Oh Dear, Contra: Operation Galuga's Physical Edition Is A Download Code In A Box

I'm real tired of this rubbish, its just not funny and totally pointless.

Sad that "Rogue Corps" got an actual physical release, yet this won't... Hope that it's a good game at least. Not thrilled with the general art direction, but I have faith in Wayforward.

When you think they couldn't sink any lower they came back and prove you wrong by sinking even faster than Stockton Rush's failed expedition. Screw your entire existence Konami. I had no faith in that Suikoden Collection anymore.

guess im not buying this game then

Even it was released in actual card I guess that this title will receive content updates, thus making the cartridge obsolete.

Burn in Hell Konami for this blasphemy!
Not only you killed my favourite series MGS with that catastrophic no MGS games on cartridge-not even MGS1 or 3! But now this?!!!!

They could have made up for the disaster that was Rogue Corps, but no, they decided to continue to literally sh*t on our face 🙂 If there still was any doubt about it, Konami is de*d and buried very very deep...

Smaller games like this, I always buy digitally.
Nothing is gonna stop me from buying a new Contra game from Wayforward.
Contra 4 was awesome.

Konami is just the cheapest publisher ever. The day we get Castlevania SotN on Switch its guaranteed to be a code only. And worse, probably the rescored audio! /gasp

Because I'm a lazy twonk I always prefer digital instead of physical - why get off my lardy butt to switch games in my, um, Switch?

However, putting a download code in a box is madness. You're just sending out packaging? Why not just send the boxes straight to landfill?

I won't lie, this made me chuckle. The absurdity of it is funny in a weird way.

I strongly doubt that the game's size will have anything to do with it. I can't see this game maxing out a 16GB cartridge. This is just greed and contempt for customers as we have seen third parties get away with time and time again.

Isn't third-party "support" on Nintendo consoles grand? Companies that pull this sort of crap can go to hell for all I care.

@belmont : Not quite. You can at least use the cartridge across multiple consoles, and if you have a spare console (or two), you can have a back-up of the update data.

A glass half-full outlook to be sure, and I'm usually quite vocal in my disdain for software/content updates, but it beats the alternative on other consoles, where you have no means of backing up the data without hacking the console.

Let’s attack aggressively

this is just more 'race to the bottom' stuff. a neverending inflation cycle that has reduced the physical unit to a flimsy piece of ultralight plastic with no inserts or manuals (a reversible cover if you are lucky), and cartridges that are too expensive to manufacture for large file size, or even to manufacture at all. the need to squeeze out every piece of potential profit (understandable in a way). In the UK what will purchase one portion of fish and chips now, would have purchased 43 portions of fish and chips in 1976. A pure and true race to the bottom with bankrupt economies LARPing as though they are not, and playing this stupid game where we have to pretend things are more or less fine and we are not de facto in an massive recession/depression. A code in a box has something of the absurd to it that just echoes this insanity..

Good job, Konami and Wayforward.

@belmont This is what people fail to realize, the physical format is obsolete and costs too much to produce, distribute, and market. Remember retailers pay every single day for unsold copies, thousands a year in inventory.

@Sisilly_G I can use my digital copy across multiple consoles too and, if I'm playing offline, it'll never get those updates. However, why wouldn't I want the new updates? Why would I want to play a broken physical copy offline when the superior digital copy is available? I wouldn't.

I used to be a staunch physical only owner until I did research and realized how much better digital is for everyone. It's okay if you prefer a physical copy, but to continue suggesting it's the best path is highly incorrect. I'm going to assume you still buy Blu-ray/DVD/VHS? CD/cassette? You don't use streaming services for any of your entertainment correct? If you do, you're a hypocrite and ignorantly choosing to die on a hill you've already abandoned elsewhere.

You obviously didn't read my comment properly. Either do so before attacking me or go back to primary school to brush up on your comprehension skills (and your manners). I never suggested that one not download the updates. I stated that one can back up the update data for offline use in perpetuity so long as one has a spare console.

