Wii loves MSX

Source: Revogamers and our MSX Forum

The highly anticipated Nintendo Wii just got a whole lot more interesting for retro gamers. Introducing Virtual Console, the Wii will support retro games of various retro gaming platforms including the MSX out of the box. Games for these platforms will be sold for the Wii at a small fee per game to be paid via Credit Card or a 'Wii point card'.

Once again, D4E is involved in making it all happen, as was the case with i-revo. Perhaps needless to say, but D4E is also the company behind the upcoming One Chip MSX and Amusement Center where a large selection of MSX games is already available for PC.

Relevant link: Nintendo Wii virtual console website (Japanese)

Comments (40)

By ARTRAG

Prophet (3867)

14-09-2006, 12:17

I do not read Japaneese. What is the virtual console ?
Does the WII emulate a console and MSX computers and we can run our ancient MSX SW ?
:-)
Or they are going to recompile MSX old game for WII ?
:-(

By Google

By Hydlide

Master (147)

14-09-2006, 12:26

"virtual" implies that there's some sort of emulation going on. babelfish doesn't make much of the site, and the info is very limited for now.

By Bart

Paragon (1415)

14-09-2006, 13:36

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Console_(Wii)

By viejo_archivero

Paragon (1295)

14-09-2006, 15:06

Erm... not many reactions here. Am I the only one thinking this is grrreat news?

By Bart

Paragon (1415)

14-09-2006, 15:29

You're not the only one European sales price is estimated at 190 euros, so I moved that aside already

By mjgsantos

Expert (87)

14-09-2006, 16:30

No, viejo_archivero. Wii care a lot! (sorry, I coudn't resist...)

By POISONIC

Paladin (1012)

14-09-2006, 17:02

this is a piece of the Wii www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/features/img/remote_img2.jpg

By Thom

Champion (439)

14-09-2006, 17:25

You're not the only one European sales price is estimated at 190 euros, so I moved that aside already

I guess 249 euros is more realistic as the launch price in the US will be 249$ (incl. Wii sports).

By Niles

Hero (545)

14-09-2006, 18:27

What's the new?... PC's are being emulating perfectly all MSX software (not only games) many years ago...

One chip MSX it's a great new, cause you will be able to play original MSX software on it, but, I'm not going to expend € 149 or whathever in a last-generation machine to emulate MSX software (again)

By snout

Ambassador (13688)

14-09-2006, 21:51

Mind you, as D4E also arranges the distribution of European MSX software in Japan via Bazix this also greatly increases the potential audience for European MSX developers.

By msd

Paragon (1034)

14-09-2006, 22:31

Well I wouldn't say perfectly.

By Ivan

Scribe (8942)

14-09-2006, 22:57

It is nice to see on that site the MSX system next to Nintendo and Sega consoles (apart from PC Engine)

By legacy

Hero (561)

14-09-2006, 23:00

There is a bit more info @ tweakers.
It's only in dutch, but who can't read that, can use babelfish

By snout

Ambassador (13688)

14-09-2006, 23:03

And they don't even mention MSX @ tweakers... :/

By SLotman

Paragon (1107)

14-09-2006, 23:52

Mind you, as D4E also arranges the distribution of European MSX software in Japan via Bazix this also greatly increases the potential audience for European MSX developers.

Do Brazilian developers can have any hope...?

By snout

Ambassador (13688)

15-09-2006, 00:02

Oh... err.. sorry on that one... Brazilian developers interested in distributing software via WOOMB, Project EGG etc. etc. etc. are invited to contact Bazix as well ^_^ The term "non-Japanese" was more appropriate on this one

By opcode

Expert (80)

15-09-2006, 02:25

Hi snout,
The question is: will the US and European versions of Wii offer an MSX virtual machine, or it's intended to the Japanese audience only? Maybe they release some MSX software in Europe, but I doubt they will do so in the US [unfortunately]...
Just curious: will Bazix be responsible for distributing MSX software for the Wii virtual console outside Japan?

By poke-1,170

Paragon (1605)

15-09-2006, 03:25

such a moron controller... yeah yeah I know nintendo is responsible for all derivative controllers since they came up with it on the NES,
and they want something else, but no way I'm gonna wave around some daft cheap looking remote control to wave it around like a mongoloid !

