GameCube NSO is being billed as one of the main reasons to buy a Switch 2, as it finally lets fans play some games from this system’s incredible library. This is also the first time Nintendo has made these games available in modern systems, an option fans of the company wanted for a long time. With a good starting lineup and online play for specific titles, it’s good seeing GameCube games on modern Nintendo hardware.
It should have launched on the original Switch, though.
The NSO games on Switch are of high quality, but have always been missing that X-factor. Having games from NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, and SEGA Genesis is neat, but a ton of these titles were already on Wii or Wii U. Granted, some rare gems like Mega Man: The Wily Wars are on the Genesis app, but they still don’t feel like a must have on this system.
While those systems are great and have excellent games, fans have been begging for GameCube NSO on the original Switch for the longest time. Gamers might joke about the system’s low power, but it’s powerful enough to handle GC games. It’s almost insulting to lock this feature on Switch 2, given how much fans wanted this.
Locking GameCube emulation on Switch 2 is probably a strategy, since they expect many current NSO members to migrate over from the original Switch. Because these fans already pay the yearly $50 for NSO + Expansion Pack, having an additional system to emulate with SoulCalibur 2 available from the get-go will feel like a bonus. It’s still a pretty greedy move on Nintendo’s part, but that’s no surprise given the prices for these games.
Fans might feel betrayed, but this isn’t the first time Nintendo has locked classic games from a system upgrade. Fans remember how the New 3DS had exclusive access to SNES games, while regular 3DS owners didn’t. It was a head-scratching decision since this isn’t a difficult console to emulate, but Nintendo claimed the original 3DS couldn’t handle SNES games. That’s pretty embarrassing, considering the kind of games this system could run.
Nothing about the Switch says it can’t run GameCube games via NSO. The hybrid console literally has remakes of GameCube games made for it, so restricting this older system to a newer piece of hardware makes no sense. We’re sure Nintendo will say they made the emulator with Switch 2 in mind, so bringing it to the original Switch is impossible, but fans will know that’s just corporate jargon.
Because many fans won’t be able to get a Switch 2 right away, not having GameCube NSO is pretty disappointing. At the least, games like Hades 2 will keep people busy until the new system is more readily available.