Perhaps I could have been clearer in saying that one can use the same cartridge across multiple consoles and accounts, which is a convenience not afforded by digital (as other accounts cannot play a downloaded title belonging to somebody else on a console designated as a secondary one), and that's a win for physical.

Gee, that's really persuasive. Do you have any actual points to make other than to essentially say "me Tarzan, physical bad, digital good"?

Again, you've made no argument that supports that assertion. And I wasn't having a go at anybody who preferred digital either, so I don't understand where this misdirected hostility is coming from.

I will contine to buy Blu-rays/CDs as they provide superior quality presentation of the film/music over streaming/downloads in the majority of cases (streaming services typically do not offer lossless audio by defaut, and video is typically a small fraction of the bitrate offered by Blu-ray/4K discs). I can also rip the discs to my liking and use them across multiple devices without being constrained by DRM. They afford me more choices and control than I would have had I been limited to a digital storefront/service. Physical copies also cannot be retroactively altered/removed after the fact. Freedom and choices are nice to have.

None whatsoever.

Thrice now, you've made no argument whatsoever as to how digital is in any way "superior". I respect people's choices to go either way, but clearly you have no respect for one's choices, or even the most basic of courtesy. Your point has not been made persuasive by mere stating your preferences are somehow "better", and you have only illustrated your own profound ignorance and rudeness with your uncalled for outburst.

It's a joke, give you a box but no card. Crysis on switch had this as well.

@Axelay71 : I'm pretty sure Crysis did come with a cartridge (at least in first prints), but subsequent prints may have been a code only.

The physical releases of Crysis 2 and 3 were only available via Limited Run Games.

Just... stop making physical releases if this is the route you're taking.

****ing Humbug!

Page 1 of 'How to relegate your game to a Deep Sale Or Never purchase category'.

This should be against the law

@Sisilly_G Ded_Nexus is a troll account. Created recently and just goes on all posts and tries getting a reaction. Just read their profile description.

@Gryffin : A huge part of the problem is that nobody's yet sued any of these companies for selling incomplete products.

Can you imagine the uproar if somebody bought a movie on disc and you had to insert a disc to watch 10% of the movie and download the rest?

For some reason, video game customers seem to be content in being treated with contempt, with the bar being set lower and lower for as long as we allow it.

@Sisilly_G it's seems the crisis trilogy remastered is a code in the box.

@Axelay71 : The "trilogy", yes, but the individual games have each had a physical release for those interested.

There is nothing wrong with selling digital games, although the laws around licensing need to be overhauled, and the recent fiasco with Sony will tell you why. This practise of selling digital codes in plastic boxes however, is misleading to consumers (eg. parents who don't know the difference), but just on ethical grounds - the world is on the brink of ecological collapse. Babies are born with plastic in their brains, and this more than anything is an exercise in producing needless plastic waste. And I agree with the previous comment, it should be illegal.

I bet there may yet be an actual physical for this and it will be helmed by Limited Run. So you can look forward to getting it months after the digital release….

@NinjaNicky : I already had a peek at the account (to give me some background, usually so I know where somebody is from so I can better understand their point of view). There are times when I just won't bother entertaining such people, but I guess I wasn't willing to suffer this particular fool gladly.

@John_Deacon Konami Headquarters:

Boss: "We don't have enough in the budget to release a physical edition of the game."

Employee: "What if we like just release the box instead?"

Boss: slow claps

Waybackward, more like.

@Spookles : A like for the pun, but the ball is in Konami's court. Wayforward don't make these decisions as they're the developer, not the publisher.

@Ded_Nexus I don't trust digital only at all. Too many companies in the past have proven that can't be trusted.

A company can pull a game from the market at their discretion, and it's lost forever. That's not a future Im going to be pushing for.

Konami is 100% gonna try to get people to double dip by making the physical version exclusive to Limited Run Games

I guess I won't be buying that one now. Too bad I was looking forward to it.

I'm surprised this joke is still available: so they're locked but not loaded?

