I'm honestly fine with them not releasing the game on Switch 2, as we all know it would be doomed to be on a Game-Key Card if it were released in the current climate. For me, a game being on a Game-Key Card is the same as the game not existing.
Maybe if they wait a few years before considering a port, cartridge prices will go down enough for them to put it on a real cartridge. And more DLC would be released by then that could be included on the cartridge. That would be the best-case scenario.
Unfortunately, I didn't really have a lot of free time this weekend, so I only got to play for about 30 minutes. I had fun, but I think if I wanted to get into the game properly, I'd need to invest in some ergonomic mouse mode shells for the Joy-Cons. They're just way too thin to hold like a mouse comfortably for prolonged periods of time.
Speaking of which, anyone have recommendations for mouse mode shells?
@BenAV Seriously. And 12 nearly back-to-back posts in the span of 15 minutes? I know Pokemon fanboys can be annoying, but this Palword fanboy takes it to another level. 😂
@SabreLevant Even physical games use digital storage space for save data, updates, and DLC. And though I vastly prefer physical and will always choose that over digital when it's an option, I do have a fair amount of digital games on Switch 1. I got like 600+ physical games and 200+ digital games. So I easily filled up a 1 TB micro SD card on Switch 1. But if those 600+ physical games were digital instead, I'd probably easily need more than 4 TB.
After transferring to Switch 2, I don't have enough space to fit everything on the internal storage. And a 1 TB micro sd express is way more expensive than a 1 TB normal micro sd card. And even if I got one, I'd basically just have enough room for all my old Switch 1 stuff and nothing for Switch 2. I don't like having to delete and redownload to all the time depending on what I wanna play.
With Switch 1 my rule for buying digital was basically the same as it is for Switch 2: I'll only consider buying digital if the game satisfies three conditions: 1. Must be very cheap (around $10 or less). 2. Must be small in file size (ideally 1 GB or less). 3. No existing physical version.
Which basically means only indies. For AA and AAA publishers, I expect them to put their games on a cartridge. If they don't, I refuse to support them.
Regarding the concern about digital ownership, you are right, despite removin the ability to purchase digital games on the Wii, DSi, Wii U, and 3DS, Nintendo does still provide users the ability to redownload games they've already purchased...for now.
But if you read the FAQs that they release when they shut down their stores, you'll see that they say you'll still be able to redownload games "for the foreseeable future." That's very vague and non-committal, they are leaving themselves an out to shut that down too in the future.
Think about it like this: Nintendo is a business. They exist to make money. Those old digital stores no longer make money for them. Yet Nintendo still has to pay operational/maintenance costs for those servers to support redownloading. This means they are a net-negative for Nintendo. Do you really think Nintendo will continue to pay the costs to keep the servers running indefinitely out of the goodness of their hearts?
@Max_the_German Let's walk through an example. You mentioned 1536x1080, so let's use that.
We both agree that if you render to 1536x1080 and then scale that to fit a 1920x1080, it will be stretched horizontally, right?
I've never heard of the term "anamorphic" till today, but I think I know what you're saying after reading about it a bit.
The 1536x1080 would look as if you took a 1920x1080 image and then scaled it to 1536x1080. Essentially, it would look squashed. But then if you take that 1536x1080 and scale it back to 1920x1080 it would have the correct proportions?
Of course, for it to be a performance win, the game would have to render directly to a 1536x1080 render target. I do believe you could do some tricky stuff with the transformation matrices to achieve this effect, however, there would still be a loss of quality since you are losing information on the horizontal axis.
Essentially, you are forcing ALL the information loss to be on the horizontal axis, whereas if you render to a proportionally smaller render target, the information loss is distributed evenly between both axes. To me, the latter seems more desirable, though, academically, I am a bit curious to do a side-by-side comparison with both techniques.
@Yalloo I'll admit, it's a massive cope, but it does in fact take time to manufacture cartridges. Especially if they need to wait till they have a good enough build to put on the cartridge (as opposed to just a license key).
Why do you think the physical version specifically of Sonic Racing on Switch 2 is coming out much later than the digital version?
1. Wastes my storage space. 2. Depends on Nintendo maintaining access to their servers to download in the future. You don't actually own it, you're just renting long-term for an unspecified period.
