@Solid_Python Serious question: why game on Nintendo platforms if you only want the absolute best technical experience?
If you are not adverse to digital games and want the best technical version, you would be much better served on PC. You can still play PC games portably with various PC handhelds. And when you get new more powerful hardware, all your PC games will automatically look and run better. You won't need to wait for devs to release patches to unlock frame rate caps or increase resolution.
@progx "where did Nintendo say they were going to take away the users ability to redownload their purchases?"
They say it right on their own official webpage about the Wii Shop Channel discontinuation:
"In the future we will close all services related to the Wii Shop Channel, including the ability to redownload WiiWare and Virtual Console games, as well as the Wii System Transfer Tool, which transfers data from Wii to the Wii U system. We will announce specific details as that time approaches."
@uncleMike For someone who claims to have too much dignity to spend their free time complaining about things on internet comment sections, you sure have left a lot of comments on this article doing just that.
I'll bet you can't resist responding to me with another of your "witty" comments. Surely you have more pressing adult matters to attend to?
Maybe this change of leadership will result in less censorship (ie, "content guidelines") from NoA? Ah, who am I kidding? This new lady will probably double down on it.
They can't give the actual game a real physical release, but they'll release some crappy physical Happy Meal toys for $40 a pop to promote it. Please understand.
@Ellie-Moo My guess is it's because Nintendo was being too precious about leaks. They'd rather undermine their developers than risk random obsessive internet fans learning bits and pieces about their new hardware earlier than they want. And the funny thing is, despite Nintendo being overly cautious with dev kits, everything leaked anyways and they have nothing to show for it.
On the topic of the article, this just seems to be another case of devs having their priorities wrong. Any game outside of turn-based games should always prioritize frame rate over graphics.
And it's a shame that the version on the cartridge probably won't have this potential performance mode. They should delay the physical release.
So what's the change in resolution? Did they just increase it by 10 pixels? As Nintendo has taught us, don't read too much into patch notes without actual numbers (remember the Mario Kart World debacle).
Yes, it is true that Switch 2 cartridges are slower than Micro SD Express cards (the former are supposedly 400 MB/s while the latter are 880 MB/s).
But, isn't FFVII Remake infamous for all the forced slow walk and "squeeze through the tight corridor" sequences to mask load times?
The PC version is also totally playable on HDDs, which are generally slower than Switch 2 cartridges (obviously, there's a lot of variance, but a quick search online reveals the best consumer models generally get under 300 MB/s). EDIT: Just remembered this game is also playable from a base PS4 hard drive, which has a read speed of 80-120 MB/s. C'mon Square Enix, we're not stupid.
I also don't appreciate this guy trying to make it seem as if this is the reason why developers use GKCs. Okay, Square Enix, if that's the case, why don't you offer normal Switch 2 cartridge releases for Bravely Default, Final Fantasy Tactics, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D, Octopath Traveler 0, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, and The Adventures of Elliot? Are you gonna try to claim that these games require the power of the SSD? Even though the games on this list that are on Switch 1 are getting true physical releases on that platform?
What a load of crap.
Also, what's the deal with Nintendo making their Switch 2 cartridges half the speed of Micro SD Express, but they still apparently cost so much that no one wants to use them?
About what I expected for the split in Japan between Trails in the Sky on Switch vs. Playstation. Normally, same-day multiplats sell 1.5 to 2 times higher on Switch, but because this series has a much stronger history with Sony, it sold about the same on both platforms.
To make matters worse, this is a series where you really should start from the beginning (Sky), so they killed a lot of potential momentum by releasing them in the bizarre order that they did on Switch.
And while all of the more recent games in this series were released simultaneously on all platforms in the West, for a long time, the Switch ports came much later in Japan, making it difficult for the fanbase to grow on the Switch.
@Sonicka It does contradict what Square Enix said. They tried to generalize their opinion to other developers: "I think perhaps the biggest issue for developers, certainly for people like us who make high-end HD games, is the loading speed,"
And here is Capcom, another developer of "high-end HD games" saying, "nah dawg, it's about the money."
@BrewsterTea I was hoping this was gonna be "Shadows of Jugdral," (a la Shadows of Valentia) for Switch. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
@Elbow There's a lot to be sure, but this list is also bloated with digital deluxe editions and bundles, which makes it seem like there's more than there really are.
@The_Nintendo_Pedant It's a standard Nintendo Switch 2 Edition cartridge like we've seen with Rune Factory, BotW, TotK, Mario Party, and Kirby. It contains both the base Switch 1 game and the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack. If you play it on a Switch 1, it'll be the Switch 1 version, and if you play it on Switch 2, it'll be the Switch 2 version. No internet download required.
Question Will you be playing any of these upcoming HD-2D releases on Nintendo's systems?
Answer Since Elliot is only on Switch 2, it depends on if it gets a real physical release or not. If it's on a Game-Key Card, then I'll skip it.
Octopath Traveler 0 is a GKC on Switch 2, but there is a real physical Switch 1 version. But since Square Enix isn't offering an upgrade path, I'll wait and get the Switch 1 physical when it's on sale.
Hopefully people learned their lesson from last time to not prematurely declare, "Nintendo fixed Mario Kart World online!" till we see the actual probabilities.
The Free Roam collectible tracking is very nice, though.
@Bobobiwan Yeah, I don't think Nintendo and 3rd parties were anticipating this much backlash to GKCs.