Also for digital-only games I really value, I usually spend $7 to someone on eBay who customizes a case for it, that way I've got something to display. So while a cartridge is better than this, this is better than that. The artwork is official, and I save $7.

@Yosher That’s the direction they are slowly heading towards.

If there's no physical copy in the box, then it's not a physical release. It's just pointless trash for the Earth.

Either just sell it digitally on the eShop or sell it physically with a cartridge. What’s the point of a code in a box? Just seems a waste of money. And most codes in a box I see for sale are cheaper than they are on the eShop, so it’s not like it’s lucrative for them!

I’m sorry everyone, but digital is going to be the future. Unless everyone stops paying subscription services for games/movies, which is were the bulk of gaming money is going, why would a dev want to support wasting time/money on physical stuff when they make near nothing from it. This game will be on gamepass or whatever and the devs will make more from that deal then they could selling a few physical games.
I will only be getting g this game day 1 if it’s priced cheap or as soon as it gets a sale. I don’t pay full price for something I only own. You are only renting it.

This just went from a day one purchase to a steep discount purchase.

Yeah, that's gonna be a pass for me

Meanwhile, the PS4 & PS5 version will get full game in disc. 😑

Once again, Nintendo Switch treated like a trash but PS4 & PS5 are treated like a king.
Wanna jump on PlayStation wagon for this game ?

Konami.

End of

Sometimes a download code in a box at retail is cheaper than a digital download from the eshop. That's something.

Konami, it's called digital only, no need to waste production on boxing, especially when it gets physical gamers' expectations up. On a side note, ohh... so the MGS Vol. 1 physical cartridge comes with both MSX Metal Gears AND Metal Gear NES and Snake's Revenge? That's EXACTLY what I want to play, and I'll get MGS2 later as a separate download. Gonna add physical MGS Vol. 1 back to my GameFly queue.

What is a collector really going to do with this other than put it on their shelf anyway?

Lol Konami really sucks

Where are the regulators when you need them!!

@Znake
They killed MGS the second they threw Kojima under the bus years ago. That was some BS.

@Sisilly_G tough crowd

@Anti-Matter I don't trust Sony one bit. They recently announced that they will remove all media from Discovery from PSN, even if you paid for it, totally gone from your library.

I have a simple rule for digital / download code (physical games). I pay no more than $20.00 for a new release of a new game and no more than $10.00 for a re-release of an old game. I figure if I don't own it by it being digital, I'll pay up to the amount above for what it's worth to rent for a while. Keeps it easy.

As I've been saying for over 20 years now, the all digital future is going to suck.

I won't support it. Switch is like the last bastion for physical games. The hoops you have to jump through to play multiple downloaded games at the same a time on multiple switches is ridiculous. If my kids are playing Lego City I can't play Amnesia because they're using my account? Thanks, I've only spent 750 dollars on Switches to be able to do this.

Sweet. More proof the digital only era is closer then people want to believe. ^^

I'm not surprised. Anyway, this game looks ugly. Not better than Rogue Corps.
@Quiet2down Yeah, in most cases, we only rent digital media, not own it. I've bought various games on Google Play years ago, and, some time later, some of them vanished into nothingness. Or, try to remember Google Play Music's closure case, when your music got forcefully deleted from your smartphone/tablet! I've bought and lost 2 Asami Imai's albums... I'll never forgive Google for what they did.

I really hate stuff like that.

What a slap in the face of Switch owners.

@Xbox_Dashboard This comment gave me chills. The bad kind. That would be horrible.

Konami needs to sell their IP to someone. Give Contra and Castlevania to WayForward, MG to Namco, Goemon and Gradius to Treasure, and officially leave to industry. You won't be missed.

@Anti-Matter - Sony does not require a notification of the front of the box. It can very well be the same deal.

Sony has done it to their own games, look at GoW: Ragnarok. Something like 12mb is on the disc.

Guess I'll wait for the inevitable Super C: Operation Galuga edition.

Like some other people said, I'm fine owning games digitally!

