Topic: Question on Buying Digital Games

@SmashBall35 I was reading that article I found again just now.

It said they will last for 20 years on 85 Degress Celsius.

Well if you translate 85 Degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit that’s 185 degrees Fahrenheit.

Me and my family usually keeps our heat pump under 25 degrees Celsius (translates to 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

I live in North Carolina so it doesn’t really get past 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer

So what I am thinking since the temperatures doesn’t go above 85 degrees Celsius (185 degrees Fahrenheit) like the article was saying I am curious if that would make the switch game cards last longer than 20 years?

If that’s the case then I shouldn’t have to worry about it because me or my family never have the heat on 185 degrees Fahrenheit in our home (or anywhere for that matter).

Plus the switch can not heat up to 185 degrees Fahrenheit

So if this is true then the switch game cards should last 20-40 years along as they are still probably stored (which they either be in the switch or in a cloth carrying case

@Aar5144

I would be concerned if anyone kept the heat at 185 degrees Farenheit 😉 I mean, unless you're gonna cook them in the oven I think you're good.

Storing them is a good idea. Also, keeping them away from any moisture would be good too.

@SmashBall35 ya. So since I use Fahrenheit instead of Celsius and keep the heat under 85 degrees Fahrenheit (during winter) and use the AC in summer then I guess the switch game cards can last for 20-50 years or longer if proper care

@Aar5144
There is another matter that may ease your worries. That is to say, old games from nes, snes etc have been digitally preserved and are easily playable on just about any phone or computer.
Switch games can already be played on powerful computers (though how well I have no idea.)
But almost certainly, in 20 or 30 years, if you have a recent computer or device, you should easily be able to play your Switch games.
I actually have 4 3ds family consoles, and because they're getting more expensive and hard to find, I play my 3ds games on pc or tablet instead, specifically to preserve my consoles and carts.

@tyranny_life do you have to pay to play them on the tablet?

@Aar5144

They definitely could. If the NES/SNES cartridges can last that long, the switch will too especially since it’s newer technology and the cards can’t deteriorate as fast.

@Aar5144 Nope. You can easily install emulators on android phones/tablets and pc (windows, mac, linux.) Some apps do costs a few dollars.
Emulation is considered a grey area legally, but in most of the world as long as you own a copy of the game, you can do whatever you like.
For example, having purchased games like Mario Bros. 3 or Chrono Trigger etc. multiple times, I have absolutely zero issue playing them via emulation instead of paying Nintendo some lame subscription fee.
In 20 years, the same will definitely be true about Switch games.

@SmashBall35 well the NES and SNES uses batteries for save files so if that battery dies and replace it then it will last longer than 50 years but have to replace the battery every 5 years.

Switch carts don’t have batteries but hopefully they can last a long time

Good news about switch carts is that the saves are saved on the console not the cartridge..

There is a website saying DS carts can last 40-50 years before you can no longer save

Another website says 3ds will last 20-50 years before you can no longer save

So I am guessing since I won’t use 85 Celsius and the switch game cards can’t save on the carts themselves then I am guessing I can have them longer.

@Aar5144 If you have a 3ds running custom firmware, you can "rip" a cartridge, which makes a file and saves to the sd card. It's like making a digital backup of the game to the sd card, which you can then move to pc or tablet to play.
That's the accepted way to do it. If you can't do it that way, you can usually find the game files online.

@tyranny_life will it be pirated? Right now Nintendo is suing people who hacks/pirates the Nintendo switch

I don’t want to do that if Nintendo would sue me

So the will last 20 years at 85C. Humans wouldn't.

@Aar5144

Most likely. If everything else has lasted a long time I think you’re good.

@SmashBall35 I wonder if every time you load a switch game can cause it to degrade?

Every time I play a switch game I try not to stop the game.

What I do when I play games and I am in a middle of a game and I want to stop for a while.

If I am home I will press the home button on the controller instead of hitting the X button to stop the game I would put the switch in sleep mode

I do that until I finished the game thinking this can help keep the games not to wear out

I don’t know if switch carts can degrade every time you load the same game or if there’s no harm

@Aar5144

Correct me if I’m wrong I don’t think restarting and starting up the game would necessarily hurt it. The thing that might do that is putting it into the switch and taking it out. When it loads a card game, it just reads the information off of the card but I don’t think it necessarily hurts it.

I don’t close out of my game when I play because I can just pick up where I left off and not have to load anything again. Plus, if I’m in the middle of something I can stop.

@SmashBall35 that’s what I do (I don’t close the game either so I hit home button so it be Home Screen but I turn it off without closing the whole software.

When I do get done with the game I will press the home button then close it out completely and then remove the card from the console then put the game card back in my case for the switch game cards until I play it again.

But When I start the game I don’t close the game until I am finished the game or I want to play another game

@Aar5144

That’s what I do.

@SmashBall35 ya I do that when I am home but when I take the switch on vacation I don’t take the dock so I will have to close the game every time I stop but I only go like 2 1 week long trips and 1 sometimes 2 weekend trips so it shouldn’t degrade as much hopefully

@SmashBall35 I am so angry about switch pro or switch 2 roumers. They keep popping up and get everyone exited

My brother wants to get a V2 but he is upset with roumers because if he gets a v2 and later on Nintendo releases the pro or switch 2 then he will have to sell it

We don’t shop at GameStop so hopefully they won’t make the 4K switch everyone is talking about

People still think BOTW 2 will come on switch 4K next year but they confirmed Fall 2022 for BOTW 2

@WoomyNNYes But all your friends will be in awe of your official Nintendo microSD card that stays hidden 99 percent of the time you have it!

@Aar5144

Yeah, don't get an official one.

If you get a normal Sandisk or something, you can get way bigger storage capacity than the licensed ones. Don't buy microSD cards from eBay, they are sometimes fake. I use Amazon and usually buy Sandisk cards.

@Mikmoomamimocki I think you mixed me up with the OP. I got a 400gb UHS-1 Sandisk back in 2019-ish from the US amazon page that currently has 140,000+ positive reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-400GB-microSDXC-Memory-Adapter...