Nintendo News: Nintendo Sinks in Europe: Wii U Virtual Console Runs at 50Hz Page 1 at Nintendo Cubed3

The first of the upcoming Wii U Virtual Console titles in Europe is reported to run at the archaic 50hz framerate in Europe.

The old standard refresh rate was common place in the older console generation, with European gamers suffering from approximately 17.5% slowdown in most releases. The NTSC standard in Japan and American would run at around 30 frames/second, where as PAL releases would opt for 25 frames/second instead.

Sign our Wii U Virtual Console PAL Games in 60hz petition

With PAL titles running at higher resolutions than the NTSC variety, titles would also produce a letterbox effect and in some cases a squashed/mis-aligned look. Because of the different speed, music has been known to output at varying and sometimes bizzare rates.

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The original Wii Virtual Console has been heavily criticised for running at 50hz in the past only despite a system wide setting to run at 60hz.

Oddly, the Nintendo 3DS releases include 60hz output yet the sole title released in Europe so far - Balloon Fight - runs in 50hz on both the GamePad and on the TV, according to a plethora of Miiverse complaints.

Nintendo may well reconsider the 50/60hz debate for future Virtual Console games and when the service goes live this Spring, but for now Wii U owners in Europe are locked to 50hz for these classic gems.

Have you tried the game on your Nintendo Wii U? Should Nintendo re-consider 60hz for the European Virtual Console?Please take a moment to sign our Wii U Virtual Console PAL Games in 60hz petition today and we shall forward the response to our contacts in Nintendo of Europe and Nintendo UK once reaching a solid figure.