But putting a code in a box defeats why I collect physical games. My switch could get smashed and replaced, the servers could shut down, but I'd still have my physical games. Nothing stuck on a console or an account.

Yes I'll buy digital games, I'm a sucker for Capcom, SNK, and Bandai Namco sales, but those games are cheap! I can pay $5 for the Street Fighter collection and not feel bad if I eventually lose that purchase somehow. But for full priced games, I try to stay physical.

@Anti-Matter PS4/PS5 discs have only the starter code, allowing the disc to call $ony’s servers and authorize play while downloading the game in a stream to the system’s local storage.

@Shade_Koopa Be careful what you wish for, because it's not exactly a digital future we are moving towards, it's more of a cloud based future!

This is one of those circumstances that makes it pointless to release a boxed copy if there is no actual cartridge inside. It's a troll move to be certain, but the case would likely stand out more than the digital cards you find at a lot of stores.

Eh, I would buy it digitally regardless

@Shade_Koopa
I will shut down the digital era because I said so.
Viva Physical gaming !
#physicalgamesforever 🤟

@Paraka @rotekps_aniger
I played my PS4 games physically and the games have the data inside the disc.
Also, I only play kids games with smaller GB size and they installed from disc to machine very quickly.

I guess they'll be happy when this doesn't get purchased on the eShop until it's 50% off, minimum.

@Spookles Having read that dust-up between Sisilly_G and the troll Ded_Nexus (whom I have already Ignored), I did see the comment about video game customers being treated with contempt. Sisilly is not wrong.

I ceased being a gamer from the mid-90s to the Switch launch, with a brief return during the Gamecube run. I think I'm bringing some perspective here when I say that the treatment reserved for gamers in the 21st century is about the worst I've seen for the general paying customer in any industry, with the possible exception of aviation. From Ken Kutaragi telling gamers to work harder for a PS3 to the Xbox One launch to EA's gambling shenanigans, I've been continuously astounded by the attitudes these companies publicly display.

I get it - this is a medium fueled by the 18-25 crowd (maybe more like 13-30 now). That isn't a bad thing, or at least it wasn't; younger people's enthusiasm is infectious and sustaining. But gamers (and industry types) need to ask themselves if they're OK with this hobby becoming disposable in the future, because older furballs like me have become increasingly important too.

If we want this hobby to become sustainable, an art form that grows across generations, then people will have to make a decision: do I want to be limited by my choices, like a console fanboy who thinks that Sonic/Mario/TLOU/Halo is the only game in town, or do I want my choices to broaden my world? The whole point of software (0s and 1s) is that I can choose different paths all the way along...

I’ll wait for the Limited Run. As others have said, Konami has worked with them quite a bit. way Forward has too.

Dude why the code in the physical box? Just sell the code on a card like what some DLC does instead of wasting unnecessary plastic.

I really wish they'd stop calling a code in a box a physical copy. That is so seriously misleading.It's not a physical copy unless you can hold the game.

Well, this is disappointing to say the least.

Absolutely bizarre. Hey Konami, you'd probably save a few bucks on manufacturing empty plastic boxes if you just released it digitally..

I don’t understand anyone who is hellbent on being “digital only” era. I collect physical and don’t care if someone is digital only, but just wanting a digital only era seems petty.

@dew12333 That doesn't bother me. Digital or cloud, I'm all for it. As the oldest of 5, I HATE dealing with the downsides of physical media.

@Anti-Matter Heha, keep dreaming. The gaming companies will do whatever it takes to save money. Not having to print out physical cartridges or disk will save them a ton. Simple facts.

Let me just weigh in on this.
I don’t mind digital as long as it’s a choice. you shouldn’t force a all digital console on people because it will pull people away from the hobby. If you have two consoles (one that’s digital only and the second being able to play physical and store have the e-shop) then go for it since there are people who are digital only.
Also there are arguable benefits to digital games or digital versions of games (great sales on games that are full priced, no losing game cards etc) but tricking people into buying a “physical” copy will just make people lose trust in you and harm innocent developers (like what’s going on with WayForward sadly) so if your going to make a physical then make it a PROPER physical copy with a game card and not lie to people and make it a code in a plastic box.

