Nintendo Switch 2 Game-Key Cards Information from Nintendo [Not regular games]

Wow this is stupid, lmao. It's like it's digital, but it isn't? Lmao. I really hate that we're moving to a world where digital is just forced and physical is no option at all. I was never a fan of buying a physical and getting a code. This is just a slightly different version of that.

delishcaek said:
This only makes sense if these game key cards are 10 bucks cheaper than the actual physical release.
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The whole physical + digital pricing never changed. So, I don't think it'd change anywhere else. I always thought digital should be cheaper as it's not including physical goods, etc. But that never happened.

I'm still looking into it, but is there now digital, game key cards, and then actual game cards?
 
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These titles will be the majority of cartridge titles.

Going to quasi-PS4 graphics and scale means most devs won't have enough storage on the cartridges anyways, so why not a game key you can fob off to retailers?

Porcile said:
There are lots of Switch games like this already. Stop spreading FUD.
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Its Nintendo posting these things, not anyone of us.
 
Kinda ruins the point of having a portable system. Buy a physical card with no game on it? C'mon. Switch carts have unique license keys on them already. Why bother with this shit.
 
IDKFA said:
Deal breaker for me.

Fuck it. I'm selling my Switch and all my games with it tonight.

Fuck Nintendo
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Gossiping No Way GIF by Laff
 
El Muerto said:
Kinda ruins the point of having a portable system. Buy a physical card with no game on it? C'mon. Switch carts have unique license keys on them already. Why bother with this shit.
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Keeps production costs down for publishers, some of which would by the smallest carts available and require a download anyway, and it preserves the end users ability to lend/sell.
 
Buggy Loop said:
I mean, this is basically allowing you to resell right? Still better than digital.
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Probably(?).

From the page:

When you insert the game-key card, further instructions will be displayed on the HOME Menu. Please follow the instructions to download the game.
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I just hope that these "further instructions" aren't "Sign in with your Nintendo account and link this game to your account".
 
MiguelItUp said:
Wow this is stupid, lmao. It's like it's digital, but it isn't? Lmao. I really hate that we're moving to a world where digital is just forced and physical is no option at all. I was never a fan of buying a physical and getting a code. This is just a slightly different version of that.


The whole physical + digital pricing never changed. So, I don't think it'd change anywhere else. I always thought digital should be cheaper as it's not including physical goods, etc. But that never happened.

I'm still looking into it, but is there now digital, game key cards, and then actual game cards?
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Digital Copies are 10€/Dollars cheaper now, yes. This is why I assumed in a different post that the higher price for physical is due to the new flash cards being much more expensive.

These Game Key cards could be a method to sell a "physical" copy a bit cheaper. Like I said, it just doesn't make sense if these would cost the same as a physical copy... unless this here is the physical copy... but then I don't understand why digital copies are 10 bucks cheaper.

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Cyberpunkd said:
Ok, so the base question is: can these be resold?
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Probably not. You have to download the game before you insert the game key card. Unless the game key card acts as a license I don't see how that is possible, but then again may it does because you have to insert the game key card to be able to play the game after it is downloaded. Fuck knows lol.
 
near said:
Probably not. You have to download the game before you insert the game key card. Unless the game key card acts as a license I don't see how that is possible, but then again may it does because you have to insert the game key card to be able to play the game after it is downloaded. Fuck knows lol.
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If that's the case this will be massively confusing for people - at least with CD key you scratch you kinda understand the concept, but here with a piece of plastic that is very similar to the regular physical card...
 
This is so stupid, why wouldn't people just buy digital instead.

Then again, that's probably what Nintendo hopes.

At least when buying physical games in stores, SOMETIMES there's sales (not the greatest mind you, but aomething). Nintendo's digital store front though... yeah that's a different matter.
 
Lokaum D+ said:
Man, Nintendo really like so fuck it up their next gen,

N64 - Amazing
NGC - Bad
Wii - Amazig
Wii U - Pure Trash
Switch - Great
Switch "2" - its not looking that great.
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What?