Hopefully things are happening behind the scenes to improve the situation. Some possibilities include:
1) Switch 2 cartridge prices go down or Nintendo introduces smaller Switch 2 cartridges (< 64 GB) that are cheaper.
2) Nintendo allows developers to use the cheaper (slower) Switch 1 cartridges for Switch 2 games that don't require high read speeds (basically any non-open world game wouldn't need high read speeds).
3) Nintendo introduces the ability to install games from a cartridge, meaning that slower Switch 1 cartridge could potentially be used to store the data for games that do require high read speeds.
4) Limited print publishers like LRG start making true physical releases for 3rd party Switch 2 games that were previously on GKCs. I also saw that Canadian retailer Video Games Plus is interested in doing this (their claim to fame is reprinting rare, out-of-stock games, so this is pretty on-brand for them).
5) Now that 3rd parties have seen the low GKC sales, they may be open to trying some traditional physical releases. Sonic Racing, as you mentioned, seems to be an example of this.
@FX29 The difference is, on PS5 fake physical releases are the exception, not the rule. On Switch 2, real physical releases are the exception, not the rule. Check out doesitplay if you wanna see some stats. Most physical games on PS5 are real physical releases. That is not the case at all on Switch 2 where almost every 3rd party "physical" game is a fake physical release.
And people did complain about games like Doom: The Dark Ages being "Game-Key Discs" on PS5.
You are probably hearing more people complain about fake physical releases on Switch 2 than PS5 because: 1) It's a bigger problem on Switch 2 than PS5. 2) Nintendo fans, in general, care more about physical releases than Sony fans.
@FX29 "I honestly don't care about the key card thing but I get why people are mad even though Sony has been doing this with PS5 as well."
This is misinformation.
While you do have to install PS5 games to the console's memory, the difference between that and a Game-Key Card is most PS5 discs do contain the full game (outside of patches and DLC). Whereas as a GKC literally just contains a permission slip to allow you to download the full game from Nintendo's server.
This means when the servers eventually shut down, you'll still be able to reinstall games from PS5 discs. But your GKCs will no longer allow you to redownload games.
@Jade37 Yep, and to expand on this, when they finally brought the Trails series to Nintendo back in 2020, they started from the middle of a story arc in the middle of the overarching story (Cold Steel III).
So that really slowed the growth of a Nintendo fanbase cause everyone is telling potentially interested players that that's a bad game to start with, and you have to start the series with Trails in the Sky, or at the very least, Cold Steel I. (They're not wrong.)
Anyone with access to Sony platforms or PC probably figured, "well, I might as well buy the rest of the games in the same ecosystem." And people without access to those platforms probably just gave up on waiting for all these older Trails games to come over and found something else to play.
And to make matters worse, the Switch ports for the proper 3D games are supposed to be a bit rough in both the resolution and performance departments, despite not being much more visually advanced than a PS3 game. (Though maybe the Sky remake is better in this regard since it seems Switch was a target platform from the start for a change.)
I'd imagine only the most hardcore Nintendo fans would be willing to put up with the waiting this long to finally play this series on their platform of choice.
I mean, I'd like to check out some of these games like Wario Land, but not enough to shell out for the higher cost NSO tier AND purchase a $100 accessory that will become a useless hunk of plastic when my subscription lapses.
I was really surprised to see Nintendo lock this behind the Expansion Pass. You would think that since it requires an extra physical accessory, that they would put it in the cheaper tier to try to get more sales for the accessories.
Agree with the letter about difficulty. I find most games these days too easy, and when games are too easy, they're boring.
I think the Mario Wonder is a perfect example of this. By far the easiest Mario platformer I've ever played. You would think with Nintendo's eagerness to add all sorts of "assist mode" type features, they'd have the confidence to up the challenge (since struggling players could fall back on those features). But nope, the game's super easy even without using any of those features.
I say bring back the challenge of NES Mario games: the timer, lives as a meaningful resource, resetting the world (or game!) upon loss of all lives, no powerup reserve, getting hit with any powerup always makes you small (no extra hit for powerups after Super Mushroom), moderately challenging levels, etc...
IMO, if you can't lose, then it's not much of a game--it's an "experience."
Really stupid that there's no upgrade path and they don't even have an option for a 60 FPS cap in the Switch 1 version. Even if it couldn't hit the cap on Switch 1, it certainly could when played on Switch 2 via BC.
They probably removed that option cause they'd rather you buy the crappy GKC on Switch 2. But joke's on you Bandai Namco: I'm skipping this game entirely!
While Nintendo, like a lot of companies, outsourced customer service many years ago, unlike other companies, they actually used contractors in the US that were native English speakers, which made for a much better customer service experience.
A shame that's coming to an end. Now NOA will have crappy customer service like every other large company. Nintendo is really going downhill this generation.
I think the one group of people at NOA that need to have their jobs "outsourced" are the morons who are responsible for NOA's new "content guidelines" over the last year that have resulted in several games being blocked from release outside of Japan.
Normally I'd fall back on the Switch 1 release in light of a Switch 2 GKC, but given how rough R-Type Final 2 was on Switch, I might just pass on this entirely.
@Rosona Sorry, when I say they "shoe-horned" backwards compatibility into the Switch 2, I'm saying that when they originally made Switch 1, they didn't plan ahead for how to handle backwards compatibility in the future.
While it's admirable that they implemented a translation layer for Switch 1 -> Switch 2, this is a very manual and error-prone solution and it will be difficult for them to maintain going forward.
