Nintendo Switch 2 Game-Key Cards Information from Nintendo [Not regular games]

This is just for some games right? Not all of them
Correct, but if we are honest with ourselves, most publishers are going to choose the option that allows them the highest ROI. I believe most are going to go with the key card method of delivery. Nintendo charges a premium on high density storage cartridges. Hopefully, I'm wrong.
 
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Didn't we tear Xbox across the coals for this? They've effectively killed second hand market here and tied all your purchases to Nintendo's historically abysmal online practices

In twenty years every game you've bought on Switch 2 will be delisted
 
How is it any different than Sony & Microsoft are doing with some discs being just a digital ticket?

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They're all pathetic and should be ashamed. Especially Nintedno with their rip off pricing.
 
So what I'm gathering here is that the original poster misread the link as if all physical games were like this and instead of people actually reading the page, they just all assumed the same even though it said some games.

Whats worse is people have now begun taking that bit of misinformation and spreading it to other threads.

This isn't any different than when some third parties did this on Switch, or on the PS4/5 or on the Xbox one/series. It's a cost saving measure.
 
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It's not all games, CDPR have managed to fit the entire Cyberpunk 2077 and expansion on the cart. If you play modern consoles and think this is a deal breaker, you might as well give up the hobby. As shit as it is, this kind of stuff is here to stay.
 
Didn't we tear Xbox across the coals for this? They've effectively killed second hand market here and tied all your purchases to Nintendo's historically abysmal online practices

In twenty years every game you've bought on Switch 2 will be delisted

Tired Oh No GIF by Law & Order


Holy shit

EviLore EviLore can you change thread title? Peoples are stopping reading at OP which is bait trying to make it sound like all games will do this
 
So what I'm gathering here is that the original poster misread the link as if all physical games were like and instead of people actually reading the page, they just all assumed the same even though it said some games.

Whats worse is people have now begun taking that bit of misinformation and spreading it to other threads.

This isn't any different than when some third parties did this on Switch, or on the PS4/5 or on the Xbox one/series. It's a cost saving measure.
lol welcome to the internets
 
Tired Oh No GIF by Law & Order


Holy shit

EviLore EviLore can you change thread title? Peoples are stopping reading at OP which is bait trying to make it sound like all games will do this
If the tech exists it's likely a lot of publishers will take the cheapest route in the West as we saw multiple times with Japanese carts having full games and US/EU having only parts or half the collection on the cart.
 
If the tech exists it's likely a lot of publishers will take the cheapest route in the West as we saw multiple times with Japanese carts having full games and US/EU having only parts or half the collection on the cart.

If the tech exists?

Switch 1, PS5, Xbox series, and PS4, Xbox one, had this "tech".

Nintendo is slapping a big fat logo on box to warn consumers what they're getting. That's it.

Bravely Default remaster that would be likely 99% digital? You can now resell it with this cart.

I really don't understand the fuss.



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There's even a site for does it play, as in 100% offline play or download required


Gen to gen its increasing, all platforms and Xbox is particularly having this a lot.

I would say, having a key attached to physical media is already a better step than Switch's empty case with digital only which is attached to your account. You can actually resell this.
 
If the tech exists?

Switch 1, PS5, Xbox series, and PS4, Xbox one, had this "tech".

Nintendo is slapping a big fat logo on box to warn consumers what they're getting. That's it.

Bravely Default remaster that would be likely 99% digital? You can now resell it with this cart.

I really don't understand the fuss.



bfsje01qbcva1.jpg


There's even a site for does it play, as in 100% offline play or download required


Gen to gen its increasing, all platforms and Xbox is particularly having this a lot.

I would say, having a key attached to physical media is already a better step than Switch's empty case with digital only which is attached to your account. You can actually resell this.

Not having full game is terrible for physical collectors. The higher prices Nintendo seems to be setting in the new carts and more comprehensive approach to these "empty" carts are going to drive even more manufacturers to utilize this shit.

Is it better vs eShop code? Absolutely. Is it good? No.
 
Bravely Default remaster that would be likely 99% digital? You can now resell it with this cart.

Just to nitpick but Square has been pretty good about putting their switch releases on a cart. I own a ton of them and the only one with a download is Star Ocean 2 remake and if I understand correctly, the full game is on the cart and you're just downloading additional spoken languages.

I do appreciate the idea of these carts because it makes sense in a lot of scenarios but I do think it will lead to less games offering the full games on a cart.
 



This might be a deal breaker for me. I know there aren't many of us left, but as someone who has almost exclusively bought physical games, and has a sizeable Nintendo Switch collection.

