Editing Virtual Console

{{Infobox information appliance
|title          = Virtual Console
|logo           = Wii Virtual console Logo.png
|developer      = [[Nintendo]]
|type           = Classic video game re-release distribution
|released       = '''Wii'''<br>November 19, 2006<br>'''Nintendo 3DS'''<br>June 6, 2011<br>'''Wii U'''<br>January 23, 2013 <small>(soft launch)</small><br>April 26, 2013 <small>(official launch)</small>
|platform       = [[Wii]]<br>[[Nintendo 3DS]]<br>[[Wii U]]
|status = *Wii: Wii Shop Channel will be discontinued on January 30, 2019, currently operational
*Wii U: Operational
*3DS: Operational 
|website        = '''Wii'''<br/>[https://www.nintendo.com/games/gameGuide?system=wii&purchase=retail Official US website]<br/>[https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Search/Search-299117.html?q=&faf=GAMeE&gst=wii_disc Official UK website]<br/>[http://search1.nintendo.co.jp/search/software.php?keyword=&release_mode=&release%5Bstart%5D=0&release%5Bend%5D=19&hard%5B6%5D=wiiVc&x=189&y=34&limit=&view_order= Official Japanese website]<br/>'''Nintendo 3DS'''<br/>[https://www.nintendo.com/3ds/downloads/games Official US website]<br/>[https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Nintendo-3DS/Download-Content/Games/Games-115853.html Official UK website]<br/>[http://search1.nintendo.co.jp/search/software.php?keyword=&release_mode=&release%5Bstart%5D=0&release%5Bend%5D=19&hard%5B10%5D=3dsVc&x=164&y=22&limit=&view_order= Official Japanese website]<br/>'''Wii U'''<br/>[https://www.nintendo.com/wiiu/downloads/virtual-console Official US website]<br/>[https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Wii-U/Download-Content/Virtual-Console/Virtual-Console-751913.html Official UK website]<br/>[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/software/vc/index.html Official Japanese website]
}}

==Introduction==

'''Virtual Console''', also abbreviated as '''VC''', is a line of downloadable video games (mostly unaltered) for [[Nintendo]]'s [[Wii]] and [[Wii U]] home gaming consoles and the [[Nintendo 3DS]] portable gaming console.

The Virtual Console lineup consists of titles originally released on past home and handheld consoles. These titles are run in their original forms through [[Emulator|software emulation]] (excluding GBA titles on 3DS), and can be purchased from the [[Wii Shop Channel]] or [[Nintendo eShop]] for between 500 and 1200 [[Nintendo Points|Wii Points]] (Wii), US$2.99 and US$6.99 (3DS) and US$4.99 and US$9.99 (Wii U) depending on system, rarity, and/or demand. Virtual Console's library of past games currently consists of titles originating from the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]], [[Game Boy]], [[Game Boy Color]], [[Nintendo 64]], [[Game Boy Advance]], and [[Nintendo DS]], as well as [[Sega]]'s [[Master System]] and [[Sega Genesis|Genesis/Mega Drive]], [[NEC]]'s [[TurboGrafx-16]], and [[SNK]]'s [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo AES]]. The service for the Wii also includes games for platforms that were known only in select regions, such as the [[Commodore 64]] (Europe and North America) and [[MSX]] (Japan), as well as Virtual Console Arcade, which allows players to download video [[arcade game]]s. Virtual Console titles have been downloaded over ten million times. The sale of past games through the Virtual Console is one of Nintendo's reasons for opposing software piracy of old console games.

