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  3. Nintendo Switch 2 Game-Key Card Overview

Nintendo Switch 2 Game-Key Card Overview

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  • thehatfox@lemmy.worldT [email protected]

    Game-key cards are different from regular game cards, because they don’t contain the full game data. Instead, the game-key card is your "key" to downloading the full game to your system via the internet.

    Pay a premium for a physical copy of your game, and the cartridge may not contain the actual game. Only on Nintendo Switch 2.

    hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH This user is from outside of this forum
    hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH This user is from outside of this forum
    [email protected]
    wrote on last edited by
    #29

    Fuck you Nintendo. Because if you lose or damaged the game card, making it unreadable by the card slot, you won't be able to play the game. Due to the game card having the license that allows you to play the game. You'll own nothing and you'll like it, gamer.

    kraw@linux.communityK J 2 Replies Last reply
    0
    • vegetvs@kbin.earthV [email protected]

      It's the other way around. You can download the same game in all of your consoles and actually play them at the same time. Something you can't do with cartridges, because you can only play the game in the console where the cartridge is inserted. You'd need one cartridge per console to play the same game simultaneously. So digital games are objectively better for your scenario.

      4 This user is from outside of this forum
      4 This user is from outside of this forum
      [email protected]
      wrote on last edited by
      #30

      Can you download a game on the same account to two switches and play them at the same time?

      1 Reply Last reply
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      • S [email protected]

        Many Ubisoft games and Activision games on the Switch 1 were sold like this.

        sparky@lemmy.federate.ccS This user is from outside of this forum
        sparky@lemmy.federate.ccS This user is from outside of this forum
        [email protected]
        wrote on last edited by
        #31

        Switch cards hold a maximum of 32GB, maybe that’s why? Although it seems no excuse for Switch 2, given it’s a whole new generation, why not support larger cards? I mean you can buy a 256GB microSD for $15, and that’s a private individual buying one; at scale, the memory can’t be too expensive..

        S 1 Reply Last reply
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        • thehatfox@lemmy.worldT [email protected]

          Game-key cards are different from regular game cards, because they don’t contain the full game data. Instead, the game-key card is your "key" to downloading the full game to your system via the internet.

          Pay a premium for a physical copy of your game, and the cartridge may not contain the actual game. Only on Nintendo Switch 2.

          7 This user is from outside of this forum
          7 This user is from outside of this forum
          [email protected]
          wrote on last edited by
          #32

          One of the things I really like about the Switch is that I can actually buy a whole physical game that doesn't need an Internet connection. Sure, I have to check a website first, but I can at least curate my wishlist with games that are complete on cart.

          ? 1 Reply Last reply
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          • hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH [email protected]

            Fuck you Nintendo. Because if you lose or damaged the game card, making it unreadable by the card slot, you won't be able to play the game. Due to the game card having the license that allows you to play the game. You'll own nothing and you'll like it, gamer.

            kraw@linux.communityK This user is from outside of this forum
            kraw@linux.communityK This user is from outside of this forum
            [email protected]
            wrote on last edited by
            #33

            Isn't that how all physical media works?

            hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH 1 Reply Last reply
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            • ? Guest

              One thing I don't see people mentioning is that Nintendo Switch 1 game cartridges had 32gb of storage. We don't know about regular Switch 2 cartridge storages, but they've already announced games like Elden Ring and Hogwarts Legacy that are much bigger than that.
              Add in the fact that Switch 2 promises games in 4k (when docked) and there's a very decent chance that these game-key cartridges exist because some games wouldn't fit in cartridges and would otherwise have to be digital-only or not be on this console at all.

              K This user is from outside of this forum
              K This user is from outside of this forum
              [email protected]
              wrote on last edited by
              #34

              I don't think there is anything stopping nintendo from making 64GB or larger cartridges except the cost.

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • kraw@linux.communityK [email protected]

                Isn't that how all physical media works?

                hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH This user is from outside of this forum
                hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH This user is from outside of this forum
                [email protected]
                wrote on last edited by
                #35

                No. You have to download the game and need the cartridge to play it.

