Sources suggest that Game Boy games will be added to Nintendo Switch Online ‘really soon’, to celebrate the service’s third anniversary.
Given how controversial motion controls are to this day, the most unequivocally good thing about the Wii remains its Virtual Console, which is the closest there’s ever been to a true Netflix for games – at least when it comes to retro titles.
Not only did it support Nintendo formats but Sega ones too, plus the PC Engine, Neo Geo, and even the Commodore 64. Once the Wii U came around though all that was suddenly gone and while the Switch now has a good stock of NES and SNES titles no other formats are supported – although that may be changing soon.
According to Nintendo Life and dataminer NateDrake, support for Game Boy and Game Boy Color games is being added ‘really soon’, and probably in time for the third anniversary of Nintendo Switch Online on September 18.
Nintendo Switch Online is a paid for service similar to PlayStation Plus, although around half the price. It’s required to play most Switch games online but comes with various benefits, including NES and SNES Virtual Consoles.
Adding Game Boy support makes sense (it could’ve been done years ago if Nintendo wanted) but if it follows the pattern of the other retro formats it’ll only add a few titles at the beginning and more each month.
There’s no indication that Game Boy Advance titles, or any other Nintendo formats, will be added at the same time, with the closest you’ll get being the remake of Advance Wars due out this December.
Support for formats from other companies, or anything newer than the SNES, also seems unlikely, which is a particular shame given how rare it is for N64 games to get re-released or remastered, the only recent example being the minimum effort version of Super Mario 64 in the now discontinued Super Mario 3D All-Stars.
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