E3 2017 is just around the corner (a little over a month away at the time of this writing) and the gaming industry as a whole is gearing up for its biggest annual event. This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo is shaping up to be a hugely important one for all of the big players in the industry, particularly the three console juggernauts: PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo.
We know that Microsoft will be showcasing the Scorpio, a new more powerful Xbox slated to launch by the end of the year, and Nintendo will have much more of a presence than they did last year given that they just released a brand new console in March. It’s a bit more difficult to predict what Sony is planning, as the continued success of the PlayStation 4 means that they could play things safe and just show a bunch of games, or do something bold and make an unexpected hardware announcement (there are, after all, rumors that a PS4 successor is coming in 2018). Whatever happens, the great thing about E3 is that there is a little something for everyone to get excited about, but these are the games and announcements we fully expect (and in some cases, hope) to see this year.
12. Nintendo Switch Virtual Console
It’s hard to say whether or not Nintendo will make this announcement before, during, or after E3, but one thing’s for sure: it’s only a matter of time before the Virtual Console service makes its way to the Nintendo Switch. The Switch received quite a bit of heat for not launching with Virtual Console, which has been a standard Nintendo feature on Nintendo systems since its debut on the Wii back in 2006. While Nintendo has not come right out and said why VC wasn’t on Switch from day one, the consensus seems to be that it had to get cut in order to get the Switch out on time.
The frustrating thing is that Nintendo hasn’t mentioned anything about their plans for Virtual Console besides that they have nothing to say about it, but it would be a big win for the company if they were to make a big deal about it at E3. My expectation is that they’ll reveal a release date and emphasie some of the big games they have lined up to hit first (your old school Marios and Zeldas, for instance) but I think we’ll also finally receive confirmation that GameCube titles are being introduced to the service for the first time. Virtual Console has the potential to be a big selling point for the Switch going forward and it would be a shame if Nintendo missed the opportunity to hype it up at the industry’s most publicized event.
Photo: Nintendo