Copium: What if two of the missing games were Elden Ring and FFVIIR and they pulled them from the show cause they're getting delayed to put them on real cartridges instead of Game-Key Cards?! A man can dream...
Danmaku Unlimited 4 just got announced for PC, so I could see that also getting a Switch 2 version. Would be a great showcase for 120 FPS.
Kind of a longshot, but I'd also like to see a Blue Revolver port, though in the past the dev has indicated he isn't interested in doing console ports.
But let's be real--it's gonna be 80% "cozy" games.
@Kenshir0 Unfortunately, according to the official Japanese website, only the PS4 and PS5 Japanese versions will support English. (Scroll to the bottom of the page and use the translation function of your browser.) It seems Koei Tecmo doesn't want any business from English-speaking physical Nintendo fans.
@Solid_Python I agree that digital should be cheaper than physical.
However if Nintendo or retailers demand price parity initially for physical and digital, then I think increasing the price to enable true physical is the better option.
If you don't care about physical and feel the digital price is too high, you can simply wait for a sale. For example, after almost 2 years, the digital version of Mortal Kombat 1 has gone on sale for 66% off. I'm sure it will continue to go down in price. Feel free to snag it at the price you are comfortable with.
If they took the other approach and put the game on a GKC, there is literally no solution for people who want physical.
@RemyMartin A lot of the existing Switch 1 arcade sticks should work fine on Switch 2. I can personally confirm that the Mayflash F700 Elite is now fully supported on the Switch 2.
At launch the Bluetooth mode did not function with Switch 2 (though wired USB and the 2.4 GHz wireless adapter did), but Mayflash released new firmware to fix the issue with Bluetooth on Switch 2.
@DashKappei I'll also point out that if you want, you can use the Switch 2's built-in controller remapping to bind any button on the arcade stick to the C button. I did that when I was playing Guilty Gear Strive online with my brother.
@RasandeRose Nintendo invented Game-Key Cards to give publishers an option to cheap out. They didn't have to do that. That's why I blame them too for this mess.
EDIT: Now that I think about it, what you said isn't even really true. Nintendo HAS recently started implementing draconian policies to prevent certain games from releasing on their systems. For example, they blocked the recent Neptunia ports from releasing outside of Japan due to their new "content guidelines." Unfortunately, Nintendo cares more about policing dumb things like that than creating rules to prevent 3rd parties from enshittifying physical games.
@Haruki_NLI Fake physical releases on Switch 1 (like code-in-a-box, or download-required) were the exception, not the rule. On the Switch 2, it's reversed. Switch 2 is far far worse for physical collectors than Switch 1.
I put the blame on both Nintendo and 3rd parties: Nintendo is the one that created a terrible ecosystem that incentivizes 3rd parties to do fake physical releases so aggressively, and 3rd parties are using every exploit Nintendo makes available for them to avoid giving customers true physical releases.
Here's my simple solution: give people the choice to buy what they want. Release each game on both a cheaper Game-Key Card and a more expensive true physical cartridge. Casuals can save a bit of money with Game-Key Cards, and collectors can spend more money to get true physical games.
Might be a bit of guess work for the initial batches to figure out the market sizes for both formats, but they'd be able to refine it as they go. They could start out doing smaller prints for the real physical versions to minimize risk on their end and then do reprints if there's enough demand (like what the retailer Video Games Plus does).
Just give the people what they want. They can't force the market to do what they want. If they aren't going to offer products we want, then I and the other physical collectors can and will abandon them without remorse. Nothing personal, it's just business.
@Haruki_NLI If they're only gonna release games on Game-Key Cards, then they deserve to fail.
Bring on another Wii U-level failure if that's what it takes to teach Nintendo a lesson. They got cocky again and made horrible decisions with the Switch 2. Game-Key Cards are absolutely ruining the system for me.
@Haruki_NLI You're also forgetting about the NS2 Editions for BotW and TotK in terms of 1st party games mixed into the remaining number.
@Yosti I wanna see a breakdown of total number of true physical cartridges sold vs. total GKCs sold vs Switch 2-exclusive digital games sold.
Seeing a list of the best-selling 3rd party games would be interesting as well. I hope that CDPR and Marvelous are being rewarded for their true physical releases and everyone else is floundering.
