Pokemon Stadium 1 & 2 for Nintendo Switch is missing a major feature, and fans are unhappy about it

Following the recent Nintendo Direct, the beloved classics for Nintendo 64, Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Stadium 2, were announced to be joining the Switch's catalog of Nintendo 64 games. However, players are not happy about the absence of its main feature.

As many Pokemon fans may know, the original Pokemon Stadium titles were known for allowing players to connect their copies of the main series titles. It could be done via the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak that would attach to the console's controllers. This allowed players to take their creatures from the handheld onto the big screen.

With many seeing this feature as one of the only reasons these two groundbreaking titles for the Pokemon franchise exist, many are outraged to see this key mechanic absent from these Nintendo Switch ports. So, questions may arise - Why is this the case? Is there any hope for this feature to find its way back into these games?

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Fans lament the absence of Pokemon Stadium's key Transfer Mechanic

For many, the lack of the ability to transfer one's Pokemon into Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 makes the games unplayable. However, newer fans should not be deterred by these statements. The titles feature a mechanic that allows the player to "rent" a team, much like the Battle Factory from Pokemon Emerald and Platinum.

However, those with prior experience with these titles will know that the rental Pokemon that players have at their disposal can be quite unreliable. These are infamous for having movepools that make no sense and may even be unusable for more difficult stages of the game's battles.

However, there are players on the complete opposite side of the spectrum who have expressed gratitude towards Nintendo for finally bringing this childhood staple to the next generation. One of the points of interest that this side has expressed comes in the form of the second entry's many different minigames.

Many players have expressed fond memories of them playing these games either because of these minigames they could play with friends or battling with a team of rental Pokemon. This has given the release of Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 a bit of a split among the community.

Enter Joe Merrick, the webmaster of the famous Pokemon information website, Serebii.net. With the recent outrage expressed by a portion of the community, Merrick felt the need to give his take on why this vital feature is absent from the upcoming ports. He surfaced some positives regarding this topic of discussion.

In short, Merrick expressed that the transfer functionality of these Nintendo 64 titles was reliant on hardware, the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak, and a physical Pokemon cartridge, rather than software applications like Pokemon Home and the 3DS Virtual Console ports. He later said that this could change but the chances of that happening are slim.

Given that these titles have their saved data connected by a Nintendo Switch Online membership, the option to "transfer" it from a Game Boy Pokemon game onto a Nintendo 64 title through these Virtual Console catalogs may only be accomplished if Nintendo ports Game Boy titles onto their service.