They finally killed off physical.
Yeah, this is honestly FUCKED.

Nintendo should have laid down the law that selling "physical" copies of games that can't actually be played, should not be permitted and could potentially even be subject to fines.

I'm genuinely curious about the legalities of this, actually. Is someone purchases a physical object, there is a reasonable assumption that it will work as is. Requiring a downloaded is very obviously unethical, but I think it might genuinely be illegal (or at least, easy to be argued in a court of law).
 
Correct, but if we are honest with ourselves, most publishers are going to choose the option that allows them the highest ROI. I believe most are going to go with the key card method of delivery. Nintendo charges a premium on high density storage cartridges. Hopefully, I'm wrong.
Yeah, I think the game card uses the SD Express technology, SD Express is still expensive
 
Yeah, this is honestly FUCKED.

Nintendo should have laid down the law that selling "physical" copies of games that can't actually be played, should not be permitted and could potentially even be subject to fines.

I'm genuinely curious about the legalities of this, actually. Is someone purchases a physical object, there is a reasonable assumption that it will work as is. Requiring a downloaded is very obviously unethical, but I think it might genuinely be illegal (or at least, easy to be argued in a court of law).
Well, one can litigate anything. The trick is actually having a case. If a game requires a download, it's going to state it on the box (just like they do currently), and the person suing would end up wasting a bunch of money on court and lawyer fees.
 
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Man, Nintendo really like so fuck it up their next gen,

N64 - Amazing
NGC - Bad
Wii - Amazig
Wii U - Pure Trash
Switch - Great
Switch "2" - its not looking that great.
Nintendo Gamecube was awesome, what are you even on? Lifetime sales doesn't necessarily always dictate whether a console is great or not. In fact, I'd argue the NGC has aged way better than N64. The Wii was loaded with shovelware.
 
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This might be a deal breaker for me. I know there aren't many of us left, but as someone who has almost exclusively bought physical games, and has a sizeable Nintendo Switch collection.

They finally killed off physical.
This is very anti consumer. I have been all digital with my switch but I still want physical media to actually mean something.
 
Litterally the only thing that sucks is the $80 pricing of MK. Otherwise the pricing of the console is in line with what it's capable of doing and the launch lineup is solid.

This solves the problem of 150GB file size games for a cart based handheld.
What's not looking so great?
Nintendo is charging $70 for Switch ports. Tears of the Kingdom will be $80.
 
So what I'm gathering here is that the original poster misread the link as if all physical games were like this and instead of people actually reading the page, they just all assumed the same even though it said some games.

Whats worse is people have now begun taking that bit of misinformation and spreading it to other threads.

This isn't any different than when some third parties did this on Switch, or on the PS4/5 or on the Xbox one/series. It's a cost saving measure.
Exactly. This is basically the exact same thing the MGS Master Collection did on Switch. Nothing new, nothing to see here.

Does it suck? yes, but it's inevitable with physical cartridges and games with ever increasing file sizes
 
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Nintendo Gamecube was awesome, what are you even on? Lifetime sales doesn't necessarily always dictate whether a console is great or not. In fact, I'd argue the NGC has aged way better than N64. The Wii was loaded with shovelware.
Tell this to shareholder, NGC is the best Nintendo system imo, but It didnt sold well.
 
So this doesn't actually tie the game to the account?

Unpopular opinion but this is probably the best compromise to keep a physical media option around at least a little longer.
 
Nintendo is charging $70 for Switch ports. Tears of the Kingdom will be $80.

BOTW and TOTK upgrades are FREE to NSO membership owners. Also it's probably no more than a $10 upgrade for those that already own it.

You act as if buying the game all over again is the only option. Quit your bitchin'
 
having a key attached to physical media is already a better step than Switch's empty case with digital only which is attached to your account. You can actually resell this.
Thats what i thought too, as long as the Game Key Cards are a minority of physical releases and you can actually share this Key Card or resell it, it is actually better than previous system that was just a code in empty box.
 
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Looks like Elden Ring Tarnished Edition will be a game key cart as well.


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I really don't understand what this is or what the benefit is it almost sounds like it's worse than either physical or digital. Like you have to insert a dummy card to download the game digitally and than you have to insert the card each time to play the digitally downloaded game!? I guess this allows you to "sell" your digital games?!? Just a stupid ass plan.
 