There are already numerous issues with the existing translation layer. Nintendo has been very slow to fix issues since launch, and they are also not being very transparent about it since they no longer update the webpage they made before launch to list games with BC issues.
Many users, including those on this site, have discovered issues with games that Nintendo is seemingly not aware of or simply doesn't plan on fixing. For example, the digital version of Klonoa crashes on launch, the pre-rendered videos in the Crossbell duology cause crashes, and Ultra Age has random crashes throughout.
When the Switch 3 comes out, Nintendo will have to solve this problem yet again. At a bare minimum, they'll have to make a translation layer for Switch 2 -> Switch 3. To handle Switch 1, they'd have two options:
1) Translate from Switch 1 -> Switch 2 and then Switch 2 -> Switch 3
2) Make a dedicated translation layer for Switch 1 -> Switch 3
The former is less work for them, but is bound to introduce even more issues in Switch 1 games as it's basically like a game of telephone where more and more of the original intent is lost in each translation layer.
The later is a lot of extra work for Nintendo and it still has the opportunity to introduce a totally different set of BC issues for Switch 1 games.
It just doesn't seem sustainable for them to keep implementing new translation layers with each new console generation. Nintendo is really adverse to spending money on things that won't make a profit (this is why they are planning to eventually shut down the servers that let you redownload your Wii games). When their analytics show that Switch 1 games are starting to sell less and less, they'll eventually determine that it's not worth the cost to do all this work on their end to bring them forward for another generation. And when that happens, it sets a ticking time bomb on the ability to redownload your Switch games.
And this is of course assuming they keep making iterative Switch consoles from now till the end of time. Since it's Nintendo, they might one day decide to completely shake things up and do a totally different hardware concept. And if they do that, backwards compatibility is almost certainly not gonna be a thing.
As for my comment about the change in wording on their website regarding the ability to redownload Wii games, I just checked the Wayback Machine and it looks like it actually always said they eventually plan to shut that down. So I think I was just getting that mixed up with the page for 3DS and Wii U, which says the ability to redownload games will still be available "for the foreseeable future."
@jsty3105 I don't think having access to my digital Wii games for 20 years is the "gotcha!" moment you think it is.
When Nintendo first announced that they were shutting down the Wii Shop Channel, Nintendo originally said that you'll still be able to redownload your digital games for the "foreseeable future" (which is what the 3DS and Wii U FAQs currently say). They have since updated the page to straight up say they plan to shut down the ability to redownload your Wii games. 3DS and Wii U will follow shortly thereafter.
Switch will be on track for the same fate the generation they decide to stop supporting Switch 1 backwards compatibility. Due to Switch 1 backwards compatibility basically being shoehorned on to Switch 2 (and still buggy with some games), I can't imagine them maintaining that for generations to come. Maybe Switch 3? But I wouldn't get your hopes up for anything after that.
You are much better off investing in digital purchases on PC storefronts. PC games are designed with flexibility in mind from the start and will continue to run on arbitrary PC hardware in the future. Thus PC stores like Steam can continue selling old games indefinitely and therefore have a monetary incentive to preserve your digital purchases.
Even better, on PC, you can get DRM-free digital games from stores like GOG. You truly own DRG-free digital games since you can make as many backup copies as you want.
Really excited for the new Fire Emblem. But Game-Key Cards basically killed all my interest in 3rd party Switch 2 games. I'll probably end up owning a similar number of Switch 2 games as I owned on Wii U by the end of both console's life cycles.
@sixrings While I agree most of Nintendo's NS2 Editions feel kinda overpriced for what they are, at least they do consistently offer upgrade paths. (I do feel like the only reason they added the lame Zelda Notes feature to BotW and TotK was to have something that they could bill as "new content" to justify charging $10 for an upgrade.)
But with Square Enix, they largely don't do upgrade paths, outside of some rare exceptions (like FFT). This sucks for people who like physical games since you have to choose between a true physical release on Switch 1 with worse visuals/performance, or a fake physical GKC release on Switch 2 with better visuals/performance.
@jsty3105 Might wanna go read Nintendo's website regarding the shutdown of the Wii Shop Channel:
"In the future we will close all services related to the Wii Shop Channel, including the ability to redownload WiiWare and Virtual Console games, as well as the Wii System Transfer Tool, which transfers data from Wii to the Wii U system. We will announce specific details as that time approaches."
Nintendo does not care about maintaining your access to digital games. When they fully shut down all Wii services, you'll only be able to continue playing your digital Wii games till your Wii fails or your SD card fails.
Note, this is worse than physical because:
1) If your Wii fails, you can just buy another Wii second-hand and you can play your physical Wii games on it. Your digital games have DRM to only allow the Wii that originally purchased them to play them.
2) If an individual Wii disc breaks, you can buy another copy of that disc second-hand. If your SD card with digital games fails, you lose all of the games on that card and since the Wii Shop Channel was shut down, you can't replace them.
@h3s Smaller print runs would be fine. The people that care will buy at full price to avoid missing out. And the people that care less about owning true physical could still buy the digital version whenever.
And after the initial run sells out, you could still have retailers like VGP order more batches.
@h3s Well, yeah, it's $20 more for the physical than the digital version, but I'm fine with that. On the Switch 1, it was pretty standard for indie games to cost $10-$20 more for the physical version compared to the digital version.