Fixed it:

N64 - lol
NGC - Amazing
Wii - lol motion gaming
Wii U - Amazing (but nobody bought it)
Switch - Great
Switch "2" - ??? we'll see
 
Cyberpunkd said:
If that's the case this will be massively confusing for people - at least with CD key you scratch you kinda understand the concept, but here with a piece of plastic that is very similar to the regular physical card...
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Hmm... yeah, I think the most reasonable assumption to make here is that any boxed mark with the game key card comes with a digital code and a card. The card will act as the license, and the digital code will allow you to download the game. The card will then be required to be inserted when playing the game. It's definitely convoluted for no reason.
 
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Buggy Loop said:
No resell?
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This seems to be a step towards eliminating second hand sales completely.

Unless it's like Alice Madness Returns (or other games) where in that case the game disc had to be inserted in the system to play the first Alice game.

If so, not as big of a deal.
 
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near said:
Hmm... yeah, I think the most reasonable assumption to make here is that any boxed mark with the game key card comes with a digital code and a card. The card will act as the license, and the digital code will allow you to download the game. The card will then be required to be inserted when playing the game. It's definitely convoluted for no reason.
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I don't think it'll be that confusing. I have a few Switch games like this already - for example when putting in the cartridge for Final Fantasy X/X-2 in the Switch, it brings up two icons on the home screen (both have the "game card" icon next to them) but when you launch X-2 it says something like "You must download this from the internet in order to play it". Same with the Bioshock and Borderlands collections, along with the Resident Evil collections. Some games like Wolfenstein II are a single game card that requires this.

But you can put those cartridges in any number of Switch consoles and download the game an unlimited number of times. I'm pretty sure these will be the same deal.
 
near said:
Hmm... yeah, I think the most reasonable assumption to make here is that any boxed mark with the game key card comes with a digital code and a card. The card will act as the license, and the digital code will allow you to download the game. The card will then be required to be inserted when playing the game. It's definitely convoluted for no reason.
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This would be a step back from what Nintendo has currently tbh. They already sell game keys for digital versions.

Unless this is an anti piracy thing... needing a fake game card for digital games as an auth key would be the most retarded shit. This ruins the only advantage digital games have. lmao. I hope this isn't it.
 
kiphalfton said:
This seems to be a step towards eliminating second hand sales completely.
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But its not as far as the information go

Who's to say you don't sell the cartridge? You sell a key. You give a unique key to someone else, they own it, you don't anymore.

I predict next gen consoles will all go towards this direction by the way. At one point I was even wondering who will be the first to have a keychain system ala crypto to physically sell digital goods. Will not fall off my chair that next gen consoles start it.

Heimdall_Xtreme said:
I hate that DK Design
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Will Smith Slap GIF by Xavier Degraux
 
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jshackles said:
I don't think it'll be that confusing. I have a few Switch games like this already - for example when putting in the cartridge for Final Fantasy X/X-2 in the Switch, it brings up two icons on the home screen (both have the "game card" icon next to them) but when you launch X-2 it says something like "You must download this from the internet in order to play it". Same with the Bioshock and Borderlands collections, along with the Resident Evil collections. Some games like Wolfenstein II are a single game card that requires this.

But you can put those cartridges in any number of Switch consoles and download the game an unlimited number of times. I'm pretty sure these will be the same deal.
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I haven't got any Switch games like that, but it makes sense that it would function the same way. In the examples you provide the license is the game card, and you're prompted to download once the card is inserted right? Those cards have resell value in that case. Because they don't come with a digital code.
 
IDKFA said:
With this and the cost of games, I'm done with Nintendo. I'm done.
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Celcius said:

Nintendo Switch 2 Game-Key Card Overview | Nintendo Support

en-americas-support.nintendo.com en-americas-support.nintendo.com

"Game-key cards are different from regular game cards, because they don't contain the full game data. Instead, the game-key card is your "key" to downloading the full game to your system via the internet.
After it's downloaded, you can play the game by inserting the game-key card into your system and starting it up like a standard physical game card."

"How it works
Step 1: Insert the game-key card into the system.
Step 2: Download the game.
Step 3: Play the game."