I really don't understand what this is or what the benefit is it almost sounds like it's worse than either physical or digital. Like you have to insert a dummy card to download the game digitally and than you have to insert the card each time to play the digitally downloaded game!? I guess this allows you to "sell" your digital games?!? Just a stupid ass plan.
I'm guessing its kind of a way to keep retailers happy. They can still sell the games in-store. Or for publishers who want to have shelf space at a retailer.

It's not too different from what we have now - There are Switch boxes that warn you that you're buying a digital game and now a physical one.
 
BOTW and TOTK upgrades are FREE to NSO membership owners. Also it's probably no more than a $10 upgrade for those that already own it.

You act as if buying the game all over again is the only option. Quit your bitchin'
Not NSO, NSO with that expansion pack which is extra $30 /year.
 
I would be more upset but my switch 1 literally has one physical game and that is BotW from launch.

It's been a digital platform since day 1 for me
 
It's a shame that the cart doesn't come with the full game, but we all knew that this day will come.
As long as the cart carries the license, that can be transferred/off-loaded to another (i.e. used)... I'm quasi okay with it.
 
Man, Nintendo really like so fuck it up their next gen,

N64 - Amazing
NGC - Bad
Wii - Amazig
Wii U - Pure Trash
Switch - Great
Switch "2" - its not looking that great.

I completely disagree. I think if you are a fan of nintendo, every generation has delivered from them.

They are unmatched for consistency across so many generations. Sometimes their gimmicks don't land and the Wii u was a marketing mess, which they suffered from but even the Wii u had great games.

I still have mine and I play it regular. Plus it's back compat with Wii so I can play punch out haha
 
As long as the cart carries the license, that can be transferred/off-loaded to another (i.e. used)... I'm quasi okay with it.

Yeah, this is imporatant for me (OK, I would preffer a full game on the card, but this way I can still resell some games and buy some second hand games and there should be less chance of the cartridge being damaged).
 
Didn't we tear Xbox across the coals for this? They've effectively killed second hand market here and tied all your purchases to Nintendo's historically abysmal online practices

In twenty years every game you've bought on Switch 2 will be delisted
Not if I buy the Switch 4 editions
 
PS+ Essentials is the same price but better.
NSO Expansion is $50 per year, with access to dozens of games across multiple systems. PS+ Essentials is $80 per year with 3 random downloads per month. If you don't give a crap about the 3 random downloadable games per month then that's a very subjectable statement....i.e. no acces to PS2/3 library.

And If all you care about is cloud saves, NSO is undoubtedly the better option @ $20 per year.
 
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Man, Nintendo really like so fuck it up their next gen,

N64 - Amazing
NGC - Bad
Wii - Amazig
Wii U - Pure Trash
Switch - Great
Switch "2" - its not looking that great.
Their pure handhelds always seem to do well. There consoles have been hit and miss for 30 years. Though Nintendo did a great job making hybrid system switch killing two birds with one stone.

Looking at your list there is no way coming from big success with NES and SNES anyone could guess the success rate of their console compared to reality. It's like rolling the dice. I agree with your list except N64 I'd put as good. Missing a ton of big third party games.
 
Also, forget about preservation and being able to play your old games in the future.

Kids today won't be able to do the same things we can do with our NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, Playstation, etc. Meaning, being able to play our old games. From now on everything will be tethered on some online DRM or subscription. I doubt these "keys" will be functional a couple of generations after Switch 2.
Don't worry you will be able to pay for your subscription on your switch 4 to play emulated switch 2 games. Switch 2 online will be great.
 
Sorry if this has been answered definitively already, but has this actually been confirmed that the key card isn't a one time use thing( in other words it attaches to your account as it would a digital game, thus removing any agency in terms of resale)? I recall a rumor some time ago that Nintendo was considering doing this. Asking because I never bought one of the 'full game download' games. Will we be able to 'unattach' it if you wanted to sell the game?
 
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I don't understand the point of this at all. So it's the worst of both worlds? Not actually digital, so you'll still need to plug in a physical card, but not actually physical, so you'll still need to download the game. What in the fuck?
 
I don't understand the point of this at all. So it's the worst of both worlds? Not actually digital, so you'll still need to plug in a physical card, but not actually physical, so you'll still need to download the game. What in the fuck?
It's not all bad stuff. You can still share the game between any number of friends and family members, and you can still resell it when you're done.
 
I don't understand the point of this at all. So it's the worst of both worlds? Not actually digital, so you'll still need to plug in a physical card, but not actually physical, so you'll still need to download the game. What in the fuck?

You get a benefit with lending, trading, selling this that digital doesn't afford you but sacrifice some of the convenience.
 
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