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Vintage Computing has done Wii owners everywhere a huge favor withthis article, which finally pits the prices of Virtual Console titles versus the prices of hard copies of the same games in a no-holds-barred data battle. Is it true that the Virtual Console is a ripoff, or is it actually one of the cheapest legal ways around when it comes to playing old games?

As usual, the truth is somewhere between the two hardcore stances. Some titles are actually much more expensive on VC than a secondhand hard copy would be, and some are dramatically cheaper, and some are really about the same.

Check behind the cut for a list of the games where the VC edition is significantly cheaper than buying a hard copy would be, as compiled from the Vintage Computing lists. My criteria for "drastically cheaper" is, basically, anything that costs at least twice its VC price in hard copy form. To finish, a breakdown of the system library prices just for the hell of it to illustrate what collectors might find the VC the best possible deal, and a discussion of the hidden costs associated with both methods of playing classic games.

NES Bargains on VC

• Bubble Bobble: $20.98 vs. $5.
• Donkey Kong: $14.99 vs. $5
• Donky Kong Jr. Math: $11 vs. $5
• Kid Icarus: $13.75 vs. $5
• Mario Bros.: $11.07 vs. $5

System Total: $273 vs. $288

Verdict: NES titles on the VC are, for the most part, a ripoff, and mostly due to poor title selection on Nintendo's part. The most serious offenders are all of the antique sports games that aren't really worth playing at all anymore, let alone dropping $5 on. NES carts in working condition are also pretty common, so it's easy to get just about anything actually worth playing (your Metroids and Marios) for roughly the VC prince or less in cart form.

Out of the handful of "expensive" NES games represented on the VC, the only one worth playing for its own sake is the relatively obscure Kid Icarus. Mario Bros, Bubble Bobble, and Donkey Kong have been reissued in so many ways that are so cheap now that buying them on the VC or for the NES just to play is pretty silly. As for Donkey Kong Jr. Math... seriously, is there anyone out there who was dying to play this again? (Sardius, you better not make a liar out of me.)

Super NES Bargains on VC

• Breath of Fire II: $29.98 vs. $8
• Contra III: The Alien Wars: $16.49 vs. $8
• Donkey Kong Country: $17.01 vs. $8
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: $18.40 vs. $8
• Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!: $20.84 vs. $8
• R-Type III: The Third Lightning: $19.90 vs. $8
• Super Metroid: $17.69 vs. $8

System Total: $354.38 vs. $216.00. Note that the system price comparisons seem to be skewed by a typo in the Metal Marines price (which is $64.5 instead of $6.45 as probably intended). Corrected for that probable error, the prices are actually $296.33 vs. $216.00.

Verdict: Even without Metal Marines in play, the advantage of VC is much clearer in the prices of the SNES titles. The nature of the SNES collector's market is such that you're going to end up paying an inflated price for many titles, for reasons that seem mysterious when just glancing over the system roster. Many of these titles have been ported several times and are easily available at lower prices on more modern systems.

The best bargain of all is Breath of Fire II, which suggests that the notoriously inflated market prices for SNES RPGs could perhaps be bypassed in the future thanks to more VC releases. Take, for instance, the rarely-ported and always ludicrously overpriced Chrono Trigger....

Still, most of the individual titles on the SNES roster, even popular favorites that you might expect to be collectible, can be obtained in cart form for less than half of their VC cost. This means that if you happen to have a working SNES on hand, it's always worth your while to check cart prices before opting to download a title.

N64 Bargains on VC

• Mario Kart 64: $25.90 vs. $10
• Paper Mario: $28.90 vs. $10
• Sin and Punishment: $40.00 vs. $12
• Super Mario 64: $20.36 vs. $10

System Total: $169.42 vs. $102.00.

Verdict: While the N64 representation on the VC is small, few of the titles there are outright cheaper if purchased as carts. Most are equivalent or, as in the cases above, drastically cheaper. This is especially true for Sin and Punishment, where a hard copy buyer would have the extra hassle of obtaining an import system or modded system to play on. This means that, overall, N64 are generally more worth downloading from a cost-consciousness perspective than the more popular NES and SNES titles.

Genesis Bargains on VC

• Alien Soldier: $90 vs. $9
• Golden Axe III: $20.00 vs. $9
• Gunstar Heroes: $23.49 vs. $8
• Shining Force: $31.99 vs. $8
• Streets of Rage III: $34.23 vs. $8
• ToeJam & Earl: $29.99 vs. $8

System Total: $406.59 vs. $353.00.

