Nintendo makes new Wii model (for Europe, so far), removes GC BC/ports

[A Black Falcon]

No, if they're removing wi-fi they certainly aren't adding the much more expensive 3G instead... no, the new PSP-E1000 will only be able to access the PSN Shop if you connect it to a PC via a USB cable and do it that way.

And yes, that means that it has no multiplayer support either. But it's only 100 euros, so worth it!

Yeah I said that above :D.

Oh yeah you did, I missed it.

Anyway, a software solution would be a good idea. The thing is, there's missed revenue here, the good kind, the kind that benefits your customers. Both the Wii and (by extension) the Wii U should have all the hardware they need to play Gamecube games, if only they put in a software solution for dealing with peripherals. Sane people assume Nintendo will actually have decent storage space on the Wii U (sane people make some rather crazy assumptions sometimes). The virtual console, a vast collection of old games provided via emulation, makes crazy money. Nintendo would do well to sell old Gamecube and even Wii games on it. They wouldn't need to program an emulator, and the "art" for the menu is already built into those games. It's some of the easiest money they could make, sans network costs, which really is only the infrastructure they should be investing in anyway. Operating costs are pretty cheap these days. I really don't see why Nintendo isn't doing this.

I agree on all points, it's pretty stupid how far Nintendo is letting itself fall back in online support.

I mean, I like physical media a lot, but it'd make so much sense to have much better online support... I'd think it'd make them more money, for one thing, and you can't let your opponents always be five steps ahead of you can you?

I kind of understand it -- digital download stuff is MUCH less popular in Japan than it is in the West, and Nintendo is focused on Japan, as always -- but that doesn't mean it makes any more sense, they are supposedly a global company after all.