This is the approach AAA companies should be taking. I think a $70-$80 physical version of Persona 3 Reload with all the data on a cartridge is significantly more appealing than a $60 GKC.
@kuu_nousee If Ubisoft can reduce the file size of Star Wars Outlaws by more than 50% for their Switch 2 port, Square Enix could have done the same thing for FFVII.
It's absolutely not an engine issue. Most file size bloat comes from textures and audio. They simply just have to compress these assets more.
Square Enix themselves used to do this in their Switch ports. FFXII was around 40 GB on PS4 and is only around 13 GB on Switch. They could have reduced the size of FFVII if they wanted to.
My guess is because they were already committed to using a Game-Key Card, they just didn't see the point in optimizing. But now this decision has also screwed the game out of a potential LRG physical release in the future. (Unless Nintendo comes up with 128 GB cartridges in the future.) And it wastes nearly 40% of your internal storage should you decide to download the game.
The new Fire Emblem was the only thing that got me genuinely excited. That one game alone bumped the show up from like a 3 to a 6 for me. But man, without that, it was mostly cozy games, Game-Key Cards, some kinda safe/bland-looking Mario games, and games we already knew about.
I'm also really disappointed with the output of Switch 2 enhancement patches. I figured Nintendo would at least drop these for their own games at a fairly regular cadence, but we've got nothing since the Splatoon 3 patch on June 12.
And this selection of Switch 2 Editions feels pretty random. I'd much rather just get simple patches for 60 FPS and 1080p handheld for free for most games than pay $10 for whatever else these are offering.
I feel like I'm gonna be saving a lot of money this generation compared to last.
@jsty3105 They didn't even try to optimize it. The game is 81 GB on PS5. We've seen countless games get their file size reduced by more than 50% when ported to Switch. For example, FFXII is 40 GB on PS4, but only around 12 GB on Switch.
I would much rather have slightly more compressed textures and audio to have the game on a real cartridge. Extremely large file sizes are not a good fit for a portable console. This one game will take up nearly 40% of your Switch 2's built-in storage.
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Re: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Director Highlights The Speed Problem With Switch 2 Game Cards
@Solid_Python Serious question: why game on Nintendo platforms if you only want the absolute best technical experience?
If you are not adverse to digital games and want the best technical version, you would be much better served on PC. You can still play PC games portably with various PC handhelds. And when you get new more powerful hardware, all your PC games will automatically look and run better. You won't need to wait for devs to release patches to unlock frame rate caps or increase resolution.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Director Highlights The Speed Problem With Switch 2 Game Cards
@progx "where did Nintendo say they were going to take away the users ability to redownload their purchases?"
They say it right on their own official webpage about the Wii Shop Channel discontinuation:
"In the future we will close all services related to the Wii Shop Channel, including the ability to redownload WiiWare and Virtual Console games, as well as the Wii System Transfer Tool, which transfers data from Wii to the Wii U system. We will announce specific details as that time approaches."
Re: Game-Key Cards A "Sales Strategy Decision", Says Resident Evil Requiem Director
@uncleMike For someone who claims to have too much dignity to spend their free time complaining about things on internet comment sections, you sure have left a lot of comments on this article doing just that.
I'll bet you can't resist responding to me with another of your "witty" comments. Surely you have more pressing adult matters to attend to?
Re: Nintendo Of America President Doug Bowser Announces Retirement
Maybe this change of leadership will result in less censorship (ie, "content guidelines") from NoA? Ah, who am I kidding? This new lady will probably double down on it.
Re: Capcom Teases Brand New amiibo For Monster Hunter Stories 3, Here's A Look
They can't give the actual game a real physical release, but they'll release some crappy physical Happy Meal toys for $40 a pop to promote it. Please understand.
Re: Are You "Unsure" About Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade For Switch 2? Don't Worry, There'll Be A Demo
I'm not "unsure" of anything. I'm certain I'll never buy it since it's a Game-Key Card. And no demo will change my mind.
Re: Yooka-Replaylee Runs At 30fps On Switch 2, Team Investigating Performance Mode
@Ellie-Moo My guess is it's because Nintendo was being too precious about leaks. They'd rather undermine their developers than risk random obsessive internet fans learning bits and pieces about their new hardware earlier than they want. And the funny thing is, despite Nintendo being overly cautious with dev kits, everything leaked anyways and they have nothing to show for it.
On the topic of the article, this just seems to be another case of devs having their priorities wrong. Any game outside of turn-based games should always prioritize frame rate over graphics.
And it's a shame that the version on the cartridge probably won't have this potential performance mode. They should delay the physical release.
Re: Shinobi: Art Of Vengeance Switch Resolution Update Now Available
So what's the change in resolution? Did they just increase it by 10 pixels? As Nintendo has taught us, don't read too much into patch notes without actual numbers (remember the Mario Kart World debacle).
Re: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Director Highlights The Speed Problem With Switch 2 Game Cards
I'm sorry, but I call BS.
Yes, it is true that Switch 2 cartridges are slower than Micro SD Express cards (the former are supposedly 400 MB/s while the latter are 880 MB/s).
But, isn't FFVII Remake infamous for all the forced slow walk and "squeeze through the tight corridor" sequences to mask load times?
The PC version is also totally playable on HDDs, which are generally slower than Switch 2 cartridges (obviously, there's a lot of variance, but a quick search online reveals the best consumer models generally get under 300 MB/s). EDIT: Just remembered this game is also playable from a base PS4 hard drive, which has a read speed of 80-120 MB/s. C'mon Square Enix, we're not stupid.