By poke-1,170

Paragon (1605)

15-09-2006, 03:25

p.s. good thing it supports msx games though

By PhilipsMSX

Supporter (5)

15-09-2006, 06:14

MSx is my favourite computer.
In the console world, Nintendo was always my favourite too.
This announce is really A BIG SURPRISE (I know since few months ago for FC,SFC;MD and PC-Engine but NOT for MSX. !!!)
Hope we can have great MSX games (like last Konami).
Sure the WII will win against X-BOx 360 or PS3 in the MSX Fan heart.

By timofonic

Rookie (31)

15-09-2006, 11:39

www.irwebcasting.com/060914/01/3011c508f5/image/p23.gif

By Samor

Paragon (1363)

15-09-2006, 14:25

yeah, I wonder if Bazix could do something here. it could be just the thing you guys (Bazix) are waiting for, so I'd say, jump on it

By sirpaul484

Rookie (23)

15-09-2006, 22:50

man... I nearly had a heart attack when I saw this news... I have to admit that I didn't see this coming at all.

By dvik

Prophet (2173)

16-09-2006, 00:44

I saw it coming (maybe not particulary the wii maybe). Similar services already exist, like GameTap and for mobile gaming. So its a quite natural to see it coming for other consoles as well.
Its great to see MSX taking a bigger part in the commercial retro gaming though.

Btw, what emulator are they basing it on?

By opcode

Expert (80)

16-09-2006, 03:21

Probably the official MSX Player, since D4E is involved...

By Samor

Paragon (1363)

16-09-2006, 03:24

that would indirectly mean fMSX?

(disclaimer - I don't know how much of MSXPlayer is still fMSX.... who knows, it could be completely different in its current version)

By timofonic

Rookie (31)

16-09-2006, 14:34

fMSX = bullshit

Seriously, I hope MSX Player becomes heavily upgraded or I will not buy MSX games on Virtual Console, fMSX sucks A LOT.

What about using BlueMSX? BlueMSX seems only has one author, and the licesne of source code can be changed by the code author so no problem.

fMSX is crap and very old. BlueMSX is very great and full of hardware support, options and filters.

http://www.bluemsx.com

By snout

Ambassador (13688)

16-09-2006, 14:55

timofonic - you might be surprised to find out that blueMSX started as an fMSX port as well... even though there is not a single line of fMSX code left in it. To MSXPLAYer, fMSX also was merely a starting point.

By kuuno

Master (225)

16-09-2006, 15:56

Time for a new (and bigger) t-shirt perhaps? MSX boot logo and the text "Rev=here"
(I forgot the basic command where you can add your own text under the MSX logo.
Rev in this case does naturally not mean Revolution but Revival....

By mars2000you

Prophet (2644)

16-09-2006, 16:09

SET TITLE "text",color
then save by SET SCREEN and reset !

By timofonic

Rookie (31)

16-09-2006, 16:22

snout- Why not using BlueMSX instead working on already outdated code? They will save A LOT of work.

By kuuno

Master (225)

16-09-2006, 16:23

Actually I thought of that commado... damn.. after all these years... _title"Rev=here"

By hap

Paragon (1711)

16-09-2006, 16:41

timofonic: Most likely they'll base it on MSXPlayer. MSXPlayer's based on fMSX, and has been improved since, just like blueMSX or NLMSX were based on fMSX.

I don't think dvik is willing or able to sell blueMSX anyway (it's GPL license right?)

By GhostwriterP

Champion (448)

16-09-2006, 17:07

fMSX is crap and very old. BlueMSX is very great and full of hardware support, options and filters.Why a need for that hardware support? Do you really think you gonna be able to play or run your own games or programs. It is a game console! Download against payment!

By timofonic

Rookie (31)

17-09-2006, 08:32

jonemaan - Please learn more about coding licenses: GPL license not forbits to relicense the same source code if you are the author of the source code, the only problem could be to rewrite all the source code not written by the author(s). If there are two authors and both agree, not problem too. I see nothing wrong if the BlueMSX author relicenses source code for getting a great amount of money that even can help BlueMSX development and Wii will have a better emulator for MSX games too.

GhostwriterP - Hardware support means more compatibility for future games, and probably D4E will sell recent games in the future too.

By hap

Paragon (1711)

17-09-2006, 11:29

Sorry, I should have been clearer. blueMSX wasn't written solely by dvik; parts of its code have been written by others, eg. Moonsound code's from openMSX, who in turn have it from MAMEdev. Sure, he could rewrite everything, basing it on the original code, but then it's bye bye good reputation of dvik

By Manuel

Enlighted (7235)