==List of Virtual Console games==

{|class="wikitable"
|+Virtual Console
! rowspan="2"| Platform
! [[Wii Shop Channel]] <br> (to be discontinued on January 30, 2019)
! colspan="2"| [[Nintendo eShop]]
|-
! style="width:180px"| [[Wii]]
! style="width:180px"| [[Wii U]]
! style="width:180px"| [[Nintendo 3DS family]]
|-
! colspan="4"| Arcade
|-
| [[Arcade game|Virtual Console Arcade]]
| {{yes}}
| Partial: Available in ''Wii Mode'' only
| {{no}}
|-
! colspan="4"| Home systems
|-
| [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES)/<br/>[[Famicom]] (FC)
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]] (SNES)/<br/>[[Super Famicom]] (SFC)
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Partial: Available on the [[New Nintendo 3DS]] and [[New Nintendo 2DS XL]] models only
|-
| [[Nintendo 64]]
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
| [[Master System]]
| {{yes}}
| Partial: Available in ''Wii Mode'' only
| {{no}}
|-
| [[Mega Drive]] / [[Sega Genesis|Genesis]]
| {{yes}}
| Partial: Available in ''Wii Mode'' only 
| {{no}}
|-
| [[PC Engine]] / [[TurboGrafx-16]]
| {{yes}}
| {{Yes}}
| Partial: Available on Japanese 3DS Systems only
|-
| [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo AES]]
| {{yes}}
| Partial: Available in ''Wii Mode'' only
| {{no}}<!--please provide a citation if you want to change this to upcoming-->
|-
| [[Commodore 64]]<br/><small>(North America and PAL regions only)</small>
| Terminated: Removed from Wii Shop Channel in August 2013<br/><small>(games already purchased can be redownloaded)</small>
| Terminated: Originally available in ''Wii Mode'' only<br/><small>(removed from Wii Shop Channel in August 2013,<br/>but games already purchased can be redownloaded)</small>
| {{no}}
|-
| [[MSX]]<br/><small>(Japan only)</small>
| Terminated: Removed from Wii Shop Channel in February 2014<br/><small>(games already purchased can be redownloaded)</small>
| Terminated: Originally available in ''Wii Mode'' only<br/><small>(removed from Wii Shop Channel in February 2014,<br/>but games already purchased can be redownloaded)</small>
| {{no}}
|-
! colspan="4"| Handheld systems
|-
| [[Game Boy]]
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| [[Game Boy Color]]
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|-
| [[Game Boy Advance]]
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| Partial: Available through the ''[[Nintendo 3DS#Launch|Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program]]'' only<!--please provide a citation if you want to change this to upcoming for public release-->
|-
| [[Nintendo DS]]
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
<!--Digital Wii games on the Wii U are not played through Virtual Console; please do not add Wii here-->
|-
| [[Game Gear]]
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|}

==Wii==

===Control===

Virtual Console games can be played using the different controllers. The [[Wii Remote]] itself (turned on its side) can be used for [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], [[Master System]], [[TurboGrafx-16]], and some [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive/Genesis]] and [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo AES]] games. The original and the pro versions of [[Classic Controller]] (sold separately from the console) can be used for all Virtual Console games. The controllers from the [[GameCube]] can also be used for all games on the Virtual Console, except for some multiplayer TurboGrafx-16 games that use the GameCube controller for the fifth player. As a result of this, the wireless GameCube controller (the [[WaveBird Wireless Controller|WaveBird]]) has seen increased popularity.

All Virtual Console games have their buttons mapped to the respective buttons on the controllers, however, in certain circumstances users can use X and Y instead of A and B, if the original controller does not have X and Y buttons (for example the NES). In certain titles, such as Nintendo 64 games, there may be specific controls tailored to the Classic Controller or GameCube Controller. Nintendo 64 titles that originally provided [[Haptic technology|force feedback]] via the [[Nintendo 64 controller]]'s [[Rumble Pak]] peripheral however, are not supported by the built-in "Rumble" feature of the GameCube controller.

The button mapping has become the cause of problem and concern, however. The button mapping is rigid and is not customizable. Because of this, many games are difficult to play. All Neo Geo AES fighting games have very awkward control schemes and glitches when changed to GameCube controllers. Nintendo has acknowledged this issue but has not put any efforts towards fixing it on the Wii. Currently, all Wii U Virtual Console games support customizable button mappings.

With the release of ''[[Bomberman '93]]'', it was revealed that TurboGrafx-16 games can support full five player games. Since a single Wii can only have four Wii Remotes and four GameCube controllers connected at the same time, a combination of the two are needed for five player games. The same issue is found in 5-8 player Commodore 64 games as well. Because the Wii U doesn't have GameCube controller ports, only up to four player games can be played on the system.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! width=125 |
! width=100 | [[Wii Remote]]
! width=100 | [[Wii Classic Controller|Classic Controller]]<small>a</small>
! width=100 | [[Nintendo GameCube controller|GameCube Controller]]
! width=100 | [[USB Keyboard]]
|-
! [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES/Famicom]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES/Super Famicom]]
|{{no}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[Nintendo 64]]
|{{no}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[TurboGrafx-16|TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[Master System]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive/Genesis]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo AES]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[Commodore 64]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[MSX]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}
|-
!Virtual Console [[Arcade game|Arcade]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|}

{{note|a}} The NES Classic Controller, the SNES Classic Edition Controller and Club Nintendo's SNES Classic Controller have at least partial functionality with all Wii Virtual Console releases, but may require button remapping to accommodate for the lack of buttons.

