Back in 2018, we moaned when Nintendo officially retired the Virtual Console—its longstanding catalog of downloadable classics for the Wii and Wii U—and replaced it with time-restricted access to a selection of titles via a paid Nintendo Switch Online plan. Today, Hamster Corporation is filling that gap by offering downloadable retro console games for individual purchase on the Switch 2.
During today’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, Hamster revealed a new Console Archives line of emulated classics available to download now on Switch 2 and next week on PlayStation 5 (unfortunately not on Xbox or the original Switch). The initial slate includes the original PlayStation snowboarder Cool Boarders priced at $12 and the NES action-platformer Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos for $8, with Hamster promising more obscure entries like Doraemon and Sonic Wings Special will follow.
If Hamster Corporation’s name rings a bell, it’s because the company runs the Arcade Archive series, which has sold standalone arcade game re-releases and emulated ports on modern consoles since 2014. That project, which marked its 500th release in December, even features some of Nintendo’s old arcade titles that Nintendo never officially put on the original Virtual Console.
Hamster says it’s broadening that approach “with the concept of faithfully reproducing masterpieces released on various home game consoles, allowing players to easily enjoy them on the latest hardware.” These new releases are more minimal than the rich, museum-style collections from teams like Digital Eclipse, but they do offer modern conveniences such as remappable controls, display options, and save/load at any point.
