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[Gambit2483]

 

[GrandlyBodacious]

You get a benefit with lending, trading, selling this that digital doesn't afford you but sacrifice some of the convenience.

It's not all bad stuff. You can still share the game between any number of friends and family members, and you can still resell it when you're done.

Hmm, alright, but then I'm missing what the benefit of this is over a regular physical copy. It'll be cheaper than physical copies? It'll be priced the same as digital?

 

[bender]

Hmm, alright, but then I'm missing what the benefit of this is over a regular physical copy. It'll be cheaper than physical copies? It'll be priced the same as digital?

There is a benefit to publishers as presumably that will be the least expensive cart size they can buy. Will those savings be passed on to you? Sorta. Games are large and the most expensive Switch carts were much more expensive for publishers than a Blu Ray. If we take Street Fighter 6 as an example. It's 70+ GB on PS5. It will probably be smaller on Switch 2 but Capcom would still need to purchase a 64GB cart to fit that game on the cart. That game is launching at $59.99 on Switch 2. If the game was on the cart, it probably launches at $69.99. And in the case of as a service games like Street Fighter 6, the data on the cart is going to be outdated in less than a month and you'd be forced to download data anyway.

 

[jshackles]

Hmm, alright, but then I'm missing what the benefit of this is over a regular physical copy. It'll be cheaper than physical copies? It'll be priced the same as digital?

It'll exist. I think that's about it.

For a game like Street Fighter 6, Capcom wouldn't bother making a physical version because a) it's too big to fit on a cartridge and b) it'll get frequent updates and require online updates anyway. So, rather than make the game digital only they put it on one of these Game Key cards. You can't just pop them in your Switch and play them like regular game cards (there's no game data on them), but they'll let you download the game then play it offline when that cartridge is inserted.

In a lot of ways, these are pretty similar to most PS4 and PS5 disks for games like Call of Duty. You can put the disk into your PS5, but it's gotta download most of the content and updates anyway. Lots of PS4 and PS5 games don't actually work totally offline / from the disk and just use the disk as a form of DRM to check to make sure you're able to launch the game, just like these cards do.

 

[GrandlyBodacious]

It'll exist. I think that's about it.

For a game like Street Fighter 6, Capcom wouldn't bother making a physical version because a) it's too big to fit on a cartridge and b) it'll get frequent updates and require online updates anyway. So, rather than make the game digital only they put it on one of these Game Key cards. You can't just pop them in your Switch and play them like regular game cards (there's no game data on them), but they'll let you download the game then play it offline when that cartridge is inserted.

In a lot of ways, these are pretty similar to most PS4 and PS5 disks for games like Call of Duty. You can put the disk into your PS5, but it's gotta download most of the content and updates anyway. Lots of PS4 and PS5 games don't actually work totally offline / from the disk and just use the disk as a form of DRM to check to make sure you're able to launch the game, just like these cards do.

There is a benefit to publishers as presumably that will be the least expensive cart size they can buy. Will those savings be passed on to you? Sorta. Games are large and the most expensive Switch carts were much more expensive for publishers than a Blu Ray. If we take Street Fighter 6 as an example. It's 70+ GB on PS5. It will probably be smaller on Switch 2 but Capcom would still need to purchase a 64GB cart. That game is launching at $59.99 on Switch 2. If the game was on the cart, it probably launches at $69.99. And in the case of as a service games like Street Fighter 6, the data on the cart is going to be outdated in less than a month and you'd be forced to download data anyway.

Making much more sense.

Thank you for explaining.

 

[P.Jack]

.In a lot of ways, these are pretty similar to most PS4 and PS5 disks for games like Call of Duty. You can put the disk into your PS5, but it's gotta download most of the content and updates anyway. Lots of PS4 and PS5 games don't actually work totally offline / from the disk and just use the disk as a form of DRM to check to make sure you're able to launch the game, just like these cards do.

"Lots" as in a few percent of all discs. The vast majority of disc games on PlayStation require no download or internet. And the few that do are almost exclusively from EA, UbiSoft or Activision.

I think this signals that it'll be way more prevalent on Switch 2. As a comparison, Capcom has never released a offline playable game that requires a download on PS.

