Nintendo Switch won’t have virtual console games at launch

With next week’s launch looming, Nintendo has provided a few more details on what its online shop will look like for the Nintendo Switch. One thing that won’t be there when the device launches on March 3rd is retro games: today the company announced that its virtual console classic games service “will not be available on Nintendo Switch at launch. We will share more information in the future.” Previous reports claimed that the Switch will eventually feature GameCube titles as part of its virtual console lineup.

There will be at least a few titles on the Switch’s digital eShop at launch, however. Three indie titles will be available on the 3rd, including old-school platformer Shovel Knight, its latest expansion Specter of Torment, and Wipeout-style racer Fast RMX. Nintendo claims that the eShop will feature more than 60 indie games by the end of the year. (At launch the eShop will only be accessible following a day one system update, which Nintendo says “downloads in the background, is designed to install quickly, and doesn’t disrupt gameplay.”)

It’s a scant lineup of digital titles to choose from, but there’s at least some good news with regards to how digital purchases work on Switch: if you already own a 3DS or Wii U, you’ll be able to share your wallet for purchases across all three devices. “People who already have funds in their accounts on other Nintendo devices can access them using a shared wallet that works on Nintendo Switch as well,” the company explains. “Once they link their Nintendo Network ID and Nintendo Account and then their Nintendo Account to their Nintendo Switch system, this functionality becomes possible.”

The Nintendo Switch launches on March 3rd alongside The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.