In the previous article I went through my predictions about Nintendo Switch 2. I wanted to see for myself whether I managed to get them right or not.
Among the things I covered, I was especially happy that Switch 2 still opted for physical game cartridges.
Physical media allows players to retain, trade and sell the games they’ve paid money for. I still think it’s the gold standard for gaming and should be embraced.
However, with the Switch 2 a new format of cards was also introduced: the game-key cards.
Despite being physical cards, they don’t contain a game. Instead, they simply act as a proof of ownership.
They can still be traded and sold, transferring ownership from one person to another. But the game itself will have to be downloaded. So as soon as Nintendo pulls the plug on Switch 2’s servers, they become e-waste.
(Or tiny decorations, if you want to be lenient.)
And… I was rather optimistic: “This is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s sort of an upgrade!” Compared to the one-time digital download codes that have been plaguing both PC gaming and Switch 1 for a long time, the fact that game-key cards can at least still be traded and resold during the console’s lifetime is a massive improvement.
Where I went wrong
I was thinking of game-key cards as a step up for the shadier publishers to finally ditch their digital download codes once and for all by offering a simple game-key card instead.
What I did not expect was this:
One-time digital download codes were not upgraded to game-key cards.
Instead, almost all games that should be using physical game cartridges have been downgraded to using game-key cards!
Even Square-Enix opted to distribute the Switch 2 version of Octopath Traveler 0 as a game-key card. If you want the game on the cartridge, you’ll have to buy the Switch 1 version!
Switch 1 became well known for being the go-to console for when you wanted to build a robust physical collection, but Switch 2 is certainly failing in that aspect right now. What exactly is going on here?
What’s causing it, and the change that may be on the horizon
What I didn’t realize before reading GameSpot’s article about it was that Nintendo has only been allowing publishers and developers to buy somewhat massive 64GB cartridges for Switch 2. Aside from game-key cards, that has been the only option for true physical releases.
So what I started wondering, is how much does one of those standard 64GB cartridges cost? Or in other words, how much would it add to the price of a game?
Apparently the cost is about $16 per cartridge.
… That is quite a lot.
All this time I’ve been thinking that I wouldn’t mind paying some 2-6 bucks extra for a true physical product. That’s not a bad price for me if it means I get a physical version instead of a digital one.
But $16, and possibly some extra due to taxes and whatnot? I don’t wonder why hardly no company decides to go for it.
Not to mention that the 64GB is quite an overkill for many Switch 2 games. Many first-party titles could easily fit into 16GB and 32GB cartridges (Mario Kart World and both Zelda Switch titles are about 24GB. Donkey Kong Bananza is only about 10GB!)
Recently there have been rumors that smaller 16GB and 32GB cartridges may be available sometime in the future. It’s still a far cry from the variety that Switch 1 offered (1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB), but hopefully it’ll allow for more publishers to offer a true physical option for their game without having to ask for almost 20 more bucks from their audience.