I also don't appreciate this guy trying to make it seem as if this is the reason why developers use GKCs. Okay, Square Enix, if that's the case, why don't you offer normal Switch 2 cartridge releases for Bravely Default, Final Fantasy Tactics, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D, Octopath Traveler 0, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, and The Adventures of Elliot? Are you gonna try to claim that these games require the power of the SSD? Even though the games on this list that are on Switch 1 are getting true physical releases on that platform?
What a load of crap.
Also, what's the deal with Nintendo making their Switch 2 cartridges half the speed of Micro SD Express, but they still apparently cost so much that no one wants to use them?
Re: Game-Key Cards A "Sales Strategy Decision", Says Resident Evil Requiem Director
@Sonicka Sorry for the edits. I realized after I posted my initial statement that I potentially wasn't being clear enough. 😂
Re: Game-Key Cards A "Sales Strategy Decision", Says Resident Evil Requiem Director
@Sonicka Read my comment again. They contradict because Square Enix is projecting their reasoning on other developers.
Square Enix said, "I think perhaps the biggest issue for developers certainly for people like us who make high-end HD games,"
When they should have just said, "The biggest issue for us"
Re: Japanese Charts: Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Remain Steady Amidst Trails In The Sky Surge
About what I expected for the split in Japan between Trails in the Sky on Switch vs. Playstation. Normally, same-day multiplats sell 1.5 to 2 times higher on Switch, but because this series has a much stronger history with Sony, it sold about the same on both platforms.
To make matters worse, this is a series where you really should start from the beginning (Sky), so they killed a lot of potential momentum by releasing them in the bizarre order that they did on Switch.
And while all of the more recent games in this series were released simultaneously on all platforms in the West, for a long time, the Switch ports came much later in Japan, making it difficult for the fanbase to grow on the Switch.
Re: Game-Key Cards A "Sales Strategy Decision", Says Resident Evil Requiem Director
@Sonicka It does contradict what Square Enix said. They tried to generalize their opinion to other developers: "I think perhaps the biggest issue for developers, certainly for people like us who make high-end HD games, is the loading speed,"
And here is Capcom, another developer of "high-end HD games" saying, "nah dawg, it's about the money."
Re: Game-Key Cards A "Sales Strategy Decision", Says Resident Evil Requiem Director
Gotta respect the honesty from Capcom at least. No BS, it's just a decision to increase the profit from each sale.
But it'll be my "sales strategy decision" to ignore all Game-Key Card games and their digital counterparts.
Re: Surprise! A New "Free-To-Start" Fire Emblem Game Is Out On Mobile Devices Today
@BrewsterTea I was hoping this was gonna be "Shadows of Jugdral," (a la Shadows of Valentia) for Switch. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
Re: Save On Select Switch 1 & 2 Games In Koei Tecmo's Tokyo Game Show eShop Sale
@Elbow There's a lot to be sure, but this list is also bloated with digital deluxe editions and bundles, which makes it seem like there's more than there really are.
Re: Round Up: The Latest Previews Are In For Pokémon Legends: Z-A
@Whyarewestillhere I mean, the Gameboy Pokemon games had nice visuals for the hardware.
Re: Round Up: The Latest Previews Are In For Pokémon Legends: Z-A
So normal Pokemon gameplay is "baby's first Dragon Quest." And this game will be "baby's first Xenoblade."
I'll pass, I already have the real deal. Plus the visuals are pretty bland, like usual for Game Freak.
Re: Video: Hades 2 Casts A Spell Over Us On Switch 1 & 2
@The_Nintendo_Pedant It's a standard Nintendo Switch 2 Edition cartridge like we've seen with Rune Factory, BotW, TotK, Mario Party, and Kirby. It contains both the base Switch 1 game and the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack. If you play it on a Switch 1, it'll be the Switch 1 version, and if you play it on Switch 2, it'll be the Switch 2 version. No internet download required.
Re: Round Up: The Reviews For Hades II On Switch And Switch 2 Are In
Looking forward to picking up the physical version in November!
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer Highlights The Switch 2's Remarkable Versatility
Based devs putting the game on a real cartridge.
Re: Videos: Square Enix Releases New Trailers For 'Octopath Traveler 0' And 'The Adventures Of Elliot'
@SigmaNoire RIP, another one to cross off my wish list.
Re: Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Announced For Switch 2, Launching In February 2026
Question
Excited for this one?
Answer
No, because if Sega's track record is anything to go by, it'll be on a Game-Key Card.
Re: Videos: Square Enix Releases New Trailers For 'Octopath Traveler 0' And 'The Adventures Of Elliot'
Question
Will you be playing any of these upcoming HD-2D releases on Nintendo's systems?
Answer
Since Elliot is only on Switch 2, it depends on if it gets a real physical release or not. If it's on a Game-Key Card, then I'll skip it.
Octopath Traveler 0 is a GKC on Switch 2, but there is a real physical Switch 1 version. But since Square Enix isn't offering an upgrade path, I'll wait and get the Switch 1 physical when it's on sale.
Re: Mario Kart World Has Been Updated To Version 1.3.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Hopefully people learned their lesson from last time to not prematurely declare, "Nintendo fixed Mario Kart World online!" till we see the actual probabilities.
The Free Roam collectible tracking is very nice, though.