What's the point of this? Is this what the Mario Kart World bundle will be, where you can only play the downloaded digital copy if the key is inserted?
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You back in, easily-spooked man? OP messed up. lol
 
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Buggy Loop said:
But its not as far as the information go

Who's to say you don't sell the cartridge? You sell a key. You give a unique key to someone else, they own it, you don't anymore.

I predict next gen consoles will all go towards this direction by the way. At one point I was even wondering who will be the first to have a keychain system ala crypto to physically sell digital goods. Will not fall off my chair that next gen consoles start it.



Will Smith Slap GIF by Xavier Degraux
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They've been flirting with it for years, trying to ignore the fact physical versions that you can trade with friends are one of the main reasons to buy a console.

They day they stop existing, I'll go completely to Steam. Thankfully the Japanese market is keeping physical relevant.
 
I get the point of this, i think its a response to growing game sizes. Lets say you have a 100+gb game. That isnt going to come on a card, cost would be too high, unless you want to pay a premium. The card is a key, you can sell it.
 
Guardian Monkey said:
I get the point of this, i think its a response to growing game sizes. Lets say you have a 100+gb game. That isnt going to come on a card, cost would be too high, unless you want to pay a premium. The card is a key, you can sell it.
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they do this on the Switch already. just with a code in a box instead of a fake cart.
 
ValiantInstance said:
They've been flirting with it for years, trying to ignore the fact physical versions that you can trade with friends are one of the main reasons to buy a console.
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Crypto keychain system would be ideal if they go digital to be honest. Would even be more pro-consumer than Steam. To be seen how it plays out. They'll have to make a pro-consumer move the day they remove physical and they REALLY want to.
 
so it's exactly like code in the box, zero news

The real news will be how many games will have only this option as purchasable
 
the question is ...does this work like a real cart otherwise? ie can I give it to a friend. And they can download and play. I can't play the game without the cart from what I thought I read so don't see why not.
 
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daxgame said:
so it's exactly like code in the box, zero news

The real news will be how many games will have only this option as purchasable
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3rd parties. The shady ones that generally do a poor job ...especially on Switch. like EA and makers of NBA 2k.
 
tr1p1ex said:
the question is ...does this work like a real cart otherwise? ie can I give it to a friend. And they can download and play. I can't play the game without the cart so ...
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Its a cart/key and treated as such, can lend it (you would not be able to play it without the cart in it) or sell it from my interpretation. Not digital, so I should imagine the digital sharing option they introduced last week would not apply.

Edit: Edited for clarity.
 
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tr1p1ex said:
Yeah so I can share like a cart. ...maybe?
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Correct. Its a cost saving mechanism to the developer and to the consumers in the fact you would not be paying as large a premium for larger sized games. Looks like the SD cards are going to be a much larger factor this generation. It sucks we got a price hike for larger AAA games but this isn't a surprise in my mind.
 


Bravely Default is surprising as that game can't be all that big and the type of audience this appeals to would be the type that cares about the game on cart.
 
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We will still get proper cartridges with the games inside. This is actually pretty good, it helps spot immediately the publisher that is taking you for a fool.
 
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Guardian Monkey said:
Correct. Its a cost saving mechanism to the developer and to the consumers in the fact you would not be paying as large a premium for larger sized games. Looks like the SD cards are going to be a much larger factor this generation. It sucks we got a price hike for larger AAA games but this isn't a surprise in my mind.
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yep

This is a bigger change to the code in the box than some might realize.

You can share like a cart (assuming.) But unlike the codes in the box you also need the cart.

So depending on how you see it, there's glass half full and half empty to be had. Not that I care.
 
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bender said:


Bravely Default is surprising as that game can't be all that big and the type of audience this appeals to would be the type that cares about the game on cart.
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cc9fb3e4-16f2-4261-b551-a3cdef837f4b_text.gif
 
cireza said:
We will still get proper cartridges with the games inside. This is actually pretty good, it helps spot immediately the publisher that is taking you for a fool.
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I'm still curious how big the game carts can be.
 
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