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Topic: What could Game Cards look like?

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Posts 61 to 76 of 76

MrCarlos46

LuigiTheGreenFire wrote:

For the many third-party games that will need more, there can just have a download for the rest of the data.

Most people don’t like that, and having storage at 100GB would actually at least future-proof it and allow to hold full games onto the cart, especially for games like GTA.

“Don’t get cooked… stay off the hook!”

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Matt_Barber

Future proofing just isn't an option.

There are already PC games with over 200GB of installed files, and they're only going to get bigger. I'd think that making a distribution media that could entirely contain them would be a forlorn task.

Bearing that in mind, 64GB seems like a reasonable place to draw the line and I can't see any first-party games needing more than that, given how even Nintendo's largest games for the Switch only went just over the 16GB mark.

Matt_Barber

MrCarlos46

@Matt_Barber I’m surprised Nintendo games don’t take lots of storage. The Switch version of Xenoblade Chronicles X had the base game, extra patches and story mode and other extras, yet the file size is so small.

“Don’t get cooked… stay off the hook!”

Switch Friend Code: SW-8210-2437-3335 | X: | Bluesky: carloso5239.bsky.social

RupeeClock

@MrCarlos46
Xenoblade Chronicles X on Switch being a 15GB release, when the Wii U version was 20GB, was a pretty remarkable feat. More so when you also consider that they provided "High-speed Data Loading Packs" as optional downloads for the physical version, which amounted to 10GB.

The Switch's cartridge formats necessitated better compression techniques, for both space efficiency and balanced loading times, and Nintendo really figured this out well.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/09/super_smash_bros_ul...

RupeeClock

Anti-Matter

It seems the size of Switch 1 & Switch 2 cartridge are exactly same, only with different color.
And the official Switch 2 cover size also look exactly same as Switch 1 cover so assuming both Switch 1 & 2 have same thickness of the game box.
Well, if that true meaning I have to get more Switch card case HORI 24 to store the Switch 2 cartridges.

No good deed
Will I do
AGAIN...!!!

JesseA

I didn't see anyone mention the game key card details. But on
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a...
Nintendo Switch 2 Game-Key Card Overview
Untitled
It says games cards don't contain the game, but a qr code the downloads the game for you. BUT in order to still play the game you have to have the physical card in your console.
I don't understand this at all and it seems awful. With digital games there was at least the convivence of being able to play multiple games on the system without needing a physical card.

[Edited by JesseA]

JesseA

dmcc0

@JesseA It was mentioned in one of the other threads, but it's likely the equivalent of the current Code-in-a-box releases. Except with these you're likely to be able to sell/trade them, which you obviously can;t do with Code in a Box.

dmcc0

MrCarlos46

People were starting to go online saying that this would replace real physical releases, but this was eventually confirmed only for bigger games that can’t fully fit onto the cartridge.

“Don’t get cooked… stay off the hook!”

Switch Friend Code: SW-8210-2437-3335 | X: | Bluesky: carloso5239.bsky.social

Anti-Matter

@MrCarlos46
So it's safe to say the general Switch 2 games will have game data inside their cartridge and it just only imply for way bigger GB size of 3rd party games?

No good deed
Will I do
AGAIN...!!!

Anti-Matter

@MrCarlos46
Phew...
Well, sounds a good news.
I was worried with crazy decision of Nintendo to kill physical games for Switch 2 after the fruitful success of Switch 1 sales.

No good deed
Will I do
AGAIN...!!!

skywake

JesseA wrote:

It says games cards don't contain the game, but a qr code the downloads the game for you. BUT in order to still play the game you have to have the physical card in your console.
I don't understand this at all and it seems awful. With digital games there was at least the convivence of being able to play multiple games on the system without needing a physical card.

I must admit I was already not particularly keen on getting games physically but the way I see it there were already basically three kinds of physical releases. Those where there was a full game on the cartridge, those where there was a partial game on the cartridge and those where there was a download code to get the game and you were basically getting a non-transferable digital purchase by stealth. And when buying the game it often wasn't clear what you were getting

What I kinda see happening here is that they're basically just doing the same thing but making it a bit more transparent. These keys effectively replace the code in the box and possibly even the partial game with a large download to get the rest. More or less. So instead of a digital copy that you consume and then can't transfer you get a physical key. One where you still have to download the game, like the code in the box or the partial game with a card, but one that still has value in the second hand market because the physical key itself is the license

If I was buying physical would I rather the full game in the box so I don't have to download it? Yes. Absolutely. If I'm buying physically frankly one of the main reasons I'd do it would be so I can just have the game even if I'm offline. At the shops on holidays or something, see a game at the shops, get the game, throw it in, play it. Done. But failing that, if the game isn't in the box..... at least make it VERY clear on the box itself what I'm actually buying. And I'd rather a key than a code because you can't re-sell a code once you've used it

I feel this is a huge step in the right direction. It's a product I wouldn't bother with sure. But at least it's clear about what it is. Which is more than can be said about, well...... (gestures at every modern platform)

[Edited by skywake]

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Magician

Well it appears we have our low-tech "don't shove this into your Switch 1" answer.

Certainly a cleaner answer than just an extra chunk of plastic on 3DS cartridges.

You should be able to use your Switch 1 game cases for Switch 2 games as well.

[Edited by Magician]

Switch Physical Collection - 1,537 games (as of December 22nd, 2025)
Switch 2 Physical Collection - 4 games (as of December 8th, 2025)

MrCarlos46

@Magician I’m guessing if they find a way to insert it on a Switch 1 it’ll show a message saying to pop it on a Switch 2.

“Don’t get cooked… stay off the hook!”

Switch Friend Code: SW-8210-2437-3335 | X: | Bluesky: carloso5239.bsky.social

Jester676

Here at 0.52 secs into the video he shows what Switch 2 carts are looking like.

Jester676

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