@Summer235 This is how the whole Big Lie technique works (see also the somewhat related modern term, "gaslighting"). From Wikipedia:

Repetition is important, because the Big Lie works through indoctrination. The Big Lie then becomes its own evidence base – if it is repeated enough, people believe it, and the very repetition almost tautologically becomes the support for the Lie. ... People assume there is an evidence base when the lie is big (it's like a blind spot). ... [People also fail to realize] that there are people in our midst that lack empathy, have no care for the common good, are grandiose, arrogant, and willing to exploit and manipulate people for solely their own egocentric needs.

If trolls/bots like Ded_Nexus are so absolutely certain that the future is all-digital, that nothing can stop it and that we all have no choice - why do such "people" have to wade into threads like this constantly to convince us that this "future" will and must be imposed on us? Surely they can just sit back and quietly chuckle as choice is progressively taken away from paying customers, right?

I'm sure there were "people" like Ded_Plexus around for the Xbone launch in 2013 to tell us all that used games were dead, that we'd just have no choice in the matter...

That has to have been Konami's call. I can't imagine WayForward would have signed off on this for as often they've partnered with Limited Run Games for physical editions.

Whelp, I think this is another feather in Steph Sterling's cap for why Konami is the worst.

Hasn't the recent PlayStation debacle taught us anything?
They are going to DELETE WHAT YOU HAVE PAID FOR certain digital apps.

Well, that's just lame. I def prefer going physical (with a game card inside the case), so this ruins the excitement for me.

I’m by no means a physical media fetishist, but damn it either do the thing or don’t.
If I’m buying physical, it’s usually because I’m sparing my Switch a AAA memory suck. It’s not because I enjoy locking the experience behind a plastic key I have to insert to play a game that partially or entirely lives on my system, and definitely not because I collect useless plastic junk to display on my bookshelf.

@Sisilly_G I'll die with you on that hill brother 😊. Then again, I'll still grab digital games if that's the best or only way at the time.

Limited Run is suppose to be doing the actual Physical copies like they did with the anniversary collections, this is why Amazon will be selling the digital ones.

@CharlieZee I have been crying about digital not being yours and the companies will take it from you eventually for years. People thought I was crazy but we are far enough along now that it is starting to happen. We will continue to see games pulled from servers in the future and many games are requiring you to log in now as it is and that number is growing. Once your required to log into something you have no control at all over it and even if you have something downloaded if your drive gives out you may find yourself with no way to redownload it after it is pulled.
I buy physical any chance I get because of the safety net and resell ability.

@DdG1408 my example is Spotify. Certain songs can't be found on it so what, does that mean said song no longer exists?
Licensing is the problem here so I either need to illegally download it or buy a CD version and transfer it to phone.
If the next switch is digital only, I'm done!

How could WayForward let this code in a box BS happen to their game?? Yuk and double yuk 😓

The EU is generally pretty strict about requiring media sold as a physical copy to contain a physical copy. It's time for governments to make that a requirement.

Will support the digital version because Wayforward delivers, and I love Contra. Konami can keep their "physical" switch version - hopefully they rot on the shelf. Might spring for PS5 physical if it comes on disc, though.

This should be illegal.

Limited Run is handling the US release. So, at least that's a viable option for physical collectors.

@Fighting_Game_Loser

That's kind of what I was thinking.
But at least then there'd be physical copies of the Switch version of the game at all, in that regard.

@shock_trooper Oh, they are? Ah, ok then, so this is just for Konami's own batch in European regions.
Still not a great look for Konami, though.

The Switch really has become a clown show with physical releases. Only a handful of releases this year were all on cart with no required update. Wait until Switch 2. Likely all digital anyway.

@belmont Clearly you don’t understand how cartridge-based games work mate. The downloadable versions are the ones which become obsolete, or get delisted.

