What do you think of the new “physical” game delivery model coming with the Switch 2?

There’s been a lot of discussion around the Switch 2 since Nintendo Direct last week, but one area that’s been generating a lot of heat is how players will get their games. Granted it’s probably not seeing the same amount of online commentary as the price and pre-orders, but the nature of the Switch 2’s physical games is generating controversy especially in terms of what it means for the entire industry not just Nintendo.

In short, some (not all) games that are purchased in physical form will just have a key code on the cartridge to unlock a download of a game. These “Game-Key Cards” are essentially the worst of all worlds: you still need to download the game in part or in full to your Switch 2 system to play the game, but you also need to keep the cartridge handy to actually play even after downloading it. Since it’s dependent upon an internet connection you won’t be able to easily start the game on the go the first time (thankfully the internet connection is only required the first time and games can be played offline after downloading). Lending a game to a friend or selling it to a used game store is probably also out, as the game will likely be registered with your account just like a digital purchase.

Of course if you follow the gaming industry this isn’t brand new; codes in boxes has been a thing for a long time now, especially in the PC market. In those cases though once you registered the game you could put the box on the shelf and never have to worry about it again. Not with the Switch 2; if you didn’t already have a cartridge wallet you’ll want to pick one up.

This punitive aspect of the Game-Key Card method may actually be the point. It looks like many Switch 2 games will be cheaper if purchased digitally instead of physically, a change from typical industry practices. This makes sense though — physical items cost more to produce than digital items. I imagine many players who prefer physical versions are okay with this aspect; however if the physical version is just a code on a cartridge you have to wonder what the point of buying physical is especially if it’s still more expensive than a digital purchase and you have to deal with the inconvenience on top of it.

What do you think? Do you think you’ll avoid Game-Key Cards or will you still purchase them anyway? Do you think Nintendo will back off from the use requirement? Or do you not care about physical games and look forward to getting digital games cheaper on the Switch 2?