Popular Nintendo games such as New Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will arrive to the Nvidia Shield set-top box in China, marking the first time that these titles will be released to Android.
The rollout of the Nintendo Wii and GameCube titles to an Android device, however, could mean that Nintendo is thinking about expanding the number of platforms where its older games are available.
Nvidia Shield In China Supports Nintendo Wii, GameCube Titles
The Nvidia Shield was originally released in North America in 2015. The Android-powered set-top box is finally being rolled out to China, with the same Tegra chipset, remote, and controller that comes with the original version. The device, however, will be largely localized, with voice control AI enabled by Baidu and a Chinese store.
What makes the Nvidia Shield's arrival to China such a big deal is the partnership between Nvidia and Nintendo to bring some of its most popular games from previous-generation consoles to the set-top box.
In addition to Nintendo Wii games New Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Punch-Out!! will also be available on the Nvidia Shield. The only announced Nintendo GameCube title so far is Super Mario Galaxy. The games will be remastered in 1080p for the set-top box, with more titles set to be announced soon.
The Nvidia Shield will be sold at a price equivalent to $225 in China, with the Nintendo Wii games to cost $10 for each download. There is no price announced yet for Nintendo GameCube titles.
What Does This Mean For Gamers?
With the arrival of Nintendo Wii and GameCube titles to the Nvidia Shield in China, this opens up the possibility that the games will also find their way to other Nvidia Shield devices around the world.
Nintendo and Nvidia have already experienced success together, as it is Nvidia's Tegra X1 chip that is powering the massively popular Nintendo Switch. Nintendo games coming to the Nvidia Shield will definitely boost the popularity of the set-top box.
Taking the speculation a bit further, this might also mean that Nintendo is now more willing to release its older games into other platforms. For Apple fans, there is at least a sliver of hope that you will soon be able to play New Super Mario Bros. on your iPad.
In the meantime, Nintendo Switch owners are still waiting for the launch of Nintendo Switch Online. The service will grant access to classic Nintendo games, in addition to online multiplayer capabilities.