Re: New Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Trailer Showcases The Remakes' Fresh Features
@Bobobiwan Yeah, I don't think Nintendo and 3rd parties were anticipating this much backlash to GKCs.
Hopefully things are happening behind the scenes to improve the situation. Some possibilities include:
1) Switch 2 cartridge prices go down or Nintendo introduces smaller Switch 2 cartridges (< 64 GB) that are cheaper.
2) Nintendo allows developers to use the cheaper (slower) Switch 1 cartridges for Switch 2 games that don't require high read speeds (basically any non-open world game wouldn't need high read speeds).
3) Nintendo introduces the ability to install games from a cartridge, meaning that slower Switch 1 cartridge could potentially be used to store the data for games that do require high read speeds.
4) Limited print publishers like LRG start making true physical releases for 3rd party Switch 2 games that were previously on GKCs. I also saw that Canadian retailer Video Games Plus is interested in doing this (their claim to fame is reprinting rare, out-of-stock games, so this is pretty on-brand for them).
5) Now that 3rd parties have seen the low GKC sales, they may be open to trying some traditional physical releases. Sonic Racing, as you mentioned, seems to be an example of this.
Re: New Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Trailer Showcases The Remakes' Fresh Features
@FX29 The difference is, on PS5 fake physical releases are the exception, not the rule. On Switch 2, real physical releases are the exception, not the rule. Check out doesitplay if you wanna see some stats. Most physical games on PS5 are real physical releases. That is not the case at all on Switch 2 where almost every 3rd party "physical" game is a fake physical release.
And people did complain about games like Doom: The Dark Ages being "Game-Key Discs" on PS5.
You are probably hearing more people complain about fake physical releases on Switch 2 than PS5 because:
1) It's a bigger problem on Switch 2 than PS5.
2) Nintendo fans, in general, care more about physical releases than Sony fans.
Re: New Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Trailer Showcases The Remakes' Fresh Features
@FX29 "I honestly don't care about the key card thing but I get why people are mad even though Sony has been doing this with PS5 as well."
This is misinformation.
While you do have to install PS5 games to the console's memory, the difference between that and a Game-Key Card is most PS5 discs do contain the full game (outside of patches and DLC). Whereas as a GKC literally just contains a permission slip to allow you to download the full game from Nintendo's server.
This means when the servers eventually shut down, you'll still be able to reinstall games from PS5 discs. But your GKCs will no longer allow you to redownload games.
Re: New Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Trailer Showcases The Remakes' Fresh Features
Question
Will you be picking this one up next month?
Answer
It's a Game-Key Card, so definitely skipping the Switch 2 version.
Would have bought the Switch 1 physical at launch if there was at least a free upgrade path, but there's no upgrade path of any sort.
So I'll wait till the Switch 1 physical goes on sale for around 50% off.
Re: UK Charts: Well, Look Who Cruised Back Into First Place
@Jade37 Yep, and to expand on this, when they finally brought the Trails series to Nintendo back in 2020, they started from the middle of a story arc in the middle of the overarching story (Cold Steel III).
So that really slowed the growth of a Nintendo fanbase cause everyone is telling potentially interested players that that's a bad game to start with, and you have to start the series with Trails in the Sky, or at the very least, Cold Steel I. (They're not wrong.)
Anyone with access to Sony platforms or PC probably figured, "well, I might as well buy the rest of the games in the same ecosystem." And people without access to those platforms probably just gave up on waiting for all these older Trails games to come over and found something else to play.
And to make matters worse, the Switch ports for the proper 3D games are supposed to be a bit rough in both the resolution and performance departments, despite not being much more visually advanced than a PS3 game. (Though maybe the Sky remake is better in this regard since it seems Switch was a target platform from the start for a change.)
I'd imagine only the most hardcore Nintendo fans would be willing to put up with the waiting this long to finally play this series on their platform of choice.
Re: Capcom Switch 2 Launch Title Gets Its First Big eShop Discount (US)
@Serpenterror Yep, that's my plan. Waiting for the inevitable complete edition and hoping the GKC nonsense gets sorted by then.
Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Checking Out Switch Online's Virtual Boy Service?
I mean, I'd like to check out some of these games like Wario Land, but not enough to shell out for the higher cost NSO tier AND purchase a $100 accessory that will become a useless hunk of plastic when my subscription lapses.
I was really surprised to see Nintendo lock this behind the Expansion Pass. You would think that since it requires an extra physical accessory, that they would put it in the cheaper tier to try to get more sales for the accessories.
Re: Mailbox: Switch Game Pricing, Shovelware, Self-Nerfing - Nintendo Life Letters
Agree with the letter about difficulty. I find most games these days too easy, and when games are too easy, they're boring.
I think the Mario Wonder is a perfect example of this. By far the easiest Mario platformer I've ever played. You would think with Nintendo's eagerness to add all sorts of "assist mode" type features, they'd have the confidence to up the challenge (since struggling players could fall back on those features). But nope, the game's super easy even without using any of those features.
I say bring back the challenge of NES Mario games: the timer, lives as a meaningful resource, resetting the world (or game!) upon loss of all lives, no powerup reserve, getting hit with any powerup always makes you small (no extra hit for powerups after Super Mushroom), moderately challenging levels, etc...
IMO, if you can't lose, then it's not much of a game--it's an "experience."
