The situation is complex and very controversial. The publisher, ININ Games, just made a little announcement that has set the world of Nintendo Switch 2 physical media and its users abuzz. They have recognized that Nintendo has now two smaller sizes of Switch 2 Game Cards for the developers to choose from. Before, only the 64GB card was available as an option. Now, various options can be selected. The optimism of the tweet is that this will culminate in fewer controversial ‘Game Key Cards’ or ‘GKC’—the tiny cards that just offer you a download code as opposed to the game being on the cartridge itself.
This is more or less a direct way to resolve the complaints that have been annoying players for quite some time. The whole GKC issue has been a great disadvantage for those gamers who have a preference for physical media. In fact, they hate it! It is like you purchase a box, receive a card, and still have to download the entire game. Thus, it kills the entire purpose of purchasing the physical for saving storage or being the owner. So, many people consider it a victory that smaller real game cards are likely to take the place of them.
But wait, there’s more to the story. The moment the news got out, the replies section soon turned into a debate forum. One user, mal, raised the question that was on everyone’s mind: “What’s to stop them from using Switch 1 game cards for 0-16gb games?” It’s a very good question, right? If the game hardly takes up space, why not put it on the old and cheaper cartridge? Another user, KalicoShade, hints at technology in his response: “Read write speeds of the switch 2 cartridge, and the switch 2 OS itself.” To be concise, the Switch 2 may need the faster tech in its own cards to operate even the tiniest games without any interruptions. Thus, while Nintendo is reusing what they can, sometimes it is a matter of hardware, literally, they cannot do it.
Another factor that must be considered is the cost. User phathom dampened the exuberance with his comment, “Just means the same price with lower size. They will probably hike the price of the normal cards.” Ouch! That is a scenario no one wants to face. Are we simply shifting one problem for another? In place of a key card, are we going to end up with a full card but pay more? That’s a lose-lose situation.
The drama was not over yet. Some people drew attention to the fact that ININ Games had in fact deleted their initial announcement post. User __toussaint bluntly asked, “They deleted their post. Why?” while another, ranmad2zadznt, simply said, “theyve since retracted their statement.” That’s… odd. Did they jump the gun? Was the info not completely cooked yet? It leaves a cloud of mystery around the whole thing. Is this really happening or just a rumor that got out of hand?
The players’ sentiments in the replies are very different. There are the optimistic ones like BBP_119 who view this as a win: “Voting with our wallets seems to have worked!” This is referring to the GKCs backlash suggesting player pushback is forcing publishers and Nintendo to come up with better solutions. Then there are the realists, or maybe the cynics, like Valwinoz who sarcastically remarked, “but i was told the GKC were good and were not affecting sales.” They are not sure.
Discussing the meaning of “physical” is a major part of the debate. User Zane ris claimed that you can have a Game Key Card and trade it. But BBP_119 challenged with the concern for collectors: “Several hundred MB patch > 60+ gig game, and I still get to own it.” For them, a large download required for a key card is just the same as buying digital. The whole point of physical is having the game on the medium. User kevhunt_13 identified it: “My main issue with GKC is that it takes up my storage. One of the reasons I buy physical games is to save my storage space.” Preach.
Then comes the humor. Moose_man1125 gave us the ultimate ultimatum: “$80 games or game key cards. Choose. 🤣🤣” It is a darkly humorous but nonetheless thought-provoking conclusion to the present-day gaming dilemma. On the other hand, fauna_virus was a bit comical for anyone who thinks key cards bring about sales: “‘higher sales’ my brother in Christ, ain’t nobody buying keycards slop 😭💀”. The community is vocal, and their message is very brutal.
What does it all come down to? The physical media conflict, which also rages on platforms like PlayStation and Xbox.
