC then I would have a lot more games and with the game cards you could have 3 downloads per card so you can give the game to 2 of you pals.

[Nintendork]

i remember readin that someone i think sony are making it so that when you play a game on your machine, it is assigned to your machine, this then cant be used on any other machiine, i think this was to reduce pre-owned games. well maybe they can do his with the downloads.

Nothing more than a nasty rumour. Sony has no intention of doing this.

 

Who's gonna pay for this 300mb demo then? I don't think they will be offering huge free downloads over WiFi like this.

I'm not questioning the time it takes to download a demo, it is likely that if you're using an online gaming service that you have broadband I just don't think Nintendo will pay to distribute demos to all Revolution owners who want it.. it's not a cheap business.

 

Buy a magazine, get a DVD with a load of demos on it.. buy a game and get some demos on that as a bonus if there is space left on the disc.

 

Much easier.. and tbh, where did this 300mb figure come from? Revolution games are coming on DVDs, I guess a Revolution game will be a lot larger.

[glucoseaddict]

Who's gonna pay for this 300mb demo then? I don't think they will be offering huge free downloads over WiFi like this. ... I just don't think Nintendo will pay to distribute demos to all Revolution owners who want it.. it's not a cheap business.

 

where did this 300mb figure come from? Revolution games are coming on DVDs, I guess a Revolution game will be a lot larger.

 

If Nintendo provide a server that gamers can download 1st party demos from, I think it favours them much more than if they leave it up to Mag publishers to get the demos out there. They can host the demo files for a specific length of time and advertise it directly. This way they have total control over their distribution and, as a result, effect.

 

They will be hosting all the VC games themselves so I think it's entirely plausably for them to do it. I know VC games will be small, small files but there might well be hundreds of them (as opposed to a handful of Revo demos, if they stick to 1st party software).

 

The '300mb' came from my head, just to illustrate that downloading demos is something that can be done easily and fast. Revo games will be on DVD disks but that doesnt mean that a demo will have to be a gig or so in size.

 

I'm not saying that Nintendo will necessarily distribute demos over WiFi, I'm just sayin that they could easily do it and there are advantages for doing so.

[ShadowV7]

Aslong as we get demos I don't how we get them

[Tellyn]

I think that some free Virtual Console games will be given when bought with the machine.

 

That's definitely a given.