If you get the cartridge it works for as long as the cartridge is in one piece. Of course you have to download updates etc, but having the cartridge means you have a playable build of the game for as long as you want.

@Shade_Koopa
It will not happen.
Physical gaming is still alive and we can do it.
Viva Physical gaming !
#foreverphysicalgaming 🤟

Publishers : we don’t include manuals because we are enviroment friendly!
Also publishers: heres an empty plastic box with a code!

@Ded_Nexus Wow, to think that using a streaming service makes you a hyprocrite for preferring digital media. Did you know some shows are literally streaming only? Crunchyroll and Netflix have many shows that may not ever be physical, so saying someone watching those is a hypocrite is just silly. Also, what's wrong with owning physical and watching digital? I can't throw a DVD into my phone, so I watch on the go via stream. I feel pretty darn good about it, too.

@AlienigenX Lol, this is funny because it's true.

@Cyberbotv2 Certain regions get screwed, too. Example: most places, FFX/X-2 has the physical 1st game with download code for the 2nd. PlayAsia sells them both on a single cartridge! Super lame.

In yesterday's news there was a reminder that digital = glorified rental, to be removed as and when someone other than you sees fit. No thanks, I'm continuing with my policy of physical purchases whenever possible.

FFS, WHY!? If you're just gonna release it digitally, then do so. These empty plastic cases are completely stupid and a waste.

PC has been digital only for decades so I don’t see the issue. They make these versions so that the game has retail visibility.

Edit: and now there is a physical version. Everyone is happy. No? Still? …Sigh.

@Addcam_DX I think I am right on this one. Consider three cases, all on PS4
1. Shadow of the Colossus never had any update, you can perfectly play it in a new offline PS4.
2. Final Fantasy 15 Royal Edition, misses the Ardyn DLC, you can perfectly play it in a new offline PS4 but you will miss crucial parts of the lore thus you will have a "glass-half full-half empty" experience.
3. Callisto Protocol, the game is unplayable in a new offline PS4 if you don't update it, it runs at 10fps and crashes in the fourth chapter.

Now, since the new Contra will most likely be constantly updated it may belong in the second or third category, thus making the experience half-baked or semi broken on a new offline Switch, thus making having a physical copy not that enticing.

The fully updated download edition from say, Steam or GOG, is way more easier to preserve in multiple HDDs or Cloud services and will be easily playable in PCs in years to come rather than having to hunt down a semi broken physical copy or a working console. You won't even care if it gets delisted.

Now, if they ever release a physical copy with 100% everything in disk that is the version to buy.

"WHAT IS THIS PHYSICAL VERSION? A MISERABLE LITTLE CASE WITH A DOWNLOAD CODE!"

I miss the Konami of old.

@Ded_Nexus
Physical lasts much longer and is a godsend for consumers like myself who live in rural areas that don’t have decent access to internet. I can just go to the store and buy it pop it in and begin playing. The only way I’d ever consider going full digital is if abd only if they guarantee all the games I purchased on switch will just transfer over to the next console over and over throughout all upcoming gens.

@belmont If you take that approach with physical media then your effectively classing the majority of physical media obsolete. What about games which released in an era before patches? Are they obsolete?

Sometimes games get patches after a game is released as an unfinished product, or sometimes bugs get ironed out.

But ultimately owning a physical copy of the game (unless you are a PC gamer) is the way to go. Because this way you have the title forevermore despite the fact that it’s usually the original build of the game.

Sometimes the builds of games which contain bugs and errors (which only get preserved physically) become more collectible that revised versions updated on cartridges.

Your argument is based on a digital version being superior as the title will likely need further updates. But even if this is the case, why wouldn’t a gamer won’t to own the original build physically (which would still be able to download updates).

Your argument makes no sense. If you pay £15 for the title digitally and I pay £15 for it physically, I can experience the original build and update the game at my leisure - I also get the added bonus of physically owning a tangible product that I can resell or display.

