Before the Switch Online’s games catalogue, Nintendo ran a service called the Virtual Console, which allowed players to purchase retro games on the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS.

Now, a new leak has surfaced suggesting that Nintendo was at some point planning to add the Virtual Console to Switch. This info was shared by luigiblood via Yakumono’s Blog, and consists of leaked internal emails from gaming emulation company iQue. These emails refer to a piece of software codenamed “Clipper”, believed to be the planned Virtual Console for Switch.

The Switch version of the Virtual Console would have worked the same way as its previous iterations, with some key differences. You can read a short summary below, or check out luigiblood’s full post here.

• Switch Online subscribers would have received a free monthly game.
• Games started in CRT mode would have had a short animation mimicking starting the game on a CRT tv.
• The option to speed up or slow down the emulation.
• Online Netplay would have been supported, including a special mode where controllers could be randomly shuffled between up to 4 players every 30 seconds.
• The following games were tested for inclusion
  • Final Fantasy
  • Final Fantasy III
  • Mega Man 2-6
  • Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri dōchū
  • Star Luster
  • Banjo-Kazooie
  • Blast Corps
  • Ogre Battle 64

Luigiblood believes that this Virtual Console port was the original plan for including retro games on Switch, but was ultimately scrapped in favor of the Switch Online subscription model that we know today.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.