Re: Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac Switch And Switch 2 Performance & Resolution Detailed
Really stupid that there's no upgrade path and they don't even have an option for a 60 FPS cap in the Switch 1 version. Even if it couldn't hit the cap on Switch 1, it certainly could when played on Switch 2 via BC.
They probably removed that option cause they'd rather you buy the crappy GKC on Switch 2. But joke's on you Bandai Namco: I'm skipping this game entirely!
Re: Nintendo Of America Reportedly Cuts Loose Customer Service Contractors As It Looks To Outsource
While Nintendo, like a lot of companies, outsourced customer service many years ago, unlike other companies, they actually used contractors in the US that were native English speakers, which made for a much better customer service experience.
A shame that's coming to an end. Now NOA will have crappy customer service like every other large company. Nintendo is really going downhill this generation.
I think the one group of people at NOA that need to have their jobs "outsourced" are the morons who are responsible for NOA's new "content guidelines" over the last year that have resulted in several games being blocked from release outside of Japan.
Re: Genre-Bending 'Baroque YA' Collection Headed To Switch In Japan
Interesting, I didn't even realize there were Baroque spinoffs. Hopefully this gets an English translation.
Though the Sting game I'm really hoping they port to Switch one day is Gungnir, as I never owned a PSP.
Re: R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos Confirms Switch 2 Version Alongside 2026 Launch
Normally I'd fall back on the Switch 1 release in light of a Switch 2 GKC, but given how rough R-Type Final 2 was on Switch, I might just pass on this entirely.
Re: Nintendo Is "Acting To Protect The Industry" With Switch 2 Game Key Cards, Says Ex-Capcom Composer
@Rosona Sorry, when I say they "shoe-horned" backwards compatibility into the Switch 2, I'm saying that when they originally made Switch 1, they didn't plan ahead for how to handle backwards compatibility in the future.
While it's admirable that they implemented a translation layer for Switch 1 -> Switch 2, this is a very manual and error-prone solution and it will be difficult for them to maintain going forward.
There are already numerous issues with the existing translation layer. Nintendo has been very slow to fix issues since launch, and they are also not being very transparent about it since they no longer update the webpage they made before launch to list games with BC issues.
Many users, including those on this site, have discovered issues with games that Nintendo is seemingly not aware of or simply doesn't plan on fixing. For example, the digital version of Klonoa crashes on launch, the pre-rendered videos in the Crossbell duology cause crashes, and Ultra Age has random crashes throughout.
When the Switch 3 comes out, Nintendo will have to solve this problem yet again. At a bare minimum, they'll have to make a translation layer for Switch 2 -> Switch 3. To handle Switch 1, they'd have two options:
1) Translate from Switch 1 -> Switch 2 and then Switch 2 -> Switch 3
2) Make a dedicated translation layer for Switch 1 -> Switch 3
The former is less work for them, but is bound to introduce even more issues in Switch 1 games as it's basically like a game of telephone where more and more of the original intent is lost in each translation layer.
The later is a lot of extra work for Nintendo and it still has the opportunity to introduce a totally different set of BC issues for Switch 1 games.
It just doesn't seem sustainable for them to keep implementing new translation layers with each new console generation. Nintendo is really adverse to spending money on things that won't make a profit (this is why they are planning to eventually shut down the servers that let you redownload your Wii games). When their analytics show that Switch 1 games are starting to sell less and less, they'll eventually determine that it's not worth the cost to do all this work on their end to bring them forward for another generation. And when that happens, it sets a ticking time bomb on the ability to redownload your Switch games.
And this is of course assuming they keep making iterative Switch consoles from now till the end of time. Since it's Nintendo, they might one day decide to completely shake things up and do a totally different hardware concept. And if they do that, backwards compatibility is almost certainly not gonna be a thing.
As for my comment about the change in wording on their website regarding the ability to redownload Wii games, I just checked the Wayback Machine and it looks like it actually always said they eventually plan to shut that down. So I think I was just getting that mixed up with the page for 3DS and Wii U, which says the ability to redownload games will still be available "for the foreseeable future."
Re: Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 Switch Comparison Video Makes Nintendo's Upgrades Clearer
Wow, the circles on the grass moved! Definitely worth $70 now! Take my money, Nintendo! /s
Re: Nintendo Is "Acting To Protect The Industry" With Switch 2 Game Key Cards, Says Ex-Capcom Composer
@jsty3105 I don't think having access to my digital Wii games for 20 years is the "gotcha!" moment you think it is.
When Nintendo first announced that they were shutting down the Wii Shop Channel, Nintendo originally said that you'll still be able to redownload your digital games for the "foreseeable future" (which is what the 3DS and Wii U FAQs currently say). They have since updated the page to straight up say they plan to shut down the ability to redownload your Wii games. 3DS and Wii U will follow shortly thereafter.
Switch will be on track for the same fate the generation they decide to stop supporting Switch 1 backwards compatibility. Due to Switch 1 backwards compatibility basically being shoehorned on to Switch 2 (and still buggy with some games), I can't imagine them maintaining that for generations to come. Maybe Switch 3? But I wouldn't get your hopes up for anything after that.
You are much better off investing in digital purchases on PC storefronts. PC games are designed with flexibility in mind from the start and will continue to run on arbitrary PC hardware in the future. Thus PC stores like Steam can continue selling old games indefinitely and therefore have a monetary incentive to preserve your digital purchases.
Even better, on PC, you can get DRM-free digital games from stores like GOG. You truly own DRG-free digital games since you can make as many backup copies as you want.