                M C 2 Replies Last reply
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                • hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH [email protected]

                  Fuck you Nintendo. Because if you lose or damaged the game card, making it unreadable by the card slot, you won't be able to play the game. Due to the game card having the license that allows you to play the game. You'll own nothing and you'll like it, gamer.

                  J This user is from outside of this forum
                  J This user is from outside of this forum
                  [email protected]
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #36

                  That's a really dumb take. That's just the downside of physical media.

                  The real problem of this is just the same as the digital games. Once the Nintendo switch store inevitably goes offline like the Wii and 3DS, your key card becomes useless e-waste no matter how good you care for it.

                  hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • J [email protected]

                    That's a really dumb take. That's just the downside of physical media.

                    The real problem of this is just the same as the digital games. Once the Nintendo switch store inevitably goes offline like the Wii and 3DS, your key card becomes useless e-waste no matter how good you care for it.

                    hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH This user is from outside of this forum
                    hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH This user is from outside of this forum
                    [email protected]
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #37

                    Question. Did you open OPs link? Because all you're doing is buying a license on cartridge. You have to download the game and you need to insert the cartridge to play the game. Nintendo managed to figure out a way to add all the inconveniences of physical media to digital only games.

                    J 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH [email protected]

                      Question. Did you open OPs link? Because all you're doing is buying a license on cartridge. You have to download the game and you need to insert the cartridge to play the game. Nintendo managed to figure out a way to add all the inconveniences of physical media to digital only games.

                      J This user is from outside of this forum
                      J This user is from outside of this forum
                      [email protected]
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #38

                      Yes, and did you read wha ti said?... I agree with what you just said.

                      hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH 1 Reply Last reply
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                      • hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH [email protected]

                        No. You have to download the game and need the cartridge to play it.

                        M This user is from outside of this forum
                        M This user is from outside of this forum
                        [email protected]
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #39

                        It's not unheard of, though. Modern Warfare 2 had only a 70MB file on its disc, basically a license, and required you to download the actual game.

                        Note I'm not defending this. It's a nightmare for game preservation and pushes us ever further in the direction of never owning anything. I'm just saying Nintendo isn't breaking new ground with this particular outrage.

                        1 Reply Last reply
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                        • J [email protected]

                          Yes, and did you read wha ti said?... I agree with what you just said.

                          hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH This user is from outside of this forum
                          hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH This user is from outside of this forum
                          [email protected]
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #40

                          That’s a really dumb take.

                          I agree with what you just said.

                          🤔

                          J 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • hal_5700x@sh.itjust.worksH [email protected]

                            That’s a really dumb take.

                            I agree with what you just said.

                            🤔

                            J This user is from outside of this forum
                            J This user is from outside of this forum
                            [email protected]
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #41

                            The dumb take is that this is a bad idea because you might damage the card. That's silly because that's just the trade off of portability.

                            1 Reply Last reply
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                            • thehatfox@lemmy.worldT [email protected]

                              Game-key cards are different from regular game cards, because they don’t contain the full game data. Instead, the game-key card is your "key" to downloading the full game to your system via the internet.

                              Pay a premium for a physical copy of your game, and the cartridge may not contain the actual game. Only on Nintendo Switch 2.

                              ? Offline
                              ? Offline
                              Guest
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #42

                              Not much different from these now day that have only a code.

                              Did not buy and went to the e-shop.

                              1 Reply Last reply
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                              • D [email protected]

                                Nintendo made a huge deal about virtual game cards, saving us from exactly what you're afraid of.

                                Not as good as what Sony and Microsoft do, where we can essentially install our whole library on every console we have, but it's about as good as what Steam does.

                                Plus they're bringing back a "game share" like feature, so some multiplayer games should be playable in a local family with only one purchase.

                                poopfeast420@discuss.tchncs.deP This user is from outside of this forum
                                poopfeast420@discuss.tchncs.deP This user is from outside of this forum
                                [email protected]
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #43

                                but it’s about as good as what Steam does.

                                Explain, since I don't think that's true.

                                D 1 Reply Last reply
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                                • K [email protected]

                                  So they essentially stuffed a download code into a physical cartridge to make people feel like they are getting something?

                                  Isn't that needless and wasteful? Isn't it also going to trick unsuspecting people into buying something they think is a physical version of a game but isn't?

