After years of slowly trickling games from the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES libraries onto the Nintendo Switch, new consoles will make their debut in late October... with a catch.  Coinciding with the introduction of classic Nintendo 64 games including Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as well as Sega Genesis games such as Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Ristar is a new tier of paid service for the Nintendo Switch Online service.  For a price yet to be announced, players will have to buy the NSO's Expansion Pass to access the new console libraries.  If you want to overdose on 1990s nostalgia, Nintendo will sell wireless N64 and Sega Genesis controllers for $49.99 each.  Jay Peters at The Verge has all of the details along with the full list of launch titles for both consoles.

I will upgrade my NSO subscription to access the N64 games as very few of those have come back around again beyond the Wii Virtual Console days and it will be convenient to be able to play my old favorites in an easily accessible format.  Nintendo has even announced the addition of games such as Banjo-Kazooie to the service in the future (which is a big deal all by itself).  The Genesis games, on the other hand, have been kept in circulation for years thanks to compilation titles for modern consoles and even now-retro consoles (there are generous collections for multiple generations of Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox) plus the Sega Genesis classic micro console.  These games are cheap and easy to find.  Sure, add them to Switch, but I can't help but feel that they aren't that big a splash.  Even the novelty of Sega titles on Nintendo hardware was done back in the GameCube and Game Boy Advance years.  Hopefully we'll see games that have been in the vault show up eventually.

Relive the glory days with authentic Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis wireless controllers. Both will be available for purchase for $49.99 each to any #NintendoSwitchOnline members. Stay tuned for more information to come. pic.twitter.com/MENafDLLRs

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 23, 2021

It is absolutely anniversary season in the world of video games as this week we're commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the release of the Nintendo GameCube.  Join us for a discussion about the best and worth that the system has to offer along with some personal favorites and memories.  The big hitters like Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Mario Sunshine, and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker are covered, of course, along with games including Sonic Gems Collection, Wario World, Spider-Man, Viewtiful Joe, and plenty more. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. 

The anniversaries just keep on coming as this week we turn our attention to the thirtieth anniversary of the release of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America.  Bundled with Super Mario World and debuting with release titles SimCity, Pilotwings, and Gradius III, the Super NES would go on to host some of the very best video games of all time.  On this week's episode, we discuss the console's highs and lows along with some personal memories of how playing Super NES games were important moments in our lives. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.