DS games will be coming to the Wii U Virtual Console
But will it use both screens?
Nintendo DS games will be ported onto the Wii U's virtual console, Nintendo has announced.
The reveal just popped up on Nintendo Japan's site (via NintendoLife). The only picture demonstrating the conversion is an image of Brain Age where the GamePad screen is divided vertically to emulate the spine of the DS.
It may seem somewhat odd to port games from a dual-screen system onto another dual-screen system and only use one of the screens, but peeling one's eyes between the adjacent DS screens is a lot less cumbersome than looking back and forth between your lap and TV. Plus the dimensions of the Gamepad emulate those of a DS when turned on its side. It's unclear if all games will make this same sort of transition or if others will in fact use both screens. Perhaps all titles will come with an option for both? That would be pretty slick.
We've contacted Nintendo asking for clarification on exactly how this will work and we'll let you know if we get confirmation either way.
Additionally, Nintendo showed off a video of its "quick-load" update that will allow players to boot up software on the GamePad slightly quicker than waiting for it to also manifest itself on the TV. Using this feature means you're taken to a slightly different menu where you first select the software you wish to run, then the user, and it goes straight into game
Elsewhere tonight Nintendo announced that it will be bringing Nintendo Network IDs onto mobile devices and debuting some sort of health-related platform - possibly a 3DS accessory - in 2015.