Verdict: Except for the pricy collector titles listed above, most Genesis cart prices are equivalent to or much cheaper than the $8 VC fee for the games. This makes the vast majority of the VC Genesis line-up a ripoff to someone who has a system that plays Genesis carts.

What's interesting is seeing the very different factors t play in the prices. Golden Axe III and Streets of Rage III appear to be outright rarities, while ToeJam & Earl and Shining Force seem to be experiencing the usual RPG price inflation. Alien Soldier's price inflation is obviously because it was an import, making DLing it via VC for 1/10th the price a tremendous deal. Gunstar Heroes sort of squeaks into the collector price bracket, probably on the strength of Treasure's die-hard collector fandom.

Neo-Geo Bargains on VC

• Baseball Stars 2: $30 vs. $9
• Magician Lord: $20 vs. $9
• World Heroes: $24 vs. $9

System Total: $135.00 vs. $72.00

Verdict: The only Neo-Geo VC title that isn't higher than $9 in cart form is the super-common King of Fighters '94, so the VC would seem to be a more attractive option for virtually every game. Obviously, it's especially attractive for the pricier carts listed above. One thing to bear in mind is that the original list notes that the average Neo-Geo prices are based on very little sales activity for the past month. This could mean that trying to find Neo-Geo carts to buy is going to be a difficult task by itself.

TurboGrafx-16 Bargains on VC

• Air Zonk: $30 vs. $6
• Alien Crush: $18.45 vs. $6
• Blazing Lazers: $29.95 vs. $6
• Bloody Wolf: $35.80 vs. $6
• Bomberman '93: $79.99 vs. $6
• Bonk's Adventure: $15.85 vs. $6
• Bonk's Revenge: $23.98 vs. $6
• Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure: $200 vs. $6
• Bravoman: $29.99 vs. $6
• Cratermaze: $20 vs. $6
• Dead Moon: $20 vs. $6
• Devils Crush: $27.00 vs. $6
• Double Dungeons: $17.95 vs. $6
• Dragons Curse: $39.99 vs. $6
• Galaga 90: $29.99 vs. $6
• Gate of Thunder: $40.00 vs. $8
• Legend of Hero Tonma: $34.99 vs. $6
• Military Madness: $45.88 vs. $6
• Neutopia: $15.97 vs. $6
• Neutopia II: $19.99 vs. $6
• New Adventure Island: $54.00 vs. $6
• Ordyne: $27.50 vs. $6
• Riot Zone: $24.97 vs. $8
• Samurai Ghost: $44.99 vs. $6
• Shockman: $13.00 vs. $6
• Silent Debuggers: $19.45 vs. $6
• Soldier Blade: $30.00 vs. $6
• Splatterhouse: $21.23 vs. $6
• Super Star Soldier: $23.00 vs. $6
• Vigilante: $21.48 vs. $6

System Totals: $1,177.67 vs. $294.00

Verdict: Absolutely no contest. The vast majority of TurboGrafx-16 titles can only be found in hard copy form at extremely high prices, due to both the rarity of games and enthusiasm for the hardware. If you simply want to play TurboGrafx-16 titles instead of investing in them, you're much better off going to the VC (especially since many of these games just aren't that great once you get over the novelty). A further complicating factor is that some TG-16 titles available on VC were actually too rare in hard copy form for the list to even find a price for them! This and the Neo-Geo, another rarity, are really the only systems where the VC is going to be the best option 95% of the time, even if you still have original systems.

Hidden Costs: Original vs. VC

There are a variety of hidden costs to figure in for both methods of playing classic games. For the VC, you need to take the cost and relative rarity of the Wii hardware into account, and then the price of extra controllers. Most classic games topped out at 2 players, so that's only two Wii Remotes and maybe two Classic Controllers. All told your start-up costs are probably going to be around $400 if you get a Wii at MSRP. Of course, you'll also need a good wireless broadband connection to use for DLing, too.

With originals, hidden costs vary wildly. All of the original systems represented on VC are pretty easy and relatively inexpensive to obtain in original hardware form, and newer bootlegs that play original game carts can also be common. Your main issue with original systems may be systems simply crapping out and dying due to age, but good care can ameliorate this. If you're only focusing on one system then the start-up cost for original hardware is cheaper, but it can really catch up to you if you want to play games from all six VC systems on original hardware. At that point, the Wii is probably not more expensive, just potentially harder to find.

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