Comment by drdexebtjl
6 hours ago
I think the point is that X years from now, when the servers are turned off, you don’t actually have the game.
6 hours ago
I think the point is that X years from now, when the servers are turned off, you don’t actually have the game.
I believe that is largely true even if they shipped a game on the cart. Many games ship broken, and they also change many times over the course of their life. I don't think official media can be considered any part of a future accessibility strategy for at least a decade now. Game keycards don't change that fact in any way.
I have no means to verify this, but I believe updates for Switch carts are saved to the cards rather than in the system NAND. And this makes me think, Nintendo's mistake in allowing the key cards was that it did not allow the same with the key cards that customers would still hold the physical static electricity in the card so long that the card was used at least once.
They are definitely saved to the system NAND and the carts are immutable.
I don’t understand the second part. Game key carts physically cannot fit the game or its updates, that is the entire point of their existence (storage is expensive, keys are tiny).
It can be a part.
Games shipping broken and needing day-1 updates is a consequence of our indifference towards physical media dying.
On the Switch and the Switch 2, I’ve never had a physical game that didn’t let me skip updates and play offline.
Probably due to a mix of Nintendo actually reviewing retail releases before they are “pressed”, and due to the fact that these are portable devices with no cellular.
I actually find great satisfaction and closure in knowing it is an ephemeral experience.
Experience the game, move on.
Of course, just my own preference, not saying others need to follow it.
I liked buying used games as a poor teenager and even poorer young adult, the only way I could afford it (and selling them once I was done).
That's true, but Nintendo has been good about this. You can still download your digital purchases from the Wii, Wii U and 3DS stores just fine.