@Addcam_DX The physical version may become obsolete anytime the publisher chooses to close a digital service if you haven't already downloaded the update. And I personally care more about gaming preservation in general not collecting something that may be valuable to sell in the future or having something to display.

And my argument only stands from the PS4 generation and onwards. In the PS3 generation the only game I am aware to be broken is Silent Hill HD Collection. There are games that have not all DLC in disk like FF13-2 or Lords of Shadow but rarely you loose lore in those cases.

I have a ton of retro games but in the PS4 I mostly got "game of the year" or collections etc that are most likely to have all DLC and most patches on disk. There are many cases that can prove that physical media from this generation and onwards are semi obsolete. I already game Callisto Protocol as an example. You cannot play this game without updating almost at all. So, in say, 15 years that the servers may have closed you cannot play the game if you haven't the update making the disk useless. There are many more examples.

@Paraka I don't know where you heard this for God of War Ragnarok it is simply not true. The PS4 version actually comes in two Blue Ray disks and it is fully playable offline from start to finish without need for update. The only thing missing is some European dubs, depending in where you bought the game.

That's a small silver lining, especially for those who don't mind downloading the game.

By and large though, I've been willing to spend several times more than the price on the eShop for physical copies. Perhaps the most extreme example are Konami's compilations (Castlevania, Contra, Anniversary) that were recently on sale for an almost absurdly cheap AU$3.00 each, but I've paid approximately AU$50-60 each for the physical copies via LRG.

I normally wouldn't be willing to pay that much more over the digital price, but given the historical significance and pedigree of these games, I didn't find it to be totally unreasonable, and I'm happy to have them in this way.

Same with apps on smartphones. Many of my games aren't working on the same device as I had bought them on. I'm still using an iPhone 5S and original iPad Air, and a lot of my purchased apps either no longer work on the current OS or require a new OS (that my current devices aren't compatible with anyway), which is completely absurd, especially with respect to offline apps.

Either way, I've been completely put off from paying for any more apps going forward (or even updating my devices for that matter, as older and/or unsupported apps tend to get left in the dust).

You can rip your DVDs/Blu-rays and throw the video files onto a phone. I've done so with my iPod/iPhone. But these devices tend to have relatively low space, so it usually helps to compress them a little further.

Not Play-Asia per se. They sell multiple versions from different regions. The 2-in-1 release was however exclusive to Southeast Asian countries while we in the West got screwed. Fortunately, the Asian release is import-friendly (with English on the cartridge), which takes the sting out of the situation. Other similar releases aren't quite so lucky (like the numerous Resident Evil "collections" with only one game on the cartridge internationally).

@belmont - PS5 version does, the PS4 not doing that does not negate Sony also doing this. Hell, their CE was just a code. Which is extra scummy.

Truthfully, I WAS a buyer if and only if there was a true physical release. Count me, and my $, out.

@Sisilly_G yeah that was pretty funny, especially the but about physical media. Like...I buy vinyl, my dude, lol. And I will often buy two copies of a game I love, if both physical and digital are available.

@OnlyManWhoCan Seriously! It's a waste of plastic and pointless.

I suspected that Limited Run was involved somehow, to sell their overpriced editions...
I'll just buy the standard PS5 edition, since it includes a disc.

This is a thing that should absolutely not be limited to Limited Run or any such thing....

Konami is going to lose a lot of sales for their stupidity.

I won’t buy a game unless it’s on the cart!!!

I don’t always have access to download games, plus I want to know that if if the publisher switches off a server or something happens to my switch I still have the game on a cart. I wonder how many people will be disappointed with Konami on Christmas Day when they open a game and realise they need to download it -needing a memory card with space, Internet and parents permission to download
So stingy Konami!!!!!!

@Cyberbotv2
Nintendo almost certainly charges a fair bit more relative to the competitions CD based software production. It also might take a bit more lead time (months?) to produce switch cartridges as there isn’t likely to be several factories producing them -a problem Nintendo used to have when they controlled their own cartridge production in the 90s.

