About 3 weeks ago, Nintendo surprised us with an extended catalog for Switch Online program subscribers, with the arrival of the N64 and Mega Drive games. If the announcement was greeted with joy and good humor, except for the additional price to be added, which is still unknown, some users believed they recognized the European versions of these games, which therefore run in 50hz, since that was the norm at the time. In order not to leave players in the dark, Nintendo has decided to speak up on social networks and reassure its community.
All Nintendo 64 games included with #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack can be played in 60Hz English language versions. Select games will also have the option to play the original European PAL version with language options. pic.twitter.com/nZeO4WQaPN
– Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) October 11, 2021
All games will run well in 60hz, but will only be available in English. This means that non-English speakers will have to choose between French or 60hz, or quickly start taking English lessons with assiduity. Something to reassure players, especially speedrunners, who obviously exclude all 50hz games that run slower. Because little reminder of the facts: in the 90s, there were three publication areas for television, namely PAL, NTSC and SECAM. While NTSC included the United States and Japan, PAL and SECAM were reserved for Europe and France, which had to be content with a slower 50hz standard. We also remember that for the Super Nintendo, it was possible to add a chip capable of switching the console to 50 / 60hz mode which guaranteed better use of the games. It was the golden age.
