Topic: Game Key Cards... What is the point?

@Zuljaras For the preservation, I am careful enough not to finish that sentence

I will check the gameplay out, I like Metroidvanias. Do you have your favorite Castlevania?

I believe you can still redownload wiiware games (I did it last year and the the Nintendo website implies it can still be done this year) so change that 9 years to 16+ years. You can't purchase it new, but that doesn't take away anything you already own.

The real problem with wiiware in terms of longevity is it was attached to your specific Wii rather than an online account so if your Wii breaks, you might lose it. But of course that is a similar issue to physical games. With the new online account system, the console breaking won't be a problem and it's quite possible games will be available to redownload for 30+ years similarly to what seems to be happening with similar game account systems like Steam.

@Princess_Lilly it is a classicvania, but my favorite is still Symphony of the Night. Yes the DS ones have better systems and replayability but SotN is special.

@FishyS that is true. But still it is available only for people who already own it and haven't lost their wii. And we do not know how soon things could be taken away.

If they make a system like Good Old Games and allow us to create backups without DRM it would be awesome.

One such thing now is the MIG Cartridge and dump device for the Switch 1. If that is the case with the Switch 2 you can create your own physical editions of games. However it is too close to piracy right now.

Considering how rare and expensive some old physical games get there is a subtle distinction for most people between can't buy and can't buy affordably. 😆 That said, I really hope wiiware games eventually end up somewhere accessible such as NSO. For Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth in particular, I could also imagine it ending up in a collection. I definitely agree there should be more ways for game preservation.

@FishyS It is funny because the Haunted Castle Revisited (from the Dominus Collection) uses the engine and the graphic style of the Adventure ReBirth.

As for old games that are expensive that is true, but most can be bought on new platforms even in physical form.

Castlevania Symphony of the Night the PAL release does not drop below 400$ (DAMN you region lock!!!) while the NA copy could be found for 100$. And the LRG copy with both Rondo of Blood and SotN for the PS4/PS5 could be found for around 90-130$.

For a physical gamer the price range of 100-200$ is affordable.

I've been calling them fake game cards. They're the biggest thing holding me back from ever purchasing a Switch 2, and I've owned every Nintendo console since the NES (even the Virtual Boy ). I still play my NES and SNES cartridges regularly, but I can't imagine I would be able to do the same with these games unless the Switch 2 itself was still working with the games already downloaded on it.

A couple of games I would have been interested in (Bravely Default and Street Fighter VI) both seem to be using the fake cards, so they became no-buys to me. The whole point of having a physical version is to not require an internet connection, and I don't buy digital games unless they're small indies or on a super cheap sale for convenience for things I already have on cartridge and play somewhat often (ex. Mega Man X Legacy Collection for MMX4).

Between the fake game cards, increased focus on online requirements for what could be easily implemented in offline games (ex. locking BotW weapon repair to logging in with the app), and more NSO games without offering them for sale to play offline (ex. Virtual Console), I'm unfortunately pretty soured on the Switch 2.

@BringleWorkshop
Oof... I have bad news for you, my guy. Might wanna trade in your current Switch because these "fake cards" you speak of already exist for lots of titles. Some 3rd-party Switch games even have nothing inside the case!

(The app provides a free daily bonus repair... this is why you're not going to buy a Switch 2?)

Just imagine having a huge bookshelf with only Nintendo Switch 2 game key cards, each costing $80 to $90 each. Then a few years later Nintendo finally shuts down the Nintendo Switch 2 game download servers, leaving your entire bookshelf absolutely worthless. NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, etc. did it perfectly right: Complete full games inside each cartridge, including game save data, so you can visit friends and let them borrow each game, and all you needed was the game cartridge in your pocket, nothing else. Now we need internet connection to download games, a subscription to save game data, a subscription for chat and multiplayer, a subscription to access "exclusive" games that are freely available on older consoles. What about those countries and areas where there is no internet connection? Why do we need the internet to play video games, it worked perfectly fine earlier without the internet.

@BringleWorkshop I can understand your points, but Switch 2 will still be the best of this generation in terms of supporting physical. So will you just give up on all modern games? (that's fine, I'm just curious)

@rallydefault I have about 50 physical games for Switch 1 on genuine game cards, so I don't think I'll be trading it in any time soon . My concern is the fake game cards will be used much more frequently on the Switch 2, especially by third-parties, based on games like Street Fighter VI using them.

Along with the fake game cards, the app is telling me Nintendo is not interested in us owning feature complete games (bug fix patches aside) anymore. To put a very requested feature behind a separate app (and a subscription?), instead of the feature simply being in the game, tells me they will be designing future games with critical features behind apps and subscriptions. I imagine less timeless classics down the road with this design methodology.

@FishyS I also think Switch 2 will probably be the best of the generation in terms of supporting physical, but it's increasingly not looking like it will be doing a good job at it to me. I really wish that wasn't the case.

At this point, I probably won't buy any upcoming modern consoles. There's a ton of older games I haven't played yet (especially Japanese imports). I also play a lot of older games with my kids, and they really enjoy them as well, so I'm not too worried about missing out on modern stuff. It just means we might spend more time with genuine classics.

@BringleWorkshop
Whoosh.

