Nintendo Switch 2 - For the Soytendo consoomers to speculate about the successor to the Switch, recently announced for 2025.

[Dysnomia]

Earlier this morning, Nintendo posted a survey in the US about game key cards, so this is your chance to tell them how you feel about- aaaaand it’s gone.
View attachment 7736093
It’s gone, the survey is gone.
View attachment 7736110

That was quick. Flooded by neg rates I guess.

The main problem IMO is that they need smaller sizes. The Switch had 8/16/32/64(?) GB so publishers had plenty of options. With 64 as the new minimum, publishers are forced to either pay a premium for a giant cartridge or use a game key card as a “solution” to the problem that Nintendo caused. Tiny games like Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S could easily fit on an 8GB card, but publishers simply don’t have that option anymore.

And to make things worse: Because the publisher is going to use a game key card anyway, there’s no longer an incentive for devs to keep file sizes low so they can save costs by dropping down to a smaller cartridge. That means games are larger regardless of purchase method, which means they take up more space and leave less room for other games, ironically making game key cards worse than they would be if they were simply a niche option for a small outlier of massive games.

I think they wanted to push the key cards as hard as possible in order to get people used to digital only in the coming years. I don't think the obvious answers to their quickly shuttered surveys are going to change their minds. But they should offer smaller cart sizes.

 

[Two Dollars]

I think they wanted to push the key cards as hard as possible in order to get people used to digital only in the coming years. I don't think the obvious answers to their quickly shuttered surveys are going to change their minds. But they should offer smaller cart sizes.

I’m okay with game key cards as a replacement for download-code-in-a-box releases and think they’re an interesting compromise when used for that purpose, but not as a replacement for actual physical copies. I’d put the blame entirely on third parties being cheap if it weren’t for the limited cart size choices clearly pushing them in that direction.

Also, why is everyone okay with every Playstation/Xbox release from the last 10 years requiring you to install the game to your hard drive but game key cards are suddenly bad? Is it because you need an internet connection? Because nearly every modern physical release has updates and DLC that are download-only anyway. Is it an “it’s only bad when Nintendo does it” situation or am I missing something?

 

[SSj_Ness (Yiffed)]

Is it an “it’s only bad when Nintendo does it” situation or am I missing something?

Partially, but it seems there's other factors compounding the issue, like a 64gb minimum cartridge instead of cheaper, smaller sizes, leading to more opting for the key-card approach than normally would. I assume that's less a problem on PlayStation because discs are probably cheaper than cartridges (maybe even the smallest ones?).

 

[Never Scored]

I’m okay with game key cards as a replacement for download-code-in-a-box releases and think they’re an interesting compromise when used for that purpose, but not as a replacement for actual physical copies. I’d put the blame entirely on third parties being cheap if it weren’t for the limited cart size choices clearly pushing them in that direction.

Also, why is everyone okay with every Playstation/Xbox release from the last 10 years requiring you to install the game to your hard drive but game key cards are suddenly bad? Is it because you need an internet connection? Because nearly every modern physical release has updates and DLC that are download-only anyway. Is it an “it’s only bad when Nintendo does it” situation or am I missing something?

I have a copy of Super Mario World and a Super Nintendo I got for Christmas in 1992, 33 years ago. If I put that cart in the SNES, it will still work and I can still play the game.

People take issue with the key cards because if Nintendo shuts down its server in 20 years time and you're feeling a bit nostalgic, you can't go back and revisit the game. They take less issue with an install disc because you can always just install it again. Now to be fair to Nintendo, you can still redownload your Wii purchases ~20 years later, so I don't think there's any danger of them shutting down the keycard downloads anytime soon. Still, I think the purpose of buying a physical edition is to avoid any potential issues like this, and you have to ask the point of having a physical release at all at some point.

Also, Microsoft has been releasing similar discs for Xbox and people have absolutely been taking issue with it. Nintendo is not being singled out, there's just more noise around it because Nintendo is more popular.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

Also, why is everyone okay with every Playstation/Xbox release from the last 10 years requiring you to install the game to your hard drive but game key cards are suddenly bad? Is it because you need an internet connection? Because nearly every modern physical release has updates and DLC that are download-only anyway. Is it an “it’s only bad when Nintendo does it” situation or am I missing something?

1. It needs an internet connection to a centralised server.
2. It can prevent you from downloading games you own if it has some internal counter.
3. You can't even access the game data in the card in the future for emulation.

 

[Vyse Inglebard]

you have to ask the point of having a physical release at all at some point.

all by design, comrade.

 

[Never Scored]

I understand Switch 2 games need to run off Switch 2 cards because they are faster, but I wonder if it'd be possible for a developer to put a Switch 2 game on a cheaper Switch 1 card, and have it install from the Switch 1 card to the Switch 2 's memory to get around the issue. Nintendo probably wouldn't like that.

 

[Two Dollars]

People take issue with the key cards because if Nintendo shuts down its server in 20 years time and you're feeling a bit nostalgic, you can't go back and revisit the game. They take less issue with an install disc because you can always just install it again.

Okay, but

nearly every modern physical release has updates and DLC that are download-only anyway

It’s less extreme but still the same issue. A game that was maintained for years and got DLC expansions is still going to feel incomplete with just the base game on a disc. It depends on the game of course, but I wouldn’t feel great if the only way I could play Smash Ultimate were through the day 1 release.

