China has very strict rules when it comes to releasing games consoles in the country. That is why console manufacturers partner with local companies to handle the release and sales. Nintendo is no exception, opting to partner with Tencent for a Switch ($299.99 at Best Buy) launch in December. However, this isn't the only partnership Nintendo secured for China.

As Eurogamer reports, a deal has been struck between Nintendo and Nvidia to port Wii and GameCube games to Android while at the same time giving them a 1080p visual upgrade. The confirmed titles so far include Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Punch-out!! These games will be exclusive to the Nvidia Shield ($359.99 at Amazon) .

The surprising news was confirmed by Daniel Ahmad on Twitter who shared the official trailer for the Nvidia Shield in China.

Here is the official trailer and store page for Nvidia Shield in Chinahttps://t.co/E5GHQgkazGhttps://t.co/Sn1gwScjsp pic.twitter.com/WAn9otELoD — Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) December 5, 2017

What is unclear for now is how far this deal between Nintendo and Nvidia extends in terms of future title announcements and markets beyond China. Could we see these Nintendo games offered on the Shield in the West? That seems unlikely as Nintendo would rather sell them through the Switch and these ports will work just as well on Nintendo's own hardware.

I suspect these four games will be used to gauge interest in China. The Nvidia Shield is priced at 1,499 Yen (US$226) and then you have the cost of the games on top of that, which is currently unknown. Who wouldn't want to play Twilight Princess in 1080p, though?

The fact Nintendo and Nvidia have a good enough relationship to make these ports possible should come as no surprise. Both companies are enjoying the benefits of very healthy Switch sales. It is, after all, a hybrid console built using Nvidia's Tegra platform.

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