 

[kat_on_the_roof]

As long as the game card is not tied to your Nintendo account, and I just need the code on the game card to download and play the game and can sell the game card when I'm done everything is fine by me. If the download code on the game card is tied to your account, then I'm out.

 

[existensmaximum]

I assume these games can't be resold so the number of them I will be buying is:

0

 

[DinoD]

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

I'm disappointed that Bravely Default is a Keycard edition.

 

[EDMIX]

I'm disappointed that Bravely Default is a Keycard edition.

Damn what the fuck? So.....we going to have to really think about this one, I might have to hold off on that Switch 2 pre-order.

So basically we are just getting some box with a download code or some shit?

 

[ReyBrujo]

Rumor is that Nintendo is letting partners choose between a small cartridge size (4gb?) and the larger one (64gb), nothing in between. So if your game weights more than the small cartridge you either pick the 64gb one or go digital / game key card. The price for the 64gb card apparently is about USD 16.

I've had a little bit of insider information. Which could be bullshit. It's probably had to go through four levels just to get to me. But I trust the person who told me this.
It does appear that Nintendo are giving their publishing partners fewer options when it comes to their physical releases.
If you look back at the Switch 1, if you were a publisher, you had a lot of options when it came to the physical release. If you were a very small indie game, you could get a 1 GB cartridge for a reasonable price. They also had incremental increases in cartridge sizes: 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB all the way up to the big, chunky, and very expensive 32 GB cartridge. And when I say expensive, more expensive than you'd think. In the entire Switch library, you could probably count the amount of games that used 32 GB on one or two hands. Nobody wanted to use it.
However, I have heard that Nintendo are giving fewer options to their publishing partners [on the Switch 2] and essentially offering only a couple of options: like a very smallish cartridge, or a full-fat 64 GB cartridge, and nothing really in between. So for the really small indie games, it's not a big deal. But it's those middle ground publishers that may suffer the most. Because if their game is like 7 GB, they are essentially being forced to either choose a big fat 64 GB cartridge, or go the cheap option and go for either no physical at all, or the Game-Key route, which will obviously be far cheaper for them.

(via Reddit)

 

[Ritsumei2020]

I still don't understand the way this works. Why are they doing this?

 

[ReyBrujo]

I still don't understand the way this works. Why are they doing this?

Everyone wants to go digital and they are looking for their own path. Epic, GOG and similar give away games for free, Microsoft gives you a subscription, Nintendo is trying with these key cards. And companies will love them because they can make their games huge without having to pay those 16 bucks per cartridge.

 

[bender]

Rumor is that Nintendo is letting partners choose between a small cartridge size (4gb?) and the larger one (64gb), nothing in between. So if your game weights more than the small cartridge you either pick the 64gb one or go digital / game key card. The price for the 64gb card apparently is about USD 16.





(via Reddit)

That makes absolutely no sense so it's probably 100% true.

 

[readonly]

Hmm, alright, but then I'm missing what the benefit of this is over a regular physical copy. It'll be cheaper than physical copies? It'll be priced the same as digital?

The point is a lot of games that would never come as a "physical" release are much more likely to get this kind of release than nothing.

 

[Ritsumei2020]

Everyone wants to go digital and they are looking for their own path. Epic, GOG and similar give away games for free, Microsoft gives you a subscription, Nintendo is trying with these key cards. And companies will love them because they can make their games huge without having to pay those 16 bucks per cartridge.

This would only make sense to me if you could sell the key card or give it to your friends?

 

[ReyBrujo]

This would only make sense to me if you could sell the key card or give it to your friends?

You can but the one with the key card is the only one who can play the game at any time.

 

[kawiLo]

You can borrow, resell, and use Nintendo’s game-key cards on any Switch 2 console

An internet connection is only needed once.

www.theverge.com

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Suikoden I & II HD Remaster physical version for Switch 2 confirmed to be a game key cart.

 

[existensmaximum]

You can borrow, resell, and use Nintendo’s game-key cards on any Switch 2 console

An internet connection is only needed once.

www.theverge.com

Oh okay, then it's not so bad after all. Worse than physical cartridge games but at least a lot better than a digital download.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Rated...M?

The Switch 2 version has some.... extra content.