[[MSX]] games also support USB keyboards, as the original system featured their input. However, Commodore 64 titles use a pop-up "virtual" keyboard, which can be toggled on and off by pressing the "1" button on the Wii Remote, and are only used to set up the game and are not for input during gameplay.

===Titles===

{{main article|List of Virtual Console games for Wii (Japan)|List of Virtual Console games for Wii (North America)|List of Virtual Console games for Wii (PAL region)|List of Virtual Console games for Wii (South Korea)}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2"| System
! rowspan="2"| [[List of Virtual Console games for Wii (Japan)|Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong]]
! rowspan="2"| [[List of Virtual Console games for Wii (North America)|North<br /> America]]
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[List of Virtual Console games for Wii (PAL region)|PAL region]]
! rowspan="2"| [[List of Virtual Console games for Wii (South Korea)|South<br /> Korea]]
|-
! Europe
! Australia
|-
| [[Commodore 64]]  (NA & PAL Regions only)
| <center>-</center>
| <center>-</center>
| <center>-</center>
| <center>-</center>
| <center>-</center>
|-
| [[MSX]] (Japan only)
| <center>-</center>
| <center>-</center>
| <center>-</center>
| <center>-</center>
| <center>-</center>
|-
| [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES/Famicom]]
| <center>147</center>
| <center>94</center>
| <center>79</center>
| <center>77</center>
| <center>23</center>
|-
| [[Master System]]
| <center>14</center>
| <center>15</center>
| <center>15</center>
| <center>15</center>
| <center>-</center>
|-
| [[TurboGrafx-16|TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine]]
| <center>119</center>
| <center>59</center>
| <center>58</center>
| <center>58</center>
| <center>-</center>
|-
| [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive/Genesis]]
| <center>91</center>
| <center>73</center>
| <center>74</center>
| <center>74</center>
| <center>-</center>
|-
| [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES/Super Famicom]]
| <center>102</center>
| <center>63</center>
| <center>64</center>
| <center>65</center>
| <center>13</center>
|-
| [[Neo Geo (system)|Neo Geo AES]]
| <center>75</center>
| <center>54</center>
| <center>54</center>
| <center>54</center>
| <center>-</center>
|-
| [[Nintendo 64]]
| <center>20</center>
| <center>21</center>
| <center>21</center>
| <center>21</center>
| <center>4</center>
|-
| Virtual Console [[Arcade game|Arcade]]
| <center>78</center>
| <center>21</center>
| <center>20</center>
| <center>20</center>
| <center>-</center>
|- class="sortbottom"
!| Total || 659 || 398 || 385 || 384 || 40
|}

===Storage===

Games downloaded from the Virtual Console library can be stored in the Wii's built-in 512 MB [[flash memory]].

[[Wii system software]] versions 2.0 and later allow Virtual Console and WiiWare games to be moved from the console's internal memory to a removable [[Secure Digital|SD card]] and then back to the same console.
Wii Menu 4.0 added a new menu to run channels from an SD card provided there is enough free space to hold a copy of the channel in internal memory. If the console runs out of memory, the SD menu will offer to move other channels to the SD card.

Virtual Console games are locked to the Wii on which they were purchased—they cannot be transferred to another Wii via an SD card, although it is possible to purchase games in the Wii Shop Channel and send them as gifts to people on their Wii Friends list. This procedure does not work across regions and it has been reported that bought titles cannot be sent to users from other countries either, even if they are on the same region. In the event that a Wii is damaged and the Virtual Console games can no longer be played, Nintendo will provide support (if the serial number or console email name can be provided). Also, if a Wii owner transfers all data on their console to a [[Wii U]], the ability to download those titles from the Wii Shop Channel, along with all save data currently on the Wii, is transferred.

===Game saves and save data===

Game saving is functional and intact on the Virtual Console for all games which originally had a save feature on their cartridge.  Saved games are saved to the Wii Internal Memory and function exactly as the original cartridge did. A game which in its original cartridge form did not have any form of save feature will not have any save game feature on the Virtual Console (though depending on its original system it may have the suspend feature as described below).

