Wii Virtual Console Info

There is no doubt that the Virtual Console for Nintendo's Wii is one of the top interests that many of us have for it. Who here isn't looking forward to playing some of the classics again, controller gripped in hand, shouting at the screen for Mario to jump higher or Mega Man to shoot faster? I bet not too many hands aren't raised...

An interview over at Computer And Video Games has helped shed a little more light on Ninty's upcoming offering. Some of it is very good, while other parts of the Virtual Console may fall into the realm of true quirks and annoyances.

Here's some highlights:

• Games can be downloaded to either the 512mb internal memory or an SD card;
  
• Games will be locked to the console that downloaded them - you can't take your SD card to a friend's house and play on his or her machine;
  
• Nintendo will keep record of all games purchased on a particular account - if you lose a storage card or even if you just have to delete for more space, you can re-download any game previously purchased;
  
• Ninty will offer support for those whose Wii breaks or who cannot re-download properly authorised games;
  
• Either the "Classic" (Virtual Console) controller or GameCube controller can be used to play Virtual Console games - however, only GameCube controllers will play GameCube games (according to joystiq).

You can purchase up to 2,000 Wii points at a time for £14.99, and your account can hold up to 10,000 at once. Of course, there will be region restriction to what Virtual Console area you link up to, so those of you looking to get some nice Japanese imports may be a bit disappointed.

All in all, there are some pretty nice features, especially the free re-downloading. The console having 'locked' the game is not something that everyone will be overjoyed with, however, and the controller confusion is a little bit intimidating for those looking to just pick up and play.

Have you got a thought on the new Virtual Console info? Tell us about it in our forums