There's a shitstorm brewing over Nintendo's first Wii U Virtual Console release, the NES classic Balloon Fight. The game is only ¢30 at the moment, but European users have still found something to complain about: theirs is the 50hz version that was originally released on their PAL TV sets back in the day, while North America, Japan et al. get the supposedly superior 60hz version.
We had no idea this was even a thing, but apparently PAL TVs used in the U.K. and Europe in the past had a slower refresh rate, so games released there had odd borders and ran almost 20 percent slower. It may sound minor, but it actually makes a huge difference, and old PAL games noticeably chugged—check out the video for an example from neoGAF user Tilmen.
Some argue that Nintendo should release the NTSC version of Virtual Console games, even if Europe, because it's the superior version. Others posit that European players are simply getting a more authentic version for their region.
Apparently this isn't even a new thing—Virtual Console games on the original Wii suffered from the same problem, and even PS1 classics on the PlayStation Network are not immune.
Should Nintendo do something about it? Or are gamers simply making a big deal out of nothing?
