Have concerns about Nintendo’s controversial new Game-Key Cards? You’re not the only one.
Two months after Nintendo launched its long-awaited Switch 2 handheld, the video game company is giving select gamers a formal opportunity to share their thoughts. The brand’s all-new survey is asking players their opinions regarding Nintendo’s Game-Key Cards versus more traditional game cartridges.
Nintendo of America’s new consumer survey asks players to think critically — not just about whether they would or would not prefer a Game-Key Card over a standard cartridge, but why.
While most are familiar with the concept of a video game cartridge or disc — y’know, the same ones we used to blow into or use our t-shirts to wipe fingerprints off back in the day. When playing older consoles, all players had to do was insert the cartridge or disc, and power the console on. This was how games worked for the Nintendo Switch handheld — until the console’s successor dropped in June, that is.
Despite looking nearly identical to games for the first Switch system, new Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges operate very differently. The cartridge contains no game; the Game-Key Card is a tangible version of a download. When gamers click the chip-like piece into the system, they must then download the software.
This change from physical to digital games means an internet connection is required, and for gamers with complicated web access, this poses an all-new problem. Inserting a cartridge in the past meant immediate access to a given game, whereas download-only titles mean players are at the mercy of their wireless connection. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States, “22.3 percent of Americans in rural areas and 27.7 percent of Americans in Tribal lands lack coverage from fixed terrestrial 25/3 Mbps broadband, as compared to only 1.5 percent of Americans in urban areas.” Americans in larger cities likely won’t run into connectivity issues outside of sporadic outages here and there, but players in rural or otherwise remote regions can expect some complications.
Oh, well, at least borrowing games gets a little easier, right? Not exactly. Whether you’ve downloaded your game of choice or not, the cartridge must be inserted into the system in order to access the software. Unfortunately, the download means nothing without that tiny red cartridge.
Nintendo explains how this works: “An internet connection is only required when you launch the game for the first time. After this, the game can be started even without an internet connection. However, like regular physical software, the game-key card must be inserted into the console in order to play the game. If you insert a game-key card into another Nintendo Switch 2, the game can also be played on that console by following the above steps.”
If you feel strongly about Nintendo’s Game-Key Card implementation, head over to the brand’s survey to share your ideas.
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A lifelong gamer raised on classic titles like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Croc, Stephanie brings her expertise of gaming and pop culture to deliver unique, refreshing views on the world of video games, complete with references to absurd and obscure media.
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