And I know it’s a cop-out to say piracy will fix it, but… come on, even if that physical copy did somehow become more limited 20-30 years after the fact and you still want to replay the game at that point, it’ll have already become trivial to just download it and all its updates to a hard drive, or even dump your own copy. Would anyone be devastated about the Wii Shop Channel being shut down at this point when pirating those games has been practically idiot-proof since day 1? I really don’t want to come across like I’m defending servers and purchases getting shut down - because I’m not - just that these problems will be solved long before they actually become problems.

Now, if the Switch 2 ends up being so secure that it can never be hacked and its games can’t be pirated, and Nintendo inexplicably decides to shut down all its servers within the next couple decades, then I’ll eat my words.

 

[Never Scored]

Okay, but

It’s less extreme but still the same issue. A game that was maintained for years and got DLC expansions is still going to feel incomplete with just the base game on a disc. It depends on the game of course, but I wouldn’t feel great if the only way I could play Smash Ultimate were through the day 1 release.

And I know it’s a cop-out to say piracy will fix it, but… come on, even if that physical copy did somehow become more limited 20-30 years after the fact and you still want to replay the game at that point, it’ll have already become trivial to just download it and all its updates to a hard drive, or even dump your own copy. Would anyone be devastated about the Wii Shop Channel being shut down at this point when pirating those games has been practically idiot-proof since day 1? I really don’t want to come across like I’m defending servers and purchases getting shut down - because I’m not - just that these problems will be solved long before they actually become problems.

Now, if the Switch 2 ends up being so secure that it can never be hacked and its games can’t be pirated, and Nintendo inexplicably decides to shut down all its servers within the next couple decades, then I’ll eat my words.

At some point you have to accept that people dislike certain things based principles. For many people not being able to access something you purchased without connecting to some centralized server is one of those principles.

If my microwave had to connect to a server to work, it would likely never be an issue as I have a stable Internet connection and likely will for the foreseeable future. However, I don't want to connect my microwave to the Internet because why the fuck should it?

 

[Basic Blond Boy]

The one good Switch 1 to 2 update

 

[Calandrino]

They must not have liked the answers they were getting.

If the responses were overwhelmingly in agreement, then statistically, there's no reason not to call the result early. Maybe everyone loves key cards!

 

[analrapist]

there's just more noise around it because Nintendo is more popular

I don't think this is quite right. Nintendo's been the first to the pro-consumer action of enforcing clarity with respect to what you're purchasing. Big N really does seem to be leading the way in terms of marketing keys versus full-copies.

 

[Atlas Sneezed]

I don't think this is quite right. Nintendo's been the first to the pro-consumer action of enforcing clarity with respect to what you're purchasing. Big N really does seem to be leading the way in terms of marketing keys versus full-copies.

Indeed they are! I've handily learned to STAY THE FUCK AWAY from the whole platform. Switch 1 was the last platform that treated physical as a real thing, and that's where they decided to end it.

 

[6MillionCoofs]

Indeed they are! I've handily learned to STAY THE FUCK AWAY from the whole platform. Switch 1 was the last platform that treated physical as a real thing, and that's where they decided to end it.

A great deal of third party games on Switch 1 were code in boxes or not fully on the cart and that wasn’t always the most obvious.

What you are actually thankful for is Switch 1 was the last time Nintendo let them get away with it.

 

[SSj_Ness (Yiffed)]

Has anybody played "Dear Me, I Was"? Just wanna make sure there's no woke shit.

 

[Lone MacReady II]

Indeed they are! I've handily learned to STAY THE FUCK AWAY from the whole platform. Switch 1 was the last platform that treated physical as a real thing, and that's where they decided to end it.

If I can't truly own a game, no one can convince me that Piracy is theft.

 

[Atlas Sneezed]

If I can't truly own a game, no one can convince me that Piracy is theft.

Modern shit isn't worth my time pirating anyway

A great deal

So how much percentage wise? Not one I have in my drawer is like this and I have ~35 boxes

last time Nintendo let them get away with it

Ah yes because officially sanctioning it makes it so much better. 500 gold points have been credited to your account.

 

[analrapist]

h yes because officially sanctioning it makes it so much better

No the logic is more like:

1. Devs do shitty thing.
2. Platform forces devs to confess they do shitty thing. (We are here.)
3. Market demonstrates that customers do not want shitty thing. (Optimistic ratings only.)

 

[6MillionCoofs]

So how much percentage wise? Not one I have in my drawer is like this and I have ~35 boxes

I want to ball park and say 10-20%. Some of the third parties have been real scum fucks.

Ah yes because officially sanctioning it makes it so much better.

Yeah. Forcing the companies to be upfront about shit stuff and making it more than 1 time use or a game linked to the eshop is actually a good thing.

Heck depending on how cheap the GKC are there is no no reason for some big releases to just be eshop downloads. Or even the popular indie games. So you’d get them tied to Nintendo download servers that never go down and be able to trade and sell.

There are some positives to GKC. But I’m convinced the main purpose is to force the devs to show how shit they are being after almost a decade of people complaining about codes in boxes or not all being on cart. Now it is big fucking letters and a symbol on the front of every box and cart.

No the logic is more like:

1. Devs do shitty thing.
2. Platform forces devs to confess they do shitty thing. (We are here.)
3. Market demonstrates that customers do not want shitty thing. (Optimistic ratings only.)

and while doing that Nintendo is decoupling downloads from the stores and giving smaller devs an option.

And we are already seeing the market show they don’t want shit thing and places react.

 

[Two Dollars]

New Mariojak just dropped.