Rant about Game-Key Cards

  Madiator2011
June 29, 2025

👁 11

https://blog.madiator.com/do_edit : 👁 6

#Nintend #DigitalMedia #Gaming #Retro #NintendoSwitch2

License:
Creative Commons Attribution

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So Nintendo Switch 2 got realesed and they have these "Game-Key Cards" - basically physical cartridges that don't contain any game data. Just a license key. You buy the cartridge, put it in, and still need to download the whole game. I'm not felling cool with that at all.

This is like worst of both worlds. You need shelf space for cartridges AND storage space for downloads. The cartridge is just expensive plastic that unlocks a download. How is this better than just selling download codes?
What rly grinds my gears is that Nintendo's own games still come on proper cartridges with full data. But third party games? Nope, here's your fake physical game. From what I found out, Nintendo only offers publishers expensive 64GB cartridges or these cheap Game-Key Cards. No middle options like original Switch had.

The bigest issue for me is game preservation. When Nintendo shuts down Switch 2 servers in 10-15 years, all these Game-Key Cards become useless plastic. You can't play them anymore. We've seen this with 3DS and Wii U eshop closures already.
People on forums are calling these "glorified gift cards" and they're right. At least be honest about going digital instead of pretending these are physical games. The environmental waste of producing millions of plastic cartridges that contain nothing is just stupid.

This reminds me of Xbox One's always-online disaster but somehow Nintendo is getting away with it. If Sony tried this there would be riots. But Nintendo? People just accept it because nostalgia I guess.
I'm gonna skip most third party Switch 2 games unless they come on real cartridges. Rather play on PC where at least digital games are honest about being digital. No fake physical media nonsense.

Vote with your wallet people. Don't buy these Game-Key Cards if you care about actually owning your games. Support publishers who release proper physical games even if costs more. Show them we're not okay with this trend.
Gaming is becoming more dystopian every year. First always-online DRM, then digital-only, now fake physical games. What's next?

Anyway, gonna go play some retro games where cartridges acually contain games and work without internet. Those will still work in 30 years unlike these Game-Key Cards.

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  Miner34 c:0


A better solution to stop these companies from doing what they want is to just not buy anything from them. Or even use their stuff at all, if they can profit from that too.

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