I own about a hundred physical games for Switch and only a few digital. Trust me, I get the whole physical thing. You’re being ridiculous.

Anyway, you know you can already “repair” weapons in Tears by throwing them into octoroks, right? Don’t think they put that behind the app.

It’s just a perk - you’re overreacting. Though overreacting seems to be in vogue right now.

All these naysayers are forgetting "Key-Card" game once download stays on exSD card if one does it right. What they forget is it's not tied to your Nintendo account should that close down then forget every getting any eShop or "Code-in-Box" games again. They don't realize they could get a exSD card just for the "Key-Card" games and another for their everyday gaming. And should they change different Switch 2 just format the new exSD card and copy the old exSD card saved game folder data to computer and then copy those back to the new exSD and place back into the new Switch 2 and keep playing. I've done that on the Switches that I've owned and now OLED just copying the saved data onto the new microsd formatted to the new Switch OLED and it recognizes it without issues. So I say again people are making this far harder then it should be.

@FishyS

Everyone has different priorities and preferences, you’re dead right, and that’s totally fine, we’re all different.

Personally I prefer physical copies whenever possible, I certainly trust those more than the ability to access a digital game far into the future.
I have cartridges starting from 46 years ago which are all still fine. Disks (of the floppy variety) from 44 years ago which still work, although those I don’t trust to stay working, for obvious reasons, so I always have backups which I use instead of the original, same goes for cassettes.

Cartridges are actually the only medium across generations which I have never had fail on me, though it’s of course not impossible.
Having said that, I’m confident that not only will my Switch 1/2 carts outlive me, so will the ones I’ve already had for 40 odd years.

Am I as confident that I (or, let’s be honest, more likely my son) will be able to access my digital purchases in 50 years time, or more, god no.

@Poco_Lypso Just to be clear Elden Ring is NOT yet confirmed to be a key-cart.

I emailed Bandai Namco AND Play-Asia. It seems that the port is still in development. Here are the emails:
Play-Asia

Bandai-Namco:
"Hi Nikolay,

Thanks so much for reaching out to us! I totally understand your concerns about the current rumors surrounding Elden Ring on the Switch 2. We know how important it is for players to get accurate information, especially when it comes to major releases like this. 😊

At the moment, we can’t confirm the details about the physical edition, such as whether it will be a full cartridge or a key-cart. We recommend keeping an eye on the official Bandai Namco page for updates as we get closer to the release date:
Bandai Namco Asia News

You can also check the Nintendo website for the latest updates on the Switch 2 and upcoming titles:
Nintendo Updates

We understand how important this information is, and we appreciate your patience as we await further official details. As soon as we know more, we’ll be sure to share it with everyone.

If you have any other questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Happy gaming, and we look forward to hearing from you soon! 😊

Regards,

Zach/Customer Support"

If gaming sites really did ANY journalism work, they would've not gone by unconfirmed listings alone.

And the funny thing is they continue to say that it is confirmed just for the clicks.

It very well MAY be a key-cart release but until it is official why do they state assumptions as facts ...

@Poco_Lypso I sent that email after I saw that listing. It is a placeholder for now, but everyone is treating it like a fact.

I will criticize Bandai Namco only after it is confirmed that it is a key-cart

@Poco_Lypso Or, it is less likely, if they are in the middle of the porting and they crunch some assets like textures to lower the size of the game to fit on a cartridge.

But that is just way too wishful thinking on my side

CD Projekt RED fit Cyberpunk 2077 (a 100+ GBs game) in a cart and priced it at the same rate as other platforms (70 bucks). Elden Ring is 60+ GBs game and costs 80 bucks. If Namco really wanted, they could fit it in a cart and charge no more than 80 bucks. But then again, this is the same company that had the physical version of Shadow of the Erdtree be nothing more than a disc of the base game + digital code for the DLC.

@Dimjimmer Yes, the Shadow of the Erdtree is a code BUT the PS5 Physical edition of the Shadow of the Erdtree at least has an updated version of the base game on the disc (1.10). It is not the same as the base version of the first PS5 release

At least that is something different

To be fair, traditional cartridges (e.g. snes) are a very different technology to modern game cards used in e.g.Switch/3DS and and are generally considered to be more reliable and long lasting than the modern ones. There was an interesting NintendoLife article about it a few years ago: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/05/psa_yes_your_ds_and...
(I am in no way trying to change your opinion, it's just an article I remembered while thinking about this issue).

At this point in time it's the Devs whom will make the choice since no one here knows what games are "Key-Card" vs Physical all-cart games right now. If "Key-Card" allows me to not be tied to "Code-in-Box" and Nintendo account then I will get it. Both requires first download to play and one is still tied to your account when you launch and one requires the "Key-Card" inserted just alike a full cart game to play. What people do with their "Key-Card" gives them more flexibility. And sure it takes exSD space but then again, my plan is to get separate exSD 512 or bigger to house the "Key-Card" games and another for my run of the mill exSD update/DLC so it keeps both separate and for preservation well the exSD for just "Key-Card" does that and isn't tied to a Nintendo account to be used in future Switch 2 units. One just has to move/copy only game save data folder to different exSD formatted to the other Switch 2 and power up and keep playing.