@Mommar Same. If enough people let them know they will only buy the game if it gets released on a real cartridge, maybe that will influence their decision about the physical release.
The release date is far enough away (a vague "2026") that they likely aren't locked into any specific physical format yet.
@Automated_Unit_4937 They should offer free Switch 2 upgrade patches for DQ 1 & 2 and Octopath 0 as well.
The reason I wanna buy the Switch 1 version of those games is because that's the only way to get a real physical version. The Switch 2 versions are stuck on crappy Game-Key Cards.
This Direct just reinforced that 3rd party support is gonna be a disaster on Switch 2 if you care about physical releases. It's all just Game-Key Cards.
Japanese version is confirmed to be a Game-Key Card, and on top of that, the DLC is sold separately. Easy pass. I hope all these 3rd party games bomb on Switch 2.
@KayFiOS Agreed. It's so misleading that in the US direct they listed it as "Physical / Digital" on Switch 2. They should have said "Game-Key Card / Digital" to be transparent with consumers.
Looking at the game's entry on Nintendo's website, both the Switch 1 and Switch 2 versions are 4.9 GB. I'm willing to bet the builds are exactly the same except they bumped up the framerate cap and rendering resolution on Switch 2. This could have absolutely been implemented as a Switch 2 patch included on the Switch 1 physical cartridge.
But they're taking the path of greed and forcing people to choose between true physical ownership and improved technical specs.
I'll bet on PlayStation, Bandai Namco will offer a free upgrade path for the PS4 to PS5 version like they did for the first Pac-Man World.
Looks like Square Enix hasn't learned their lesson yet.
Skipping the Switch 2 version due to the crappy Game-Key Card. And because there's no upgrade path for the Switch 1 version, I'll just wait for a big sale for the Switch 1 physical.
@eldersnake Same thing happened with my brother. He was caught up in the hype and impulse bought Street Fighter 6 at the midnight launch without realizing what a Game-Key Card was. Needless to say, he's not buying anymore key cards.
Might as well just rebrand it to "Nintendo Direct: Game-Key Card Showcase."
Here's your chance to prove me wrong, Nintendo. Let's see if any 3rd parties learned their lesson that people don't want GKCs. I'm slightly hopeful Sega might have come to their senses now that they've delayed Sonic Racing CrossWorlds on Switch 2 to put it on a real cartridge. And maybe $70 "prestige" titles like Elden Ring or FFVII Remake will opt for a true cartridge.
But if it's all GKCs, I'll just continue not buying said games, neither the GKCs nor the digital versions, and Switch 2 will continue being mostly a 1st party machine for me.
Comments 432
Re: "Get Your Act Together" - Something's Not Quite Right With Clear River's Toaplan Collections
My heart sank when I saw the title of this article. I assumed it was gonna be about the ports having horrible input lag or something.
Now I'm relieved it's just about a minor typo on the box art, Resident Evil Revelaitons-style!
Re: Oops, Bandai Namco May Have Leaked The Next 'Tales' Series Remaster
Calling it now: 30 FPS on Switch 1. Game-Key Card on Switch 2. No upgrade path.
Re: Borderlands 4 On Switch 2 Won't Support Split-Screen Couch Co-Op
So let me get this straight:
*Game-Key Card
*"Mostly" 30 FPS (meaning drops are expected)
*No split-screen
*Releases a month late
*$70
Sounds like an excellent value proposition! /s
Re: Tekken 8 On Switch 2 Would Be "A Lot Of Work", But Director Isn't Ruling It Out
I'm honestly fine with them not releasing the game on Switch 2, as we all know it would be doomed to be on a Game-Key Card if it were released in the current climate. For me, a game being on a Game-Key Card is the same as the game not existing.
Maybe if they wait a few years before considering a port, cartridge prices will go down enough for them to put it on a real cartridge. And more DLC would be released by then that could be included on the cartridge. That would be the best-case scenario.
Re: The Legend Of Zelda Movie's Official Social Media Account Goes Live
Maybe the X account is run by some boomer at Sony that thinks every game console is a "PlayStation?" lol
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch 2's GameCube Library Next Week
@SuperBro64 Yeah...they really should start looking into a way to let you pick which games to download from within the app or something.
Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Getting The Switch 2's Next Exclusive 'Drag x Drive'?