Re: Nintendo Showcases Every Switch And Switch 2 Direct Game In New Infographic
Really excited for the new Fire Emblem. But Game-Key Cards basically killed all my interest in 3rd party Switch 2 games. I'll probably end up owning a similar number of Switch 2 games as I owned on Wii U by the end of both console's life cycles.
Re: No Switch 2 "Upgrade Path" For Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined Planned
If there's no upgrade path and the Switch 2 version is a GKC, best I can do is Switch 1 physical at 50% off. I hate Square Enix.
Re: One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 - Switch 2 Edition Announced, Includes Free Upgrade For Switch Owners
@sixrings While I agree most of Nintendo's NS2 Editions feel kinda overpriced for what they are, at least they do consistently offer upgrade paths. (I do feel like the only reason they added the lame Zelda Notes feature to BotW and TotK was to have something that they could bill as "new content" to justify charging $10 for an upgrade.)
But with Square Enix, they largely don't do upgrade paths, outside of some rare exceptions (like FFT). This sucks for people who like physical games since you have to choose between a true physical release on Switch 1 with worse visuals/performance, or a fake physical GKC release on Switch 2 with better visuals/performance.
Re: Nintendo Is "Acting To Protect The Industry" With Switch 2 Game Key Cards, Says Ex-Capcom Composer
@jsty3105 Might wanna go read Nintendo's website regarding the shutdown of the Wii Shop Channel:
"In the future we will close all services related to the Wii Shop Channel, including the ability to redownload WiiWare and Virtual Console games, as well as the Wii System Transfer Tool, which transfers data from Wii to the Wii U system. We will announce specific details as that time approaches."
Nintendo does not care about maintaining your access to digital games. When they fully shut down all Wii services, you'll only be able to continue playing your digital Wii games till your Wii fails or your SD card fails.
Note, this is worse than physical because:
1) If your Wii fails, you can just buy another Wii second-hand and you can play your physical Wii games on it. Your digital games have DRM to only allow the Wii that originally purchased them to play them.
2) If an individual Wii disc breaks, you can buy another copy of that disc second-hand. If your SD card with digital games fails, you lose all of the games on that card and since the Wii Shop Channel was shut down, you can't replace them.
Re: Newcomers Can Break Final Fantasy VII Remake With New Difficulty Settings
Question: "Will you be picking up FF7 Remake on Switch 2? Are you planning on activating any of these options? Let us know."
Answer: No, I will not be purchasing this since it's Game-Key Card garbage. And if I were to play it, I would not use this baby mode.
Re: Hades 2 Launches As Timed Console Exclusive On Switch & Switch 2 This Month
@h3s Smaller print runs would be fine. The people that care will buy at full price to avoid missing out. And the people that care less about owning true physical could still buy the digital version whenever.
And after the initial run sells out, you could still have retailers like VGP order more batches.
Re: Hades 2 Launches As Timed Console Exclusive On Switch & Switch 2 This Month
@h3s Well, yeah, it's $20 more for the physical than the digital version, but I'm fine with that. On the Switch 1, it was pretty standard for indie games to cost $10-$20 more for the physical version compared to the digital version.
This is the approach AAA companies should be taking. I think a $70-$80 physical version of Persona 3 Reload with all the data on a cartridge is significantly more appealing than a $60 GKC.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake For Switch 2 Slips Into 2026, Game-Key Card Confirmed
@kuu_nousee If Ubisoft can reduce the file size of Star Wars Outlaws by more than 50% for their Switch 2 port, Square Enix could have done the same thing for FFVII.
It's absolutely not an engine issue. Most file size bloat comes from textures and audio. They simply just have to compress these assets more.
Square Enix themselves used to do this in their Switch ports. FFXII was around 40 GB on PS4 and is only around 13 GB on Switch. They could have reduced the size of FFVII if they wanted to.
My guess is because they were already committed to using a Game-Key Card, they just didn't see the point in optimizing. But now this decision has also screwed the game out of a potential LRG physical release in the future. (Unless Nintendo comes up with 128 GB cartridges in the future.) And it wastes nearly 40% of your internal storage should you decide to download the game.
Re: Nintendo Direct September 2025: Every Announcement, Game Reveal, Trailer
The new Fire Emblem was the only thing that got me genuinely excited. That one game alone bumped the show up from like a 3 to a 6 for me. But man, without that, it was mostly cozy games, Game-Key Cards, some kinda safe/bland-looking Mario games, and games we already knew about.
I'm also really disappointed with the output of Switch 2 enhancement patches. I figured Nintendo would at least drop these for their own games at a fairly regular cadence, but we've got nothing since the Splatoon 3 patch on June 12.
And this selection of Switch 2 Editions feels pretty random. I'd much rather just get simple patches for 60 FPS and 1080p handheld for free for most games than pay $10 for whatever else these are offering.
I feel like I'm gonna be saving a lot of money this generation compared to last.
Re: The Entire Final Fantasy VII Remake Trilogy Is Making Its Way To Switch 2
@jsty3105 They didn't even try to optimize it. The game is 81 GB on PS5. We've seen countless games get their file size reduced by more than 50% when ported to Switch. For example, FFXII is 40 GB on PS4, but only around 12 GB on Switch.
I would much rather have slightly more compressed textures and audio to have the game on a real cartridge. Extremely large file sizes are not a good fit for a portable console. This one game will take up nearly 40% of your Switch 2's built-in storage.