Beginning October 25, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers will be able to access a library of Nintendo 64 games on Switch, but not in widescreen. Gameplay footage from the September 2021 Nintendo Direct and subsequent trailers showed these games in their original, 4:3 aspect ratios, similar to the NES and Super NES games already on the console.

In the Direct presentation, Nintendo revealed these classic games will be available through the new, higher-priced Expansion Pack membership. The Expansion Pack will make nine Nintendo 64 games playable at launch, including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64, along with 14 Sega Genesis games and online and local multiplayer support for certain titles. More N64 games, including Pokémon Snap and F-Zero X, will be added in the future.

Related: Zelda's N64 Games On Switch Kills Hopes For Anniversary Collection

This is not the first time Nintendo has made N64 games available on newer consoles - not even on Switch. In September 2020, Super Mario 64 was brought to Switch as part of the limited-release Super Mario 3D All-Stars. This wasn't a full-on port, however, as fans discovered through the collection's files that all three games in 3D All-Stars ran on emulators. The Wii U's eShop also offered several emulation-based N64 titles for sale as part of its Virtual Console. Rather than re-rendering the games from scratch in a larger screen size, these emulators simply run them as they would be on the original, 4:3-aspect-ratio console. In the case of Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Nintendo Switch Online, the N64 games are upscaled to HD, but they are still limited to the square output.

Leaving The Switch N64 Games In Their Original Aspect Ratio Is A Good Thing

Nintendo Switch Online N64 Games Not Fullscreen Resolution Why Expansion Pack HD

The news that the Switch N64 games are not fully remastered may leave some disappointed, and the Expansion Pack's $49.99 USD yearly price tag - a $30 increase from the current individual Switch Online membership - has led to widespread outcry from Nintendo fans. That said, others are still excited for the chance to replay these old titles in HD, and any stretching of the aspect ratio to fit the full Switch resolution would cause warping and distortion of the games' graphics. They may look a little silly, especially in handheld mode and during cutscenes where black letterboxing bars further shrink the display area, but leaving the N64 games' aspect ratio as-is preserves their graphical quality.

Along with the N64 games, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will include free access to Animal Crossing's Happy Home Paradise DLC, available November 5. Nintendo is also releasing wireless Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis controllers for the Switch, which will sell exclusively to NSO members for $49.99 on October 25, allowing them to experience these games with even more authenticity.

Next: N64 Games That Won't Appear On Nintendo Switch Online