Most first-party N64 games used internal cartridge memory for game save data and thus will save properly on the Virtual Console. A select few first-party and nearly all other N64 game cartridges utilized the extra memory capability of the [[Controller Pak|N64 Controller Pak]]. Saving of data to the Controller Pak is not supported by the Virtual Console, so for those games which used this feature, the save feature will not work properly in the Virtual Console.

An extreme example is that of ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'' which uses internal cartridge memory for progress and save game data. Consequently, all progress is saved properly (since it was saved to the cartridge itself) but one of the features in Mario Kart 64 (saving ghosts for racing at a later date) will not work since that particular feature utilized the Controller Pak, and the option to copy data to the Controller Pak won't function in those games.

===Suspending play===

Like other emulation software, the Wii Virtual Console enables the user to suspend play of a game at any time. To do this, users simply return to the Wii main menu from the game. Two exceptions to this are the N64 and Neo Geo AES, titles which do not support this feature. The N64 will allow play to be halted by returning to the Wii Menu but will require the person to start from the title screen to continue playing.  Note that suspending play enables the player to pause the game indefinitely but does not function as a "save state" in that, once the game is resumed, the user will be able to pause play again (overwriting the suspend point) but will not be able to return to the previously suspended state.

The suspend feature will not be available if the user resets the Wii with the reset button on the front of the console during gameplay.  Further, if the Wii loses power during gameplay, there will be no further suspend state, nor will there be a way to restart from the previous suspend state. There are some exceptions, however. Arcade games released by Bandai Namco feature an updated menu and when reset during gameplay the save state will be saved before the console is reset.

==Nintendo 3DS==
[[File:Virtual Console logo (3DS).png|thumb|250px|The Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console logo]]

===Titles===
{{main article|List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (Japan)|List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (North America)|List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (PAL region)|List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (South Korea)|List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (Taiwan and Hong Kong)}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2"|System
! rowspan="2"|[[List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (Japan)|Japan]]
! rowspan="2"|[[List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (North America)|North<br /> America]]
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (PAL region)|PAL region]]
! rowspan="2"| [[List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (South Korea)|South<br /> Korea]]
! rowspan="2"| [[List of Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS (Taiwan and Hong Kong)|Taiwan and Hong Kong]]
|-
! Europe
! Australia
|-
| [[Game Boy]]
|| <center>70</center>
|| <center>50</center>
|| <center>49</center>
|| <center>49</center>
|| <center>13</center>
|| <center>4</center>
|-
| [[Game Boy Color]]
|| <center>20</center>
|| <center>31</center>
|| <center>29</center>
|| <center>29</center>
|| <center>7</center>
|| <center>3</center>
|-
| [[Game Boy Advance]] (Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors only)
|| <center>10</center>
|| <center>10</center>
|| <center>10</center>
|| <center>10</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|-
| [[Game Gear]]
|| <center>22</center>
|| <center>16</center>
|| <center>16</center>
|| <center>16</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|-
| [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES/Famicom]]
|| <center>111</center>
|| <center>64</center>
|| <center>63</center>
|| <center>62</center>
|| <center>15</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|- 
| [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES/Super Famicom]] ([[New Nintendo 3DS]] only)
|| <center>49</center>
|| <center>30</center>
|| <center>31</center>
|| <center>31</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|- 
| [[TurboGrafx-16|TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine]] (Japan only)
|| <center>4</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|-
| [[3D Classics]]
|| <center>24</center>
|| <center>22</center>
|| <center>22</center>
|| <center>22</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|- class="sortbottom"
!| Total || 310 || 223 || 220 || 219 || 35 || 7
|}

===Storage===
Virtual Console games are saved on an SD card and are accessible through the Nintendo 3DS home menu.

===Game saves and save data===
The save feature for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual console service is similar to the Wii's. However, unlike the Wii's, the games can save a single "restore point" that can be used as much as the player wants to but is replaced and overwritten if the player makes another one.

==Wii U==
[[File:Virtual Console logo (Wii U).png|thumb|250px|The Wii U Virtual Console logo.]]

