A cartridge reader is small and cheap, removing it would only result in $3-5 worth of cost savings for Nintendo. This is nothing like removing the blu-ray disc drive from a PS5/XBS, which can actually result in substantial cost savings.
Also, Switch still sees ~60% of its total software sales come via retail. This differs massively from PlayStation/Xbox, where digital vastly exceed retail (or PC/mobile, where retail is virtually non-existent 99.99%).
If cartridge readers are that cheap, why’d they get rid of the GBA slot on the DSi? Then it would have been the definitive DS, but now most of the unique features on it either don’t work or aren’t as cool.
@StewdaMegaManNerd They got rid of the GBA slot because nobody was making GBA games any more and it was dead weight, at least to most new buyers who just wanted to play DS games. Removing it allowed them to rearrange the internals, to fit extra features like the cameras, an eMMC for internal storage, and a larger screen. It's not like they just left it as empty space.
For the benefit of those who wanted a DS with a GBA slot, the Lite remained in production for a few more years.
@StewdaMegaManNerd
I would also note that the GBA removed GBC compatibility in later revisions and the Wii had revisions that killed GC backwards compatibility. And this was without removing the ability to physically put the game in the console. Did people care? Not particularly. Because by then the previous generation was well behind us
Removing the physical hardware that mostly exists for backwards compatibility in a late hardware revision is a different proposition to removing entirely compatibility for all physical games
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15k+ games on Switch 1. Even with the efforts of boutique publishers like Limited Run and Super Rare offering physical releases for games, less than a third of the games available on the platform are available physically. And here we're already off to a worse start on Switch 2.
I state the obvious and you say it's a dumb thing to say.
Stay classy, bro.
lol - I can't tell if you're trying to be ironic.
Anyway, people agree with me. Just read the thread. By your own admission, if those are the "stats" you wanna use, then the Switch 1 has been a "digital only" console for the last eight years.
If you can't admit that most games people actually want will probably get physical releases one way or the other just like they did on the Switch 1, I don't know what else to tell you. You're just willfully ignoring reality at this point.
@Magician
Yea, definitely. One guy who was against me, everyone else either saw what I’m saying and agreed or essentially took the “wait and see” approach.
And apparently I’m valuable enough to take your time to keep responding to me.
@Magician Replying to your comment about a digital-only model needing at least 1tb of storage, wouldn’t that make the price way higher than the current model that’s planned? Those cards are going for $200 alone.
Replying to your comment about a digital-only model needing at least 1tb of storage, wouldn’t that make the price way higher than the current model that’s planned? Those cards are going for $200 alone.
Yes, it would.
Switch Physical Collection - 1,619 games (as of October 27th, 2026)
Switch 2 Physical Collection - 5 games (as of September 20th, 2026)
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Topic: Would you get a cheaper, digital-only Switch 2?
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