Wii U Virtual Console games won't import previous save files

With the Wii U's Virtual Console announced, many wondered whether save files from the Wii's Virtual Console can be brought over. In a rather bold move, Nintendo says no.

Speaking to Kotaku, Nintendo says the Wii U's Virtual Console is connected to the Wii equivalent in name only. You will be able to play a older games on your Wii U GamePad, but what if you purchased them on the older console?

There are two ways around this. You can still access the Wii's Virtual Console through your Wii U, and can transfer your Wii data straight onto the new console. Saved games can be accessed by heading through the original Wii's VC screen- but cannot be played on the GamePad.

Alternatively, you can pay a fixed fee ($1 for NES games, $1.5 for SNES), to re-download the titles onto the Wii U VC and your GamePad. You cannot transfer your saved game data using this method.

Is this a little cheeky from Nintendo?