===Control===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! width=175 |
! width=150 | [[Wii U GamePad]]<br>([[Off-TV Play]])
! width=150 | [[Wii U Pro Controller]]
! width=150 | [[Wii Remote]]
! width=150 | [[Wii Classic Controller]] '''<small>b</small>'''
! width=150 | [[USB Keyboard]]

|-
! [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES/Famicom]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES/Super Famicom]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||n.b. '''<small>a</small>'''||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[Nintendo 64]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[TurboGrafx-16|TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[MSX]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}||{{yes}}
|-
! [[Game Boy Advance]]
|{{yes}}||{{yes}}||n.b. '''<small>a</small>'''||{{yes}}||{{no}}
|-
! [[Nintendo DS]]	
|{{yes}}||{{no}}||{{no}}||{{no}}||{{no}}
|}

{{note|a}} Wii Remote is compatible with SNES and GBA releases, but may require button remapping to accommodate for the lack of buttons.<br>
{{note|b}} NES Classic Controller, the SNES Classic Edition Controller and Club Nintendo's SNES Classic Controller have at least partial functionality with all Wii U Virtual Console releases except DS games, but may require button remapping to accommodate for the lack of buttons.

===Titles===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2"|System
! rowspan="2"|[[List of Virtual Console games for Wii U (Japan)|Japan]]
! rowspan="2"|[[List of Virtual Console games for Wii U (North America)|North<br /> America]]
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[List of Virtual Console games for Wii U (PAL region)|PAL region]]
|-
! Europe
! Australia
|-
| [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES/Famicom]]
|| <center>148</center>
|| <center>94</center>
|| <center>89</center>
|| <center>89</center>
|-
| [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES/Super Famicom]]
|| <center>101</center>
|| <center>51</center>
|| <center>49</center>
|| <center>49</center>
|-
| [[Nintendo 64]]
|| <center>22</center>
|| <center>21</center>
|| <center>21</center>
|| <center>21</center>
|-
| [[TurboGrafx-16|TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine]]
|| <center>52</center>
|| <center>40</center>
|| <center>40</center>
|| <center>40</center>
|-
| [[MSX]] (Japan only)
|| <center>23</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|| <center>-</center>
|-
| [[Game Boy Advance]]
|| <center>102</center>
|| <center>74</center>
|| <center>70</center>
|| <center>70</center>
|-
| [[Nintendo DS]]
|| <center>31</center>
|| <center>31</center>
|| <center>31</center>
|| <center>31</center>
|- class="sortbottom"
!| Total || 479 || 311 || 300 || 300
|}

===Storage===
Virtual Console games are saved either on the Wii U's flash storage (8GB or 32GB) or can be saved on a USB flash drive or external hard drive.

===Game saves and save data===
The save feature for the Wii U Virtual console service is similar to the Wii's however unlike the Wii's, the games can save a single "restore point" that can be used as much as the player wants to but is replaced and overwritten if the player makes another one. Game saves from Wii Virtual Console games cannot be transferred to the Wii U versions since they are based on different builds.

==Nintendo Switch==
{{main|Nintendo Entertainment System (Switch)}}
The [[Nintendo Switch]] does not use the "Virtual Console" label for the digital distribution of its older games from past platforms. However, they are instead released to subscribers to the Switch's Online service, while others are made available through the Switch's eShop. Classic titles originally released on non-Nintendo hardware, such as the [[Neo Geo]] and [[Sega]] platforms, are releasing via the Switch's eShop under the ''[[Arcade Archives]]'' and ''[[Sega Ages]]'' banners, respectively.

==Differences from original games==
Nintendo has stated that the Virtual Console releases will be faithful to the original games, eliminating the possibility of graphical enhancements, customizable controls, or added online multiplayer features. However, for various reasons, the gameplay experience is not always identical to the original.

===Peripherals===
Some Nintendo 64 games offered optional features that required peripheral hardware, such as the [[Rumble Pak]] for force feedback and the [[Nintendo 64 accessories|Controller Pak]] for additional data storage. Because these peripherals are not emulated or simulated in the Wii Virtual Console, the games played on the Virtual Console as they would on the Nintendo 64 without the peripherals attached. In particular, ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'' cannot save "Ghost Data" since no Controller Pak is available, ''[[Cruis'n USA]]'' still allows saving game data but data cannot be copied to a Controller Pak. ''Wave Race 64'' still has the ability to save progress but like ''Cruis'n USA'' the copy ability that allowed data to be copied to the Controller Pak cannot be used. Similarly, both games ''[[Mario Golf (video game)|Mario Golf]]'' and ''[[Mario Tennis]]'' cannot use a Transfer Pak to copy data to or from a real Game Boy Color or the 3DS Virtual Console running the respective companion game.

