Nintendo Switch could have been delivered a retro gaming boost, with the door potentially being opened to more consoles being added to Switch Online.
Nintendo Switch Online this year saw its retro gaming selection bolstered by the arrival of classic SNES games.
For no extra charge, SNES games have joined NES games as being available to stream on the Nintendo Switch Online service.
Classic SNES titles such as A Link to the Past, Mario Kart and Super Mario World are all playable via Switch Online.
And the door could possibly have been opened to more collections of classic Nintendo games from other systems being added to Switch Online.
In a post online The Verge published an interview with Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser who spoke about the future of Ninty’s classic consoles.
The House of Mario started the classic console craze that has swept gaming these past few years with the launch of the NES Mini back in 2016.
This was followed by the launch of the SNES Mini in 2017 with Ninty widely expected to continue this series of releases with an N64 Mini in 2018.
However, despite alleged leaks showing an N64 Mini model last year came and went without a release of a miniature Nintendo 64.
And now Bowser has touched upon whether Nintendo could return to the classic console arena they helped popularise.
Reggie Fils-Aime’s successor has revealed that Nintendo has opted to focus on adding to the Nintendo Switch Online service instead of new mini consoles.
Speaking to The Verge, Bowser said: “Our focus right now is absolutely on our dedicated platforms such as Nintendo Switch Lite and our flagship Nintendo Switch.
“I think with the gameplay experiences you saw with some of our classic consoles that we launched a few years ago, they’re now available on Nintendo Switch Online, and this is where our focus will be.”
If Nintendo are opting against N64 and GameCube classic consoles then that could potentially open the door to those systems landing on Switch Online.
NES games were available with Switch Online at the service’s launch last year, with SNES games added this year.
If Ninty follows this annual release schedule, then that could mean N64 games hitting Switch Online in 2020 and GameCube titles in 2021.
NES games were available in Switch Online during September 2018, with SNES games available in a separate app in September 2019.
So, that could mean N64 games could go live in Switch Online in September 2020 with GameCube games available in September 2021.
That could mean Switch fans could be playing Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time next year, and Super Mario Sunshine the following year.
It’s best to wait for official confirmation from Nintendo before getting too excited.
But the addition of new consoles to Switch Online would surely go down a treat with Nintendo fans.
In the meantime Switch Online fans are waiting for the first update to the SNES collection, with has yet to be expanded on since launch.
It remains to be seen what SNES titles Nintendo could add to Switch Online next.
Surely iconic titles such as Donkey Kong Country, EarthBound, Turtles in Time and Final Fantasy 3 (aka FF6) would go down a treat with fans.
• Stay tuned to Express.co.uk for more Nintendo Switch news and updates
