Topic: Switch 2 Boxed Physical Releases

@rallydefault I wonder if that has anything to do with Zelda being "in-house" compared to Kirby being developed by HAL.

@ElRoberico
Yea, true. And Kirby is a much smaller game and even older than Tears.

Is this the full list of games that have a true physical Switch 2 version but also doesn't have a Switch 1 physical version?

• MK World
• Cyberpunk 2077
• DK Bananza
• Daemon X Machina Titanic Scion
• Age of Imprisonment
• Kirby Air Riders
• Hades 2 (while there's a Switch 1 digital version, if you want physical your only option is the Switch 2 Edition)
• Yooka Re-playlee
• Mario Tennis Fever

I didn't list Yoshi and Fire Emblem because Pokemon Pokopia being a Key Card makes the future of 1st party true physical releases unknown.

@Grumblevolcano
I was going to suggest Titanic Scion but I see you penciled it in now. No other S2 physicals come to mind. It’s a pretty short list, and a sad one at that. The game key card list is probably double the size! 😡
I didn’t even know Pokopia was confirmed GKC.

Well, I’ve amassed such a backlog by now that I really shouldn’t be bothered about these annoying restrictions on our ability to truly own our games going forward. Each day we sail deeper into the abyss of tenuous digital licenses, and most people are so seduced by convenience and online-only games, they couldn’t care less.

@Teksette
It’s not confirmed to be a game key card; it’s an assumption based on the video that came out today about various features of the Switch 2. I can’t find any official Nintendo press release regarding the game itself and how it will be published.

That said, it probably will be a game key card at least in Japan. Some are speculating it might not be in North America, though, because Nintendo publishes Pokemon games in NA whereas the Pokemon Company publishes the games in Japan.

I’m not gonna freak out until we get official word, but it does look more likely than not that a freak out will occur lol

Sorry to repeat this in two different threads, but this is from the Amazon US Pokopia listing:

Games with Game-Key Card: This game uses a game-key card. Please make sure you have enough free space available on your Nintendo Switch 2 system or microSD Express card (sold separately) for the game to be downloaded.

I feel that Tomb Raider Definitive Edition will be a test of whether LRG believes in true physical media. The other Tomb Raider games got physical versions so it seems a safe guess this one will too but this time there's a Switch 2 version so we'll see if it's true physical or a Key Card.

@Grumblevolcano Have they announced it already?

@ElRoberico Not yet and by current patterns it would likely be announced early next year. The 2 TR remaster collections released digitally in February and physical was announced in May meanwhile the Legacy of Kain remaster collection released digitally in December and physical was announced in February.

@Grumblevolcano Fair enough. It'll be interesting to see what happens, especially since a lot of people are worried after the Pokopia fiasco.

@ElRoberico
I’ve come around in the Pokopia thing. It’s probably gonna get tons of updates and is a pretty small game to start, so a full physical doesn’t make much sense. It would be like buying Fortnite physically. Game changes too often for that to make sense.

That’s the narrative I’m going with lol

@rallydefault I want to believe.

LRG only stated that numbered releases, i.e. the ones where they have full control over the publishing, will be on cartridge.

Everything else, and I think that'll include Tomb Raider, is going to be at the discretion of the publishers and they've not exactly been an enthusiastic bunch so far.

The obvious factor is the increased media cost. I'd expect that Switch 2 games would need a base price of at least $50 to break even, with the extras for special editions added on top of that, and that's probably going to put a lot of them off.

@Matt_Barber
I think most people who buy from LRG are more willing to shell out extra money. It’s pretty much their audience concept to begin with.

@rallydefault That's why LRG can commit to it, but as soon as there's another publisher involved it gets messy.

We already saw that with Raidou. Sega also wanted a mass market release at the same time as other platforms and the only way that that was happening was with a key card. Other publishers may have different ideas, of course.

@Matt_Barber
I’m gonna belieeeeeeve.

@Grumblevolcano I was thinking about this yesterday but it is absolutely crazy just how few actually physical fully on the card games there are for Switch 2. I'll see a game i'm interested in and have to put it down cause its got that stupid key.

I know it's not financially feasible for many at the moment, but this is why I ordered a 1 TB microSD express card for my future Switch 2. I really want to just download and leave titles on my system if I can help it.

For what it's worth, this is why I'm eventually going to attempt to get an 8 TB SSD for my PS5.

For some good news, Hades 2 just arrived on cartridge and it's pretty much a textbook release with a reversible cover, a booklet of character art and a download code for the soundtrack.

As usual for Switch 2 Editions, you can also pop it into a Switch 1.

As if it wasn't my GOTY already from playing the PC version, this just seals the deal.

I am stunned as apparently MARVEL Cosmic Invasion (Nintendo Switch 2) is all on the cartridge ...