Three Famicom games—''[[Excitebike]]'', ''[[Mach Rider]]'' and ''[[Wrecking Crew (video game)|Wrecking Crew]]''—included the ability to save player-designed levels via the [[Famicom Data Recorder]]. Since this peripheral was never released outside Japan, the NES versions of these games did not support this save feature. Despite this, all three games have had the feature implemented in their Virtual Console releases for Wii and Wii U, allowing players to save course data to the system's memory or an SD card; however, these features are not present in the Virtual Console releases of ''Mach Rider'' and ''Wrecking Crew'' for Nintendo 3DS, although the [[3D Classics]] release ''3D Excitebike'' does retain this feature as it is not a Virtual Console release.

The N64 game ''[[Pokémon Snap]]'' allowed players to take their [[Game Pak]]s to special in-store kiosks to print stickers of their in-game photos; the Virtual Console version emulates this by letting players send a photo to the Wii Message Board once per day but this was removed from the Wii U version. Also, the Virtual Console versions of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening|The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX]]'' (Game Boy Color) and ''[[Super Mario Bros.|Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]'' (Game Boy Color) on the Nintendo 3DS cannot print photos from either game, since this required the [[Game Boy Printer]] peripheral to be attached throughout both games and any features that required use of the Game Boy Color Infared port can't be used since the 3DS uses different infared technology from the Game Boy Color.

===Controllers===
Some reviewers have reported that games play differently due to the different controllers. For example, ''[[Super Mario World]]'' is often cited as being more difficult to play due to the GameCube controller's button mapping. The [[Super Famicom Classic Controller|Classic Controller]] has a button layout more like that of the Super NES controller, and an adapter has been released that enables a player to plug an actual Super NES controller into one of the Wii's GameCube controller ports. Similarly, most N64 Virtual Console games have mapped the Z button to the L, ZL and ZR buttons and the C-buttons to the right analog stick on the Classic Controller, which some reviewers have described as awkward. Furthermore, the mapping of the left analog stick for N64 Virtual Console games does not use the full range of the stick, and instead uses a range of approximately 67%, likely due to the differences in design of the N64 controller's control stick and the GameCube style analog stick. This has been noted to provide a significantly different sensitivity when compared to the original N64 mapping.

Virtual Console releases of Game Boy and Game Boy Color games on the [[Nintendo 3DS]] give the player the option to play the games as they appeared on their original hardware. By holding a button combination while launching the game, the 3DS presents the game in its original resolution rather than upscaling it to fit the height of the screen, making it appear smaller but more crisp. Game Gear games can also be played in the original resolution by changing the screen settings on the touch screen menu. Monochrome Game Boy games can be displayed in both "black and white" and "black and dark green" color palettes, switchable during gameplay.

===Content===
While virtually all Virtual Console games play identically to their original versions, some games have been altered cosmetically to address licensing and copyright issues. ''[[Tecmo Bowl]]'' (NES) originally included the names of real football players licensed from the [[National Football League Players Association|NFL Players Association]], but since the game's release, [[Electronic Arts]] obtained exclusive rights to the license; consequently, the names were removed from the Virtual Console version, with only the players' numbers being shown. Likewise, ''[[Wave Race 64]]''—which featured [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries|Kawasaki]] logos on the title screen, jetskis and ad banners—had the logos removed from the title screen and jetskis, and the banners replaced with Wii and [[Nintendo DS]] banners due to licensing issues with Kawasaki. The [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive/Genesis]] game ''[[The Revenge of Shinobi]]'' originally featured [[Spider-Man]] as a boss character, but because the license to that character had expired, the 2009 release for Virtual Console removes the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] copyright notice and changes the character to pink, but retains all of Spider-Man's behaviors and patterns. The Virtual Console release of ''[[StarTropics]]'' (NES) changes the name of one weapon from "Island [[Yo-yo|Yo-Yo]]" to "Island Star", since Yo-Yo is a trademarked term in Canada.

Other games have experienced minor graphical differences from their original versions as well; most of these changes (as well as several others) were done due to Nintendo being more cautious about epilepsy, since many of the games during that time employed high flickering of color patterns that engulfed the screen. ''[[F-Zero (video game)|F-Zero]]'' (SNES) eliminates the track dimming when the player runs over the edges of the track, and Nintendo 64 games render polygons at a higher resolution than in their original hardware (though sprites and text appear blocky and pixelated by comparison). In ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]'', the screen turns red upon the player losing a life, whereas the original employed a rapid screen flash (Nintendo has yet to use such an effect since the [[Dennō Senshi Porygon]] incident in 1997).

