Topic: Price Droppers 0 / Scalpers 1 / Believers 1

@rallydefault I think it is good that the publishers are seeing the negative backlash and reacting to it. I don't have a pony in this race as everything I have is digital. However, I am all for choice. How much more expensive is it to do a full cartridge with like 60 gigs, vs a a key card? Like 30 cents per cartridge on bulk? Like a dollar more? I think they should still have an option to do key cards, but perhaps they should test the waters and release a full cartridge for a couple bucks more and let the market decide.

@Konsori
Yea. And I do hope some companies like Limited Run will fill the gap to a certain degree as they've been doing during this generation. I never had an issue with them (I know some people have, though) - it's just a matter of patience for most of their releases.

It's hard to get exact numbers, but looking in a few places it appears that only around 15-20% of Switch games have gotten a physical release. So perhaps 80% digital only which is over 10,000 games.

@FishyS
Wow. Yea, so this has already been happening. People are freaking out about something that’s already been a thing for years.

It’s just now that we’re putting the spotlight on the release games in particular, we become more aware of what’s been happening all along.

@FishyS @rallydefault Direct comparisons between same or similar games by the same publisher is where the changes are very noticeable, Radiou Remastered sums the situation up perfectly. An upcoming game that's coming to both Switch 1 and Switch 2, Switch 1 version is all on the cart meanwhile Switch 2 version is a Key Card.

@Grumblevolcano
And why is that?

… and can’t you just use the Switch 1 cart on a Switch 2?

@rallydefault Buying the Switch 1 version is a temporary solution in the sense that it only works for games that come to Switch 1. As more games skip Switch 1, your options become Key Card or digital which is grim for the future of physical games.

The gaming industry has been inching its way more and more towards digital. So I can’t say I’m surprised devs are choosing this approach. Ideally it would result in less of the infamous ‘switch tax’ we saw with the Switch 1 but I doubt it.

@Grumblevolcano
Well that’s what I’m asking - why are they doing that? That seems really weird.

@rallydefault It looks like Nintendo's charging too much for real carts whether via not providing enough size options (there's a rumour about only 64GB being the only option for a real cart) or just the price in general.

The switch tax rumors and discussion around the carts being a reason why so many third party devs charged more for switch ports or had so many games require large downloads to even play has been around since early into the Switch 1. So I wouldn’t be surprised if this is why so many are choosing the key card approach

@Grumblevolcano @-Green-
Yea, and if true, that really stinks. I hope they reverse course on that sort of thing - why not allow 3rd-parties access to lower-capacity cartridges? It makes no sense, right?

The hopeful part of me wants to trace this back to Covid-era supply issues, but I remember getting the DOOM reboot on Switch pretty early in the lifecycle and the whole game not being on the cartridge. Same thing with the Spyro trilogy, although maybe that was later.

@Konsori did you get it at walmart? there supposed to be i did you get it at walmart? there supposed to be guaranteed

@sovietprince I got one at Target, then Walmart, and I'll try again at Nintendo if I get chosen.

Considering it's effectively just high speed flash and you're already paying for the packaging... maybe a few dollars for 64GB? Not a lot but probably enough that it'll matter for lower margin releases

Also I wouldn't be partially surprised if the lower capacities not being a thing is because flash chips of that capacity just really aren't worth the effort. Possibly the Game Key Card is their solution to that. TBH I am a bit surprised they don't seem to be going down to 16GB but I'm not at all surprised 8GB and less would be gone

Source: thin air, random speculation

According to what publishers have hinted at, it costs about $10 more to release a 32GB cartridge on Switch than an 8GB one, which cost about the same as a disc release on other consoles. The exact figures would require you to sign an NDA. I suspect that means that Nintendo are somewhat subsidizing releases on smaller cartridges but making some of it back on the larger ones.

There will probably be a similar differential on Switch 2 between a key card, that's now going to be the cheapest option, and a 64GB one. In spite of prices having come down a lot more than that, it needs to support transfer speeds around ten times higher, so that'll be offset by using more premium chips. It definitely won't be in the realm of cents.

@Konsori when ppl mentioned chosen I immediatlly think there picking people for a huge quest

I was not planning to get one, but now I got the invite so then i thought why not. .

Did get the bundle, no way I would have bought MKW otherwise.

But I'm not planning to buy any of the games they have lined up.

But since I did need another switch to play Splatoon with my daughter, buying an old switch at this point felt stupid.

Will probably be playing mainly my backlog for the next year or so.

I did buy MKW & Donkey Kong Bananza as boxed copies simply because I won't be carrying about my Switch 2, I too prefer the plug and play aspect that cartridges give you. I do think however that Nintendo needs to offer different sized cartridges to the publishers and look at the prices of these. Don't want my future gaming to consist of digital only or game key cards.