                                  ? Offline
                                  ? Offline
                                  Guest
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #44

                                  They better have a proper label / sticker there.

                                  For collectors, and resell value compared to a paper with a code.

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                                  • 7 [email protected]

                                    One of the things I really like about the Switch is that I can actually buy a whole physical game that doesn't need an Internet connection. Sure, I have to check a website first, but I can at least curate my wishlist with games that are complete on cart.

                                    ? Offline
                                    ? Offline
                                    Guest
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #45

                                    There will still be normal cart. With a day one patch or not.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • sparky@lemmy.federate.ccS [email protected]

                                      Switch cards hold a maximum of 32GB, maybe that’s why? Although it seems no excuse for Switch 2, given it’s a whole new generation, why not support larger cards? I mean you can buy a 256GB microSD for $15, and that’s a private individual buying one; at scale, the memory can’t be too expensive..

                                      S This user is from outside of this forum
                                      S This user is from outside of this forum
                                      [email protected]
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #46

                                      But the Switch cards are not MicroSD cards. MicroSD cards are produced at much larger scales than Switch game cards. And there are many manufacturers producing the MicroSDs. That’s why MicroSD cards are so cheap because there is competition. While the game cards are a bespoke design using non-standard flash memory and only produced by Nintendo’s partners in lower numbers than MicroSD cards. I heard from a publisher that they had to pay $8 per unit for the 16GB card when they released a small indie game for the Switch 1. That was almost the price of the digital version. So they had to charge double for the retail version. The Switch cards are relatively expensive that’s why many publishers opted for a small card and forced the consumer to download the rest even when the game could fit on the bigger card. And Nintendo still takes a royalty for every game sold on top of that.

                                      But even if a publisher could buy a 256GB Switch card for $10 bucks that is money not going into the publishers pocket. So of course a publisher like Activision will opt for the smallest card possible so they can earn a couple of bucks more per game sold.

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                                      • poopfeast420@discuss.tchncs.deP [email protected]

                                        but it’s about as good as what Steam does.

                                        Explain, since I don't think that's true.

                                        D This user is from outside of this forum
                                        D This user is from outside of this forum
                                        [email protected]
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #47

                                        Steam sells non-transferable lifetime licenses to each game you "buy", that let you play it on one PC at a time but never transfer it to anyone else, even as part of an inheritance after your death.

                                        If you have a family there is a "sharing" plan which allows you to let family members also play some of the games in your library, but not at the same time.

                                        Nintendo is imposing a bit more ceremony if you want to share digital games each time you share them, but the essential "one device at a time" nature is the same that steam imposes.

                                        (And this ignores the shareable multiplayer aspect, which steam doesn't really do at all.)

                                        poopfeast420@discuss.tchncs.deP 1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • D [email protected]

                                          Steam sells non-transferable lifetime licenses to each game you "buy", that let you play it on one PC at a time but never transfer it to anyone else, even as part of an inheritance after your death.

                                          If you have a family there is a "sharing" plan which allows you to let family members also play some of the games in your library, but not at the same time.

                                          Nintendo is imposing a bit more ceremony if you want to share digital games each time you share them, but the essential "one device at a time" nature is the same that steam imposes.

                                          (And this ignores the shareable multiplayer aspect, which steam doesn't really do at all.)

                                          poopfeast420@discuss.tchncs.deP This user is from outside of this forum
                                          poopfeast420@discuss.tchncs.deP This user is from outside of this forum
                                          [email protected]
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #48

                                          I think you can argue if Steam does the whole sharing thing better than Sony or Microsoft. On Playstation and Xbox you can just by one copy of a game, but play it simultaniously with someone else, but it seems like that's limited to one other console (setting the home console).

                                          On Steam you need one copy for every accout playing the game, but you can have 6 accounts in your family, and unlimited devices. Without family share, your own account can only play on one device at a time, but then, why not just make a new Steam account and join a family.

                                          The virtual game cards from Nintendo are also like Steam, since they need one game copy for each player, but also only on one device.

                                          Seems to me like Nintendo is not as good as the others, when it comes to sharing digital games. Sharing physical is of course still possible and easy on console.

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