The [[Wii]] and [[Wii U]] Virtual Console release of ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' (NES) uses the updated version featured in 2003's ''The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition'' compilation for the GameCube. While the gameplay is identical to the 1986 original, this release includes the save screen from the [[Famicom Disk System]] version, as well as an updated translation of the introduction screen.

The Wii U Virtual Console releases of the NES games appear to have been [[anti-aliased]], resulting in some characters appearing more rounded or blurred compared to their original, Wii, and 3DS Virtual Console releases. The Wii U Game Boy Advance games have the graphics similarly smoothed, but give the player the option to toggle this effect on or off.
 
One significant difference in gameplay occurred in ''[[Kid Icarus]]'' (NES), which had its password system altered to disable certain special passwords that gave the main character special powers or large amounts of money, while also enabling new passwords to be found. Many players did not like this change, and the later release of ''[[Metroid (video game)|Metroid]]'', which used a similar password system, retained its original behavior. Similarly, ''[[List of Mario sports games|Mario Golf]]'' originally had a code to enable password input for special tournaments, but had this feature removed for Virtual Console.

The title ''Donkey Kong: Original Edition'' was available via promotion on the Wii and 3DS Virtual Consoles, then later was made purchasable on the PAL Nintendo 3DS eShop. This game is a modified version of the NES release of ''[[Donkey Kong (game)|Donkey Kong]]'' to more closely resemble the arcade version, and was originally featured as a mini-game in ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]''. Both the NES version and ''Original Edition'' are available on the PAL Nintendo 3DS eShop. Despite never actually being released on the NES, the game is treated as an NES title but simply lists "Never Released" in place of the original release year.

Wii U Game Boy Advance games do not support multiplayer modes, [[Game Boy Player]] rumble features, sleep mode, or GameCube-connectivity. Similarly, Nintendo DS games made available on Virtual Console are identical to their original release, complete with [[Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection]] set-up screens; however, as the wireless features are not emulated, attempting to use online play or local wireless multiplayer features (such as in ''[[Mario Kart DS]]'') will not function, especially as the original service had been terminated about eleven months prior to the Virtual Console debut.

The Wii U Virtual Console re-release of ''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' features all of the levels from the World-e section of the game unlocked automatically, including levels only released in Japan. This is done by a modified version of the game, where the levels are contained in the game's data and unlocked automatically. In the original game, the levels were unlocked using cards purchasable at various stores, which had dot codes on them containing the level data, and when scanned by the [[Nintendo e-Reader]] peripheral, saved the level to the game's save data for later usage without the card. While the original game could only fit 32 levels at any given time, the Virtual Console version has 38 levels in total, which includes every e-Reader card level ever released.

The Wii U Virtual Console re-release of ''[[Animal Crossing: Wild World]]'' removes the requirement to have someone visit your town and buy an item from Tom Nook's shop in order to upgrade to Nookingtons.

Game Boy games & Game Boy Color games on the 3DS Virtual Console don't support multiplayer modes or the Game Boy Color Infrared link feature (except for ''Pokémon Red'', ''Blue'', ''Yellow'', ''Gold'', ''Silver'', and ''Crystal''). Game Boy Color games also don't support Game Boy Printer features, and N64 Connectivity. NES Games also don't support Famicom data recorder features in games such as ''[[Mach Rider]]'' and ''[[Wrecking Crew (video game)|Wrecking Crew]]''.

==Languages==
Certain games that were originally released only in Japan have been translated and released in other regions on Virtual Console. ''[[Sin and Punishment]]'' (N64), which had never been released in English but featured English voice acting, was released on the Virtual Console in North American and PAL regions; all menu commands and certain in-game text (all originally written in Japanese) were translated into English, but the game retains its Japanese title screen and dialogue subtitles. ''[[The Mysterious Murasame Castle]]'' (NES), and ''[[Summer Carnival '92: Recca]]'' (NES), which had never been released in English, were released in English on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2014. At least one game was fully translated, ''[[Monster World IV]]'' for the Mega Drive/Genesis was fully translated to English for both North American and European PAL regions.