Nintendo Wii Backwards Compatibility

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010

It recently struck me when talking to friends that not many people know that the Nintento Wii is backwards compatible with the Gamecube, and even includes connectivity for the Game Boy Advance. Nintendo Wii Backwards Compatibility is not all plain sailing though as this article explains.

When the Nintendo Wii was introduced, one of the main advantages of the console for many gamers was the fact that it could play Nintendo GameCube games too. With backwards capability, you can use all GameCube games and accessories on the Nintendo Wii. However, there are a few slight problems which you will have to take into account.

The Potential Problems of Playing GameCube Games on the Wii

The main disadvantage which comes with playing GameCube games on the Wii is that you cannot always save your game. So you could be doing really well on a game but you cannot save it and so you would lose everything you had just done. This is especially a problem with adventure style games which take quite a long time to complete. If you would like to be able to save your game then you can always purchase a Nintendo GameCube memory card. That should allow you to save any GameCube game on your Wii.

If you do want to play GameCube games on your Nintendo Wii then another thing that you will have to purchase is a GameCube controller, if of course you don't already own one. Obviously the controllers for the two consoles are completely different. This means that if you attempted to play a GameCube game with a Nintendo Wii controller, it simply would not work. So you do need to ensure that you have some of the GameCube accessories before you use the games on your Wii console.

Another advantage which comes from the Nintendo Wii having GameCube ports is that you can also connect a Game Boy Advance as well as an e-Reader. However again you will need accessories to be able to use this and for the Game Boy Advance you will need a Game Boy Advance Cable.

One thing that also may be a problem is that since the firmware has been updated to 3.0 the console may now not be completely compatible with the GameCube Action Replay feature. This works with GameCube games and so you may experience some problems when you do try to play various games designed specifically for the GameCube.

Finally the Wii will not be compatible with GameCube composite video, component video cables and S-Video due to it using a proprietary port.

So there are some negative things that you have to keep in mind when looking into using the Nintendo Wii for GameCube games. Overall though, it is definitely an advantage that you can play GameCube games on the console. It means that anybody who has previously bought a GameCube before the Wii will be able to still play the games on both consoles. It is easier than having to keep switching between the two machines and the graphics are also really good when playing on the Wii too.

Overall Nintendo Wii Backwards Compatibility is a great added benefit to an already excellent gaming system.