QUOTE
	"The titles played on Revolution's Virtual Console will depend upon the titles' sales strategy."

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As gamers bicker about the fate of Nintendo's upcoming Revolution console, they may be overlooking a key component: how we will download games from it. Revolution's Virtual Console is a core feature of the system, and it will act as an online store offering selections from Nintendo's vast video game back catalogue. Yet the way in which these games are sold to consumers will greatly affect how each person experiences the classics. Even if the store contains hundreds of old-school NES, SNES, and N64 games, the amount of titles gamers play will be greatly dependent upon the sales strategy: rent, buy, or subscribe.

When the Revolution's Virtual Console concept was announced last year, it sounded like a perfect service for retro gamers, the hard-core, and even fans of casual titles. By offering a vast wealth of culturally important and critically acclaimed titles, Nintendo will bring to its system a feature Sony and Microsoft cannot compete with. In addition to its ramifications on the console wars, the digital distribution deal also brings old classics to young gamers who might have never played titles like Kid Icarus before. The announcement at last E3 was one of the show's biggest surprises, and reinforced many fans' belief that Nintendo would live on as an important provider of not only new, original games, but classics as well.

However, Nintendo has yet to unveil the program's pricing model, and the company's final decision could impact what and how many games young gamers and loyal N-followers end up playing. While popular franchises like Super Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda are sure to get their fair share of downloads, niche outliers may be overlooked if gamers have to pay heavily for each title. On the other hand, while a monthly subscription fee would give gamers automatic access to a wealth of content, it would also decrease the audience of the titles -- surely not every owner of Revolution will be willing to pay a subscription fee. The different methods should be examined to find how they will each impact the gamer.

Rentals

An innovative approach to distributing titles would be to offer online rentals. With this method, Nintendo could choose to let users purchase games for a specified amount of time -- one week, two days, three hours, etc. Another option would be to charge for hourly usage. The pricing of the rentals will appear to be inexpensive, which will cause a high number of Revolution gamers to take part in the pay-to-play aspects of the Virtual Console. After all, a 99-cent-a-night download is sure to attract more users than a $9.99 game purchase. This approach will follow Nintendo's mantra that every person should play games. Cheap software will bring in the mass market. Further, if any game can be sampled for a low price, gamers may feel more inclined to experiment with their downloads. If it costs next to nothing to try out, gamers will be more likely to try less popular titles such as Yoshi's Cookie and Uniracers. Revolution owners could become knowledge experts on the depth of Nintendo's extended catalog.

However, such a service may hinder the real experience of the titles. If people are paying for the length of playtime, they might rush through their game rentals, never to enjoy the secret pleasures of strolling slowly Hyrule or cutting grass for no particular reason in The Legend of Zelda. Like many things in life, games can be more enjoyable if their playtime isn't limited. Gamers should be able to learn and grow with a title. After all, one reason console games are released for such high prices is their replay value is so high.

Purchases

Another option Nintendo may take is to allow gamers to permanently download and "own" the virtual titles. For a fee, probably between $5 and $12, a Revolution owner would own games on a title-by-title basis. Owning a title gives the user the ability to master a game, and events such as making Mario jump to the top of Princess's castle in Super Mario 64 or beating both versions of The Legend of Zelda will become bragging rights for every N-fan. Further, as gamers master titles, they may turn towards multi-player classics in battles to become "The Ultimate Nintendo Gamer." Perhaps the spread of old 8-bit titles will bring a resurgence in high score competition? It may even be possible for Nintendo to post high-scores on a global internet scoreboard.

An obvious negative when compared to renting is that gamers will end up playing fewer titles. By buying games one at a time, buying patterns will likely drift towards quality, and not quantity. Unpopular titles or games not based off current franchises might get ignored by gamers who might have taken a glance at games if only they were cheaper. If the purpose of the Virtual Console is to bring all of Nintendo's games to everyone, the end result will vary greatly, with gamers only buying games they're already familiar with.

Subscription

A subscription model would allow gamers to access any game in the available title catalog. While gamers may scowl at the thought of a monthly fee, just imagine how much is already being spent on games each year. Indeed, for the price of one new installment of Madden football, gamers might be able to buy five months' worth of the Virtual Console. With a subscription model, all games are fair game, and people will download based off both quantity and quality. Gamers can be patient and master titles over time, or they can download a game just for kicks because it has a famed character's first appearance. A subscription model will be just like the internet -- all the knowledge (or in this case, games) at your fingertips.

Such a library does come with its costs. Whatever the monthly fee is, it will surely shut out some value gamers. Children may not have access to a credit card for subscribing, while casual adult gamers may be weary of throwing their money into a recurring charge account. If Nintendo Revolution is designed to get everyone to get up and play, a subscription fee may just force everyone to get up and go outside to a store instead. Despite years of experience, companies like Microsoft and EA are still struggling to gain mass acceptance of pay-to-play game subscriptions. Another negative is Nintendo may start to provide original content or add-ons to this group of "premium gamers." The subscription fee may grow into a "Nintendo Club," where those who pay will get access to exclusive trailers, special Mario Karts, or playable characters. Is gaming truly all-inclusive where only those who pay more get the full package?

The mass acceptance of gaming for Nintendo Revolution is not only dependent on how the controller functions or how appealing the graphics are (or are not), but it is also dependent on how the online software is distributed. Whether it's renting, buying, or subscribing to the content, gamers will be forced with decisions on how many titles they play and how long they spend with each game. Is gaming meant to be like disposable pop music, only for a short sample until something more fun comes along? Or is gaming meant to be about life-long dedication, where one spends month mastering a title, while at the same time ignoring all of the other pretty babies waiting to be played? Before Nintendo lets us swing Revolution's controller, they should determine how best to make their future downloaders swing with joy.

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