Publishers are probably being risk averse with “expensive” and unpredictable sales numbers, knowing if they haven’t produced enough and need to put another order in it’s likely they will be in a que waiting several months for more to be produced from the one or two factories in Nintendos control.

Wheras cd based software is fast and cheap to produce more if needed -less risk in inventory and can get more out there fairly quickly if sales are higher than expected.

I was shocked Nintendo went back to carts this Gen tbh. Would be super super shocked if they did the same next Gen.

Well as much flak as limited run gets they truly saved the day here. It does take a century to get your game but there’s quite a few people that wanted this physical including me so good on them for this one.

Well, you can consider PS4 / PS5 version if you want a full game in disc.

Oh boy, how did I guess this from a mile away

Poor little indie company, Konami. Couldn't do a physical release on their own.

The only surprising thing here is how many people still get so upset over this, at this point. It's been years and nothing has changed. Except we now have companies like Limited Run preying on the situation with artificially scarce runs and inflated prices (and humorously people praise them for it).
Decided early in the Switch lifespan that this wasn't the hill I was gonna die on and definitely not worth it.
I'll just buy the game, slam it on an SD (behold, its now physical!) and just enjoy it, because that's the point of why I game....to enjoy the game, not bask in the glory of the media it's on.

The being said....putting a physical release out for a digital only game is very stupid and a waste of materials in this age when we're supposed to be cutting back on plastics and whatnot. Just put it in the eShop.

@CANOEberry "Ken Kutaragi telling gamers to work harder for a PS3" - Being someone who has played and collected since Pong, this is the reason I skipped the PS3 until just recently when I got one for free. At the time I just couldn't believe the arrogance of that guy, I remember listening to him and had an immediate "nope"..... Thanks for that blast from the past.

Limited Run is almost as bad as only having a download code in the box

It's odd that a big company like Konami would rely on Limited Run Games to sell their physical release. We don't see Capcom, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and Sega doing this. Guess Konami isn't as big as we thought, this is the same company that supposely bought Hudson. You're two companies now Konami and you couldn't afford to release your own physical games? That's just sad. A big company that feels like an indie company now, how the mighty has fallen.

@Serpenterror
Actually, Sega did go to Limited Run for Persona 3/4 physical releases.

Back from the dead here is a video that will tells the truth about why they charge MSRP for Digital when you should get it for far less. And still relevant to today as well.

Digital Distribution Vs Physical Media and True Ownership
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdsWQGAlopk

Konami, this is why people don't respect you.

@stevep Limited Run is almost as bad as only having a download code in the box

If you think that is bad try eBay prices and see how those prices gouge even more. So let's be clear here LRG is far better then paying MSRP prices for a Digital code that could be sold for less then half since those MSRP are for the cost of the packaging and case and Physical games. So there is a reason for those prices.

@niner Don't forget they own Hudson Soft properties too. Those would fit well with Nintendo, and I think Capcom would be better fits for Silent Hill and Contra. I dunno who'd be a good company for MGS? Let Inti-creates buy Castlevania.

@Iconoclysm Play it Einstein. What do you think players do?

This should be illegal and considered an environmental crime. Unless they can prove it’s made out of reused plastic and even so, that plastic could be used for something more meaningful.

@Tempestryke Can you not play it with a download code, genius?

So the TRUE physical version is limited? Really Konami? (Not you though WayForward you guys are legends👍)

When I walk into a store I see tons of indie and/or low budget switch games on actual cart yet Konami, a multi-million $ company, sells a f*cking empty plastic box?

This should be illegal plus it's bad for the enviroment.
If you want to promote your game in stores, use a freaking piece of cartboard. it serves the same purpose minus the plastic

If I want a game but can't own a physical copy, I just pirate it. I'm not paying for games that can get lost if my account gets deleted etc. and has no resale value. I get digital is handy because it saves me 5 seconds changing disc/cartridge but other than those 5 seconds I saved, physical is better in everyway.