The Nintendo Switch 2 is more powerful than its predecessor, so it is capable of playing larger and more graphic-intensive games. On the Switch 1, those kinds of games would typically become “Cloud Versions”. Fortunately, if you plan to get a Switch 2, you won’t have to worry about that anymore. However, you’ll need to keep an eye out for something else that some Switch 2 games may have.
Some Switch 2 games may only be available via a “Game Key Card”. While these are physical cartridges, they don’t contain the entire game on them. Instead, it is nothing more than a “key” to digitally downloading the full game, though you can still insert the cartridge into the console to start the game up. In other words, it’s a digital game that tries to simulate being physical. It isn’t a real physical release of a game.
Unfortunately, there are some Switch 2 games that will be going down this route. For example, in Asia and Japan, it has been confirmed that Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition will be a Game Key Card. It hasn’t been confirmed to be the case in other regions as well, but it is likely safe to assume that it will. It is also safe to assume that this will not be the only Switch 2 game to do this, though for now, it seems that Nintendo isn’t leaning on this themselves for their own games. However, if they do, we’ll let you know.
Well then it certainly will be the tarnished edition
Skip for me then.
seeing as it is probably around 30-60 gigs, well yeah.
Apparently, Bravely Default Flying Fairy is like this too. It was going to be a day one for me since I love that game, but I’m not buying a key card.
At this rate the successor to the switch 2 will be full digital only. those game cards are not getting cheaper and most 3rd party game size are not getting smaller especially for AAA.
Wouldn’t oppose to that. Physical games have lost their appeal quite a long time ago. Only real advantage is that you can resell it, but since I was never interested in this … 🤷♂️
That sucks
Can someone explain this to me.
If i buy a key card. Does this mean the licence is locked to my machine and I then can’t trade these in ?
the game can be played on any console that the game cartridge is currently in, like any other physical game. however, you have to download the game like a digital game instead of the game being on the cartridge like normal. the cartridge is basically just a “key” allowing you to play a digitally downloaded game.
Can someone explain this to me.
If i buy a key card. Does this mean the licence is locked to my machine and I then can’t trade these in ?
You should be able to trade them in
It’s not locked to the console
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/68415/
@Edward. You legend. Thanks mate
Hasn’t this happened on Playstation for years now? Of course it still sucks…
Yes, some of those games are unplayable without day 1 patches. This is just that to a bigger extent. Any Sony fan will tell you that it’s not a thing, but they all know the dread you go through when you get a game on release day, pop it in, and then you’re promoted to download a 15GB mandatory “update”. Same as with Xbox.
PlayStation games haven’t been played off the disc for a couple generations now. Physical copies just copy the files over the hard drive then the disc is the trigger that allows you to boot up the game. At the end of the day this key card system is identical to what PS has been doing for years.
Yup. PlayStation hasn’t played the game off of the disc for a couple generations now. Physical copies just copy the game over the hard drive and the disc is the “key” that lets you play the game that you have on the system. It’s complete BS to be honest.
honestly I’ve been on PSN since the ps3 era and i don’t even know what this is, i know PSN has voucher codes for games that let you download digital copies of games but idk what a game key card is.
But what’s the point? We might as well make it available only on e-shop, right?
For all the kids asking
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/68415/
Oooohhhh my goooooooooood these practices are all scummy!
Sony has been doing exactly this since the PS3
And? Because Sony did it, it’s ok for nintendo to do the same thing?
Nah I don’t like it. Just sharing info. 🤪 May as well get games digital instead of this nonsense, that’s what I do with PS.
Installation discs are not the same as being a physical key to let you download data from an external server.
They waste more money making something people wont buy, as opposed to if they had just spent more in the first place to make a version people would actually want to get.
Anyone with a PS5 and XBS s/x should be familiar with this. There’s many games that have partial games in the disc and the rest is a day 1 patch. Without that extra download, those games are rendered useless. This is just that (x) 2 lol
If it’s just a matter of “patch day 1” okay, I understand better, I hadn’t seen it like that
But hey, they do like sony and microsoft but people prefer to complain about Nintendo when they are only following the trend…
If the ps5, or xbx used game cards (as the switch does) this would absolutely be the norm for them as well. Just about every “physical” disc based game now is this same thing. It is like your “physical” copy of monster hunter wilds that requires a 15gb download in order to play it, doesn’t sound like we got the whole game on that disc now does it? This is the norm now for all console manufacturers, Nintendo just isn’t using key “discs” and because they are outside of the current, and popular media type for home consoles, their use of this practice appears more obvious. Just some food for thought.
Finally someone with above average IQs commenting. If you dig around yo’ll see that the Switch gamecards are way more expensive materially compared to Bluray, and that cost is passed on to the consumers. Most 3rd party refuse to pay this difference in production so prepare to see more of this “game key” where it’s basically has no flash memory whatsoever.
It probably has like 250mb-1gb of flash memory in it, but I’m sure we will get those details after all the ‘code-divers’ get them in their hands and tell us the key-card contents.
Since it was announced, I have thought that calling it The tarnished edition was odd.. now it makes sense. Off to a fantastic start aren’t we Nintendo…
Why are we blaming Nintendo here? It’s 100% Bamco decision lol
If we go by the footage revealed, it looks lkike 1080p low settings.
If you can play it on pc, play it there. If you can’t you can’t.
From Software aren’t known for performance, I expect heavy cutbacks.
Hopefully the switch developed game will be epic.
No surprise here. 🤷♂️
No full game on physical medium 😔 no money from me 😌
If this is nintendo way, mine way is piracy 👍