Entertainment Article:
By: Cayden Martinez Entertainment Writer 4/18/23 Video games have been in the public mainstream for nearly 50 years. Since the days of Pong on the Atari 2600, video games have grown into the juggernaut of entertainment it is today. One company in particular has lasted the test of time, Nintendo, has stuck around and has been a major player in the video game industry. The Famicom or NES, better known as the Nintendo Entertainment System, revived the genre and was the basis of a growing company who came to dominate the game.
Nintendo has been the face of retro gaming for years, with their consoles being values by millions of people. Two consoles which have been seeing the spotlight have are the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U, which are no longer supported by Nintendo themselves. As of March 27th, 2023, the Eshop on both consoles have been shut down, disabling all new purchases on the platforms. The 3DS games are some of the most remembered in the entire Nintendo lineup. The 3DS brough a brand new game mechanic with the 3D function. Nintendo 3DS games had the mechanic to turn on 3D mode to bring a whole new perspective to the games. |
The Wii U’s new idea was to bring together mobile and console gaming with the Game Pad. The Game Pad allowed the games to be played with the TV off or on another channel. The Game Pad also offered new mechanics to games from previous generations.
Not only have users lost access to the large catalog of the 3DS and Wii U, but the entire library of “Virtual Console” retro games. The “Virtual Console” are games from the classic era of Nintendo, spanning from the NES to the Game Boy Color. For a long time, the only way to get the older games was to buy them from the Eshop on the Wii, 3DS, and Wii U. Nintendo shortly after the launch of their newest console, the Switch, released a new subscription service called Nintendo Online, which enabled users to play online games with friends with the added benefit of having access to what essentially is a newer version of the “Virtual Console” games. Even though the Eshop closed on some of the beloved Nintendo consoles, the Switch provides a good alternative to play many of their classic titles. |