Unfortunately, I didn't really have a lot of free time this weekend, so I only got to play for about 30 minutes. I had fun, but I think if I wanted to get into the game properly, I'd need to invest in some ergonomic mouse mode shells for the Joy-Cons. They're just way too thin to hold like a mouse comfortably for prolonged periods of time.
Speaking of which, anyone have recommendations for mouse mode shells?
Re: Random: Oh Jeez, Now Palworld Has Its Own Rip-Off On The Switch eShop
@BenAV Seriously. And 12 nearly back-to-back posts in the span of 15 minutes? I know Pokemon fanboys can be annoying, but this Palword fanboy takes it to another level. 😂
Re: Random: Oh Jeez, Now Palworld Has Its Own Rip-Off On The Switch eShop
@Nintendum And here's the alt 🤣🤣🤣
Re: Random: Oh Jeez, Now Palworld Has Its Own Rip-Off On The Switch eShop
@Nintendumb Bro actually made 2 accounts today to troll. You must be really triggered 🤣🤣🤣
Re: Japanese Charts: Sega's Latest 'Demon Slayer' Kicks Mario Kart World Into Second
@TheExile285 Top 30 is out: Ys X: Proud Nordics was number 15 with 3,436.
Personally, I'm glad to see it selling poorly since it's a Game-Key Card release.
Re: Pac-Man World 2: Re-Pac Is A Big Glow-Up On Switch & Switch 2
Another 3rd party game to skip due to being on a Game-Key Card.
Re: Octopath Traveler 0 Has Been Rated For Switch And Switch 2
@SabreLevant Even physical games use digital storage space for save data, updates, and DLC. And though I vastly prefer physical and will always choose that over digital when it's an option, I do have a fair amount of digital games on Switch 1. I got like 600+ physical games and 200+ digital games. So I easily filled up a 1 TB micro SD card on Switch 1. But if those 600+ physical games were digital instead, I'd probably easily need more than 4 TB.
After transferring to Switch 2, I don't have enough space to fit everything on the internal storage. And a 1 TB micro sd express is way more expensive than a 1 TB normal micro sd card. And even if I got one, I'd basically just have enough room for all my old Switch 1 stuff and nothing for Switch 2. I don't like having to delete and redownload to all the time depending on what I wanna play.
With Switch 1 my rule for buying digital was basically the same as it is for Switch 2: I'll only consider buying digital if the game satisfies three conditions:
1. Must be very cheap (around $10 or less).
2. Must be small in file size (ideally 1 GB or less).
3. No existing physical version.
Which basically means only indies. For AA and AAA publishers, I expect them to put their games on a cartridge. If they don't, I refuse to support them.
Regarding the concern about digital ownership, you are right, despite removin the ability to purchase digital games on the Wii, DSi, Wii U, and 3DS, Nintendo does still provide users the ability to redownload games they've already purchased...for now.
But if you read the FAQs that they release when they shut down their stores, you'll see that they say you'll still be able to redownload games "for the foreseeable future." That's very vague and non-committal, they are leaving themselves an out to shut that down too in the future.
Think about it like this: Nintendo is a business. They exist to make money. Those old digital stores no longer make money for them. Yet Nintendo still has to pay operational/maintenance costs for those servers to support redownloading. This means they are a net-negative for Nintendo. Do you really think Nintendo will continue to pay the costs to keep the servers running indefinitely out of the goodness of their hearts?
Re: Apex Legends Switch 2 Performance And Resolution Upgrade Detailed
@Max_the_German Let's walk through an example. You mentioned 1536x1080, so let's use that.
We both agree that if you render to 1536x1080 and then scale that to fit a 1920x1080, it will be stretched horizontally, right?
I've never heard of the term "anamorphic" till today, but I think I know what you're saying after reading about it a bit.
The 1536x1080 would look as if you took a 1920x1080 image and then scaled it to 1536x1080. Essentially, it would look squashed. But then if you take that 1536x1080 and scale it back to 1920x1080 it would have the correct proportions?
Of course, for it to be a performance win, the game would have to render directly to a 1536x1080 render target. I do believe you could do some tricky stuff with the transformation matrices to achieve this effect, however, there would still be a loss of quality since you are losing information on the horizontal axis.
