Nintendo's Virtual Console is a service that allows users to purchase and download classic games in Nintendo's library. It's a feature that's been a hallmark with every Nintendo hardware since the Wii. For a company with such a rich and varied history such as Nintendo, this feature has been a boon for those who want to see the highs and lows of gaming's past. However, in a recent press announcement, Nintendo stated that this feature would not be available at launch. Below is an official statement from Nintendo:

"Virtual Console games will not be available on Nintendo Switch at launch.

We will share more information in the future."

Virtual Console

Virtual Console is an emulation service with a wide selection of games that range from as far back as the NES era to as recent as the Gameboy Advance era. The feature has been available on Nintendo's internet services such as e-shop. In addition to beloved classics such as "Super Mario World" and "The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," obscure titles such as "Startropics" and the titles previously not released in America such as "Earthbound Beginnings" have made available through this service.

GameCube emulation?

There's also been heavy speculation that the Nintendo Switch's virtual console will be able to emulate games from the GameCube era.

That could explain the absence of this feature during launch. If this is true, many games from that era will finally be available for modern audiences. The GameCube era is often fondly remembered for bold and fresh experiments such as "The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker," "Metroid Prime," and "Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem"- a game that caused Nintendo actually to patent "video game insanity."

No Netflix

The Switch also gained a lot of controversy for not including Netflix as a feature.

This is especially puzzling considering that not only do its competitors such as Sony and Microsoft include such a feature, but also Nintendo's previous consoles such as the Wii and the Wii U. On the other hand, it may be a good sign that Nintendo prioritizes running games over such features.