November 13th, 2012

Nintendo says “majority” of their titles will be available via the eShop

20 Comments
Nintendo eShop Logo

This isn’t unlike what we’ve heard before (and it’s consistent with the 3DS), but Nintendo has said:

…a majority of Nintendo-published Wii U titles will launch both as a packaged game at retail stores and as a digital download in the Nintendo eShop.

But I wonder if that really means not all titles will be on the eShop. I’d guess this rep for Nintendo is merely being conservative though, not willing to completely confirm anything until it’s truly guaranteed.

  • Bewoulf2000

    Well with the reward system for deluxe buyers, and the storage as well im probably getting Scribblenauts unlimited on the eshop. Every other game is a total retail game.

  • Nepenthe

    No thanks. Here’s why:

    1. potential resale value of physical media

    2. ease of bringing physical media to a friend’s or relative’s house

    3. since there’s no real account system, eShop games are much more closely sequestered to your Wii U, so damaged, broken, worn out, upgrading, stolen, etc. presents a predicament for any eShop game; stolen — you must file a police report and send it to Nintendo before they’ll let you re-download; upgrading or getting a different color or a second Wii U for the basement — you’re SOL; damaged or broken — you must send the Wii U to Nintendo and they’ll either charge you a bunch to fix it or let you buy a new one after they approve the re-downloads

    4. finding USB flash drive space (or buying a USB HDD or SSD) vs having all the game content on optical discs

    5. if that weren’t enough, I just like having the physical disc with the nice art and color manual anyway

    The real loser is any eShop-ONLY game — VC, Wii U-ware, indie games etc. I probably will think twice about purchasing any of that.

    I suppose I should list the positives:
    1. get the game quickly and without driving or waiting for the delivery
    2. potential faster loading from USB HDD
    3. potential price break, also the digital promotion thing
    4. this would probably apply more for a handheld, but if you’re transporting your Wii U to a friend’s or relative’s house who *doesn’t* have a Wii U, you could bring the Wii U and the USB HDD and the thirty games you have installed and not have to bring any discs or game boxes

    • Ziggy

      I think your over-thinking it

    • afafasgr

      *you’re

    • Nepenthe

      No, I think it’s just called “thinking.”

    • Tails the Foxhound

      3, as far as we know only applies to the Wii and the 3DS. We still don’t know for sure if you can easily redownload things on the Wii U.

    • King Boo

      there’s another positive, a game in a hard drive isn’t damaged by being played. I’ve lost plenty of games to a broken disk drive and dust.

    • Willgord

      At least we have the option. I bet that, if digital downloads weren’t an option like this, there would be a rant about the lack of it instead. Personally I am positive about the fact that Nintendo seem to be working their way into the digital distribution area of the gaming industry.

  • AxGamer

    Its just a feeble attempt to kill the used game/rental industry.

    • Ziggy

      it IS when Gamestop sells a used game, they get all the profit form it, the developers get no money from the used games market. Like pirating
      But in the used MOVIE industry the directors do gat some money off the purchase of a used movie

      But there is no such law in the used video games market.
      Because a Senator/Reprensisitive/Law maker can’t propose such law.
      Developers worked harder than moviemakers, how it’s hard to keep what they wanted in the game and coding and a publisher who will get it on the console
      a video game might be lower budget, but that’s cuz you only need a computer and software to start

    • Tails the Foxhound

      Can you blame them for trying to marginalize the used/rent market? They make WAY more money off individual sales, and at the end of the day they ARE a for profit business. As long as they don’t outright deny the use of used/rented games, I don’t see what’s wrong with this.

    • Ziggy

      There are many poor people who can’t afford a new game, so they buy only used ones, as long as he/she buys used games only, the developers get no money of it

    • Tails the Foxhound

      I realize this, I used to be in that situation myself. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it either. There also is absolutely wrong with a company incentivising a new purchase with the ease of digital downloads. Again, the only problem I would see is if they outright denied the use of used games on the console.

  • Hybrilynx

    wouldnt matter too much, unless its cheaper then retails. at least for the 3ds, it makes sense so that you can take the games with you anywhere with whatever title you want. i guess. but at least for a home console, you really need to make downloadable versions cheaper. and release them before retail versions.

  • King Boo

    probably can’t download sing party, since you need a mic.

    • GLaDOS

      well technically theres a mic BUILT IN to the controller but I’m not sure it supports it.

    • King Boo

      You’d figure you’d use it since it’s right in front of you, but knowing Nintendo, it’s probably very cheap quality.

    • Ziggy

      You can buy the mic separately, but since your probably already at the store to buy it, its pointless

  • http://www.facebook.com/FinalBossGW Alfredo Marquez Flores

    You probably can’t download games that are bundled with a required peripheral.

  • http://twitter.com/andredarcy35 Andre’ D’Arcy

    I just hope this doesn’t replace actually getting it physically, I always like going to gamestop ang getting a game