Essentially, you are forcing ALL the information loss to be on the horizontal axis, whereas if you render to a proportionally smaller render target, the information loss is distributed evenly between both axes. To me, the latter seems more desirable, though, academically, I am a bit curious to do a side-by-side comparison with both techniques.
Re: Rumour: Three Games Were Pulled From Nintendo's Direct Partner Showcase, According To Veteran Games Journalist
@Yalloo I'll admit, it's a massive cope, but it does in fact take time to manufacture cartridges. Especially if they need to wait till they have a good enough build to put on the cartridge (as opposed to just a license key).
Why do you think the physical version specifically of Sonic Racing on Switch 2 is coming out much later than the digital version?
Re: Octopath Traveler 0 Has Been Rated For Switch And Switch 2
@SabreLevant Nah digital sucks too:
1. Wastes my storage space.
2. Depends on Nintendo maintaining access to their servers to download in the future. You don't actually own it, you're just renting long-term for an unspecified period.
Re: Sonic Racing: Crossworlds On Switch 2 Will Feature The Full Base Game On Cartridge
@Greenspark Bro, how much is Nintendo paying you to necro old news stories and individually respond to people with a copy-pasta to justify GKCs?
Re: Octopath Traveler 0 Has Been Rated For Switch And Switch 2
Another exciting release ruined by Game-Key Cards and lack of upgrade path. WTF are 3rd parties doing?!
Re: Antonblast Patch Brings Switch Version Up To Date With PC Release
@Sylamp Oh yikes, I'll hold off on purchasing this then. Let me know if they ever properly fix it.
Re: Rumour: Three Games Were Pulled From Nintendo's Direct Partner Showcase, According To Veteran Games Journalist
Copium: What if two of the missing games were Elden Ring and FFVIIR and they pulled them from the show cause they're getting delayed to put them on real cartridges instead of Game-Key Cards?! A man can dream...
Re: Review: Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound (Switch) - A Gorgeous & Gory Return To The Series' 2D Roots
Skip until they patch in 60 FPS, at the very least for Switch 2.
Re: Apex Legends Switch 2 Performance And Resolution Upgrade Detailed
@Max_the_German No, that would be worse cause you'd have a stretched image. It would make everything look wider than it should be.
Re: Surprise! Nintendo Announces Indie World Showcase For Thursday 7th August 2025
I just hope there's some shmups.
Danmaku Unlimited 4 just got announced for PC, so I could see that also getting a Switch 2 version. Would be a great showcase for 120 FPS.
Kind of a longshot, but I'd also like to see a Blue Revolver port, though in the past the dev has indicated he isn't interested in doing console ports.
But let's be real--it's gonna be 80% "cozy" games.
Re: Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack Won't Offer Switch Upgrade Path Or Save Data Transfer
@Kenshir0 Unfortunately, according to the official Japanese website, only the PS4 and PS5 Japanese versions will support English. (Scroll to the bottom of the page and use the translation function of your browser.) It seems Koei Tecmo doesn't want any business from English-speaking physical Nintendo fans.
Re: Nintendo Sends Out Second Game-Key Card & Physical Game Survey
Game-Key Card = no purchase (not even digital version)
I hope all GKC games FAIL!
Re: Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack Won't Offer Switch Upgrade Path Or Save Data Transfer
@jojobar Digital only on Switch 2. Physical on PS4, PS5, and Switch 1 in Japan, but among those, only PS4 and PS5 support English.
Re: Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack Won't Offer Switch Upgrade Path Or Save Data Transfer
True physical Switch 2 release = buy day 1
Cheap digital upgrade path for existing Switch 1 owners = pick up in the future when ready to play
Otherwise, SKIP
Re: Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection Gets Proper Physical Release On Switch 2
@Solid_Python I agree that digital should be cheaper than physical.
However if Nintendo or retailers demand price parity initially for physical and digital, then I think increasing the price to enable true physical is the better option.
If you don't care about physical and feel the digital price is too high, you can simply wait for a sale. For example, after almost 2 years, the digital version of Mortal Kombat 1 has gone on sale for 66% off. I'm sure it will continue to go down in price. Feel free to snag it at the price you are comfortable with.
If they took the other approach and put the game on a GKC, there is literally no solution for people who want physical.
