The announcement of Game Key Cards, something that will be happening on the Nintendo Switch 2, has been met with mixed reception. Game Key Cards are cartridges that don’t contain the full game. They are actually a “key” to digitally download the game. They can be physically inserted into the Switch 2 as if it were a physical game, but it isn’t actually a physical release of the game.
Nintendo‘s first-party offerings have been staying away from using any Game Key Cards, but third-party offerings have been a different story. Some games in the United States, such as Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, are Game Key Cards. Not all of them are that way though. In Japan, however, that is unfortunately not the case. Switch 2 software pre-orders have gone live in Japan, and it has been discovered that all Switch 2 third-party games available for pre-order so far are Game Key Cards. It is unknown if these games will have the same fate in western regions.
Mmmm I see. So I guess some third party games do have game key cards but not most of them? Very understandable.
Why? Why make and sell the cartridge just to not even put anything in it except a key code? I get it for bigger file sizes, but all games? I’m not even touching Game Key Cards, so I won’t be engaging in this.
This is… concerning. My interested in buying a key card is zero.
I drink Blah’s ussy fluids
This put perspective to CD Projekt’s decision to use 64GB red card for Cyberpunk as super generous. Or in other words, most third parties are stingy as phuck.
Since I went all digital 2 years ago and physical having almost no charm to it anymore, I don’t really care. 🤷♂️
I care if I’m going to buy a physical Nintendo game because Nintendo is inevitably going to shut down their online store years from now as they’ve done in the past. This will leave the used market useless if the game is dependent on online services. Piracy will be the only option for what will be a retro games console by then.
By the way, do we know what prices these are at? Are they the same as digital, physical or something in between?
This right here is the biggest issue with the Switch 2. Not the console price or first party game price, but this shitty way they are going to screw over people with 3rd party games. And unfortunately, it really is the fault of Nintendo. While stuff like this existed on the Switch 1, by offering this new standard for companies, and supposedly having only one alternative standard size cart as an alternative, its all but ensuring the majority of these cheap ass 3rd parties are going to use them every time. The fact that even small games like Bravely Default and Survival Kids uses them, just does not bode well at all, and most people wanting a physical copy that is actually complete, will likely just go and get it on the PS5 if its available. It’s really sad to see Nintendo push this when the Switch 1 has so many great physical 3rd party offerings and Indie devs in particular have flourished on it, which are possibly the biggest group hurt by this if its true that Nintendo is not offering smaller size cart purchase offerings. Hopefully these initial key pass garbage releases flop hard and they all get proper releases shortly after. Very bold of these companies to especially try this in Japan whete consumers still value physical copies strongly.
“if its true that Nintendo is not offering smaller size cart purchase offerings” I need legit source for this. Because that’s a huge allegation.
It’s been discussed on numerous other sites that focus on physical releases and supposedly was confirmed by a developer.
Source: my ass.
If you need evidence that this is most likely the case for Switch 2 games, you only need to look at the titles just announced that are getting both Switch 1 and Switch 2 releases. Raidou: Remastered is complete on cart on the Switch 1, but the Switch 2 version is a game key. Likewise, Sonic X Shadow Generations is another one that is complete on Switch 1, but the upcoming Switch 2 version is a game key.
Another reason I’m probably skipping the Switch 2 unfortunately. I want it but $70 – $80 first party games that didn’t impress enough to be those prices for me and now this.
This is really bad man
This is partially why it just makes more sense for me to go digital with Switch 2. Virtual Game Cards I can lend to family members and friends sounds like a better deal and no more need to play the FOMO game on physical releases. I just won’t buy any games until I’m ready to play them. No new backlog (still the old one though).
If Nintendo pushes me to go all digital, I will do so without paying for their games.
This, for me, removes one of the main purposes of collecting physical copies of games: knowing that my game is in my hands. I get genuine peace and satisfaction looking at my small library of games knowing I can pop them in their relative console and play them. It mitigates that (somewhat but not entirely illogical) anxiety of losing my games to server shut downs.
If the game key card could download the game’s files to the cartridge itself and keep there, I wouldn’t mind too much. I don’t mind doing the extra step of putting the game’s date on the cartridge for the developer/publisher. But if it just downloads the files to the console, as I assume, then it’s a hard pass for me and I will either buy a physical copy for a different console or bite the bullet and buy the game digitally.
Frankly, I don’t want to look at my game library and feel a pang of disappointment every time I see the faux-physical copies.
As someone who often still plays my 3DS/DS and all my old Nintendo consoles, this WILL directly affect me when they shut the servers down in 10 years or so.
I am planning on leaving my game collection to my daughter someday so I have a vested interest in those games being playable. Whether she keeps them to play or sells them is up to her but they will be hers to decide what to do with, not Nintendo’s decision.
People need to grow some balls and speak with their wallets. I hear so much of “well this sucks but I’ll give them money anyway”. Look what happened with Alan Wake 2. People protested the no physical copy and sales tanked. What did Remedy do? They came out with a physical copy to appease a portion of people that refused to buy the product.
If you say you don’t support a behavior, you can’t turn around and just say “well I’m going to support it anyway and hope the giant money making corporation will just do the right thing”
A 64gb high speed SD card can be gotten for $10 these days on Amazon. Nintendo’s carts are probably cheaper. They are probably charging $2-3 bucks for a 64GB card wholesale.
Many of these third party games can fit on a 64gb card. But you are seeing these games announced as download keys on 8GB carts with Switch 2…and they will be $80-$90 !
Bravely Default literally says the cart requires a full game download of “11GB”…..11 GB !!!! They couldn’t be bothered to fit that on a cart.
Street Fighter 6 requires a full game download of “50GB” ?!?!? …why can’t that fit on the 64GB cart ? Cyberpunk 2077 will apparently be on the cart and be upwards of 60GB so we know it can be done!
Elden ring PS4 version is 45GB on disc….yet this is this a Game Key Card on Switch 2. Why is FromSoft and Nintendo requiring a download of the full game?
Why?…That is the question you should ask yourself and you know the answer already.
GREED + CONTROL