Re: Video: Sega Unveils New Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage Trailer
@RemyMartin A lot of the existing Switch 1 arcade sticks should work fine on Switch 2. I can personally confirm that the Mayflash F700 Elite is now fully supported on the Switch 2.
At launch the Bluetooth mode did not function with Switch 2 (though wired USB and the 2.4 GHz wireless adapter did), but Mayflash released new firmware to fix the issue with Bluetooth on Switch 2.
@DashKappei I'll also point out that if you want, you can use the Switch 2's built-in controller remapping to bind any button on the arcade stick to the C button. I did that when I was playing Guilty Gear Strive online with my brother.
Re: Switch 2 Has Sold "More Than 6 Million" Units, And Almost As Many Copies Of Mario Kart World
@RasandeRose Nintendo invented Game-Key Cards to give publishers an option to cheap out. They didn't have to do that. That's why I blame them too for this mess.
EDIT: Now that I think about it, what you said isn't even really true. Nintendo HAS recently started implementing draconian policies to prevent certain games from releasing on their systems. For example, they blocked the recent Neptunia ports from releasing outside of Japan due to their new "content guidelines." Unfortunately, Nintendo cares more about policing dumb things like that than creating rules to prevent 3rd parties from enshittifying physical games.
Re: Switch 2 Has Sold "More Than 6 Million" Units, And Almost As Many Copies Of Mario Kart World
@Haruki_NLI Fake physical releases on Switch 1 (like code-in-a-box, or download-required) were the exception, not the rule. On the Switch 2, it's reversed. Switch 2 is far far worse for physical collectors than Switch 1.
I put the blame on both Nintendo and 3rd parties: Nintendo is the one that created a terrible ecosystem that incentivizes 3rd parties to do fake physical releases so aggressively, and 3rd parties are using every exploit Nintendo makes available for them to avoid giving customers true physical releases.
Here's my simple solution: give people the choice to buy what they want. Release each game on both a cheaper Game-Key Card and a more expensive true physical cartridge. Casuals can save a bit of money with Game-Key Cards, and collectors can spend more money to get true physical games.
Might be a bit of guess work for the initial batches to figure out the market sizes for both formats, but they'd be able to refine it as they go. They could start out doing smaller prints for the real physical versions to minimize risk on their end and then do reprints if there's enough demand (like what the retailer Video Games Plus does).
Just give the people what they want. They can't force the market to do what they want. If they aren't going to offer products we want, then I and the other physical collectors can and will abandon them without remorse. Nothing personal, it's just business.
Re: Switch 2 Has Sold "More Than 6 Million" Units, And Almost As Many Copies Of Mario Kart World
@Haruki_NLI If they're only gonna release games on Game-Key Cards, then they deserve to fail.
Bring on another Wii U-level failure if that's what it takes to teach Nintendo a lesson. They got cocky again and made horrible decisions with the Switch 2. Game-Key Cards are absolutely ruining the system for me.
Re: Switch 2 Has Sold "More Than 6 Million" Units, And Almost As Many Copies Of Mario Kart World
@Haruki_NLI You're also forgetting about the NS2 Editions for BotW and TotK in terms of 1st party games mixed into the remaining number.
@Yosti I wanna see a breakdown of total number of true physical cartridges sold vs. total GKCs sold vs Switch 2-exclusive digital games sold.
Seeing a list of the best-selling 3rd party games would be interesting as well. I hope that CDPR and Marvelous are being rewarded for their true physical releases and everyone else is floundering.
Re: Switch 2 Has Sold "More Than 6 Million" Units, And Almost As Many Copies Of Mario Kart World
C'mon Nintendo, give us a sales breakdown for real physical vs. Game-Key Card vs. digital. Also, 1st party vs. 3rd party.
Re: Square Enix Wants Feedback About Its New HD-2D Game Coming To Switch 2
@Mommar Same. If enough people let them know they will only buy the game if it gets released on a real cartridge, maybe that will influence their decision about the physical release.
The release date is far enough away (a vague "2026") that they likely aren't locked into any specific physical format yet.
Re: EA Doesn't Currently Have Plans To Bring Battlefield 6 To Switch 2
Honestly don't care. It would have been a Game-Key Card anyways. Switch 2 is for 1st party games.
Re: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Gets Free Switch 2 Performance Patch
@Automated_Unit_4937 They should offer free Switch 2 upgrade patches for DQ 1 & 2 and Octopath 0 as well.
The reason I wanna buy the Switch 1 version of those games is because that's the only way to get a real physical version. The Switch 2 versions are stuck on crappy Game-Key Cards.
Re: Reaction: Switch 2 Needed A Partner Showcase With Pep; This Wasn't It
This Direct just reinforced that 3rd party support is gonna be a disaster on Switch 2 if you care about physical releases. It's all just Game-Key Cards.
Re: Capcom's Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Announced For Switch 2
I'm not getting excited cause there's a 99% chance it'll be on a Game-Key Card.
Re: Persona 3 Reload Is Making The Jump To Switch 2 This October
Japanese version is confirmed to be a Game-Key Card, and on top of that, the DLC is sold separately. Easy pass. I hope all these 3rd party games bomb on Switch 2.
Re: Yakuza Kiwami 2 Brawls Onto Switch 2 In November
It's gonna be on a Game-Key Card like the last Yakuza game, so I'm skipping it.
Re: Square Enix Is Bringing A Brand New HD-2D RPG To Switch 2 Next Year
Yeah, I'm not gonna let myself get invested in this. 100% chance it's gonna be on a Game-Key Card.
Might just play a bit of the demo to get the survey so I can complain about Game-Key Cards directly to Square Enix.
Re: Pac-Man World 2 Is Getting The Re-Pac Treatment
@KayFiOS Agreed. It's so misleading that in the US direct they listed it as "Physical / Digital" on Switch 2. They should have said "Game-Key Card / Digital" to be transparent with consumers.
Looking at the game's entry on Nintendo's website, both the Switch 1 and Switch 2 versions are 4.9 GB. I'm willing to bet the builds are exactly the same except they bumped up the framerate cap and rendering resolution on Switch 2. This could have absolutely been implemented as a Switch 2 patch included on the Switch 1 physical cartridge.
But they're taking the path of greed and forcing people to choose between true physical ownership and improved technical specs.
I'll bet on PlayStation, Bandai Namco will offer a free upgrade path for the PS4 to PS5 version like they did for the first Pac-Man World.
3rd parties on Switch 2 disgust me.
Re: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Gets Free Switch 2 Performance Patch
Glad we're getting this, but absolutely shameful that they aren't giving Dragon Quest I & II and Octopath Traveler 0 this same treatment.
Re: Octopath 0 Is A Game-Key Card On Switch 2, And Square Enix Has "No Plans" For A Switch 1 Upgrade Option
Looks like Square Enix hasn't learned their lesson yet.
Skipping the Switch 2 version due to the crappy Game-Key Card. And because there's no upgrade path for the Switch 1 version, I'll just wait for a big sale for the Switch 1 physical.
Go to hell, Square Enix.
Re: Nintendo Preparing Super Mario Party Jamboree - Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV Update
@Moonlessky For real. Calling it a "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" is just blatant false advertising.
Re: Feature: Nintendo Partner Direct Predictions - What Do You Expect To See?
@eldersnake Same thing happened with my brother. He was caught up in the hype and impulse bought Street Fighter 6 at the midnight launch without realizing what a Game-Key Card was. Needless to say, he's not buying anymore key cards.
Re: Ys X: Proud Nordics Allows Switch Players To Transfer "Clear Data" To Switch 2
Don't care about a western release since it's on a Game-Key Card.
Will stick with the Switch 1 version.
Re: Feature: Nintendo Partner Direct Predictions - What Do You Expect To See?
Expectation: Game-Key Cards. Lot's of Game-Key Cards.
I will ignore any and all games on Game-Key Cards.
Re: Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase Announced For Tomorrow, 31st July 2025
Might as well just rebrand it to "Nintendo Direct: Game-Key Card Showcase."
Here's your chance to prove me wrong, Nintendo. Let's see if any 3rd parties learned their lesson that people don't want GKCs. I'm slightly hopeful Sega might have come to their senses now that they've delayed Sonic Racing CrossWorlds on Switch 2 to put it on a real cartridge. And maybe $70 "prestige" titles like Elden Ring or FFVII Remake will opt for a true cartridge.
But if it's all GKCs, I'll just continue not buying said games, neither the GKCs nor the digital versions, and Switch 2 will continue being mostly a 1st party machine for me.