Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 - 4.2.2025 thoughts?

[dhaabi]

While I'm also not immune to the sticker shock, the truth of the matter is that most game prices have utterly failed to keep up with inflation.  We had a very stable and samey market for almost 25 years.  The prices were going to go up eventually.

Inflation is one thing to consider, but the consumer's purchasing power has not been reflected to offset such trends with the vastly higher cost-of-living state seen globally across the last few decades and, in particular, this specific moment of time in a post-pandemic era. Wages have largely stagnated, and the means to afford a certain dollar amount now is far more costly than what it was years before.

[Cartagia]

I'm sure my wife will do a backflip when she hears they are porting over Bravely Default and also a new From Software game getting released,

In their support section, Nintendo features an overview page for Game-Key Cards.

So, this is similar to the Switch's packaging which states how a physical product may not contain the game's full data and instead require an internet download. Except, the wording actually states how these types of cartridges are actually "keys," which seems to suggest that they allow for the full data to be downloaded via an online connection. At the same time, this page also mentions that "like regular physical software, the game-key card must be inserted into the system in order to play the game" even in spite of data being downloaded to the console's storage.

So, it seems like Nintendo is paving the way for trading digital games. And that idea is with the hopes that these Game-Key Cards can be used more than once.

If first party titles use this, i'm definitely out. I'm not paying $80+ for a key card and not an actual game with the game's data on it. If enough third party titles use this I still might not get one.

This Australian stock art of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, unfortunately, is one example which seems to confirm that the Game-Key Cards will, like was hinted at, not include any game data. The text "11 GB full game download via the internet is required" is totally transparent about the matter.

More than likely, third-party publishers who are wanting to save a little money on manufacturing costs will choose to use Game-Key Cards for their physical products. I doubt many first-party items will do this, but I certainly won't say it'll never happen. Another example of a publisher confirming their game on Game-Key Cards is CD Project Red with Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, as confirmed directly from their website.

Edit: Actually, here is stock art for the US regional release of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy which features the same disclaimer text.

Am I missing something?  The Cyberpunk page says it's on a 64GB card, not one of the Game-Key cards.

And the Game-Key Cards are no different than the already existing Switch games that are just the download key in a box, there's just a physical key to go along with it now, too - potentially making them actually tradeable.

[dhaabi]

I'm sure my wife will do a backflip when she hears they are porting over Bravely Default and also a new From Software game getting released,

In their support section, Nintendo features an overview page for Game-Key Cards.

So, this is similar to the Switch's packaging which states how a physical product may not contain the game's full data and instead require an internet download. Except, the wording actually states how these types of cartridges are actually "keys," which seems to suggest that they allow for the full data to be downloaded via an online connection. At the same time, this page also mentions that "like regular physical software, the game-key card must be inserted into the system in order to play the game" even in spite of data being downloaded to the console's storage.

So, it seems like Nintendo is paving the way for trading digital games. And that idea is with the hopes that these Game-Key Cards can be used more than once.

If first party titles use this, i'm definitely out. I'm not paying $80+ for a key card and not an actual game with the game's data on it. If enough third party titles use this I still might not get one.

This Australian stock art of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, unfortunately, is one example which seems to confirm that the Game-Key Cards will, like was hinted at, not include any game data. The text "11 GB full game download via the internet is required" is totally transparent about the matter.

More than likely, third-party publishers who are wanting to save a little money on manufacturing costs will choose to use Game-Key Cards for their physical products. I doubt many first-party items will do this, but I certainly won't say it'll never happen. Another example of a publisher confirming their game on Game-Key Cards is CD Project Red with Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, as confirmed directly from their website.

Edit: Actually, here is stock art for the US regional release of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy which features the same disclaimer text.

Am I missing something?  The Cyberpunk page says it's on a 64GB card, not one of the Game-Key cards.

And the Game-Key Cards are no different than the already existing Switch games that are just the download key in a box, there's just a physical key to go along with it now, too - potentially making them actually tradeable.

I struck out my text regarding Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition in that original post. In my quick glancing over the page, I misunderstood the message.

There are three types of Nintendo Switch packaging: the first with cartridge and no download mentioned, a second with cartridge and download mentioned, and third with no cartridge and download mentioned. Am I thinking wrong in that the second type of items were partial downloads? I very well could be. Nevertheless, Nintendo is has introduced two different types of cartridges, whereas before there was only one. Offering a second one for publishers to choose that's cheaper will be more enticing and incentivize them more than before to not include all game data on the physical cartridge. And, it's at the consumer's expense. Since Nintendo has demonstrated that physical items will cost more than their digital counterparts—which I can understand happening from a business's perspective—not only are the products more expensive for buyers, but they're also not being given the item in full.

[Cartagia]

I'm sure my wife will do a backflip when she hears they are porting over Bravely Default and also a new From Software game getting released,

In their support section, Nintendo features an overview page for Game-Key Cards.

So, this is similar to the Switch's packaging which states how a physical product may not contain the game's full data and instead require an internet download. Except, the wording actually states how these types of cartridges are actually "keys," which seems to suggest that they allow for the full data to be downloaded via an online connection. At the same time, this page also mentions that "like regular physical software, the game-key card must be inserted into the system in order to play the game" even in spite of data being downloaded to the console's storage.

So, it seems like Nintendo is paving the way for trading digital games. And that idea is with the hopes that these Game-Key Cards can be used more than once.

If first party titles use this, i'm definitely out. I'm not paying $80+ for a key card and not an actual game with the game's data on it. If enough third party titles use this I still might not get one.

This Australian stock art of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, unfortunately, is one example which seems to confirm that the Game-Key Cards will, like was hinted at, not include any game data. The text "11 GB full game download via the internet is required" is totally transparent about the matter.

More than likely, third-party publishers who are wanting to save a little money on manufacturing costs will choose to use Game-Key Cards for their physical products. I doubt many first-party items will do this, but I certainly won't say it'll never happen. Another example of a publisher confirming their game on Game-Key Cards is CD Project Red with Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, as confirmed directly from their website.

Edit: Actually, here is stock art for the US regional release of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy which features the same disclaimer text.

Am I missing something?  The Cyberpunk page says it's on a 64GB card, not one of the Game-Key cards.

And the Game-Key Cards are no different than the already existing Switch games that are just the download key in a box, there's just a physical key to go along with it now, too - potentially making them actually tradeable.

I struck out my text regarding Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition in that original post. In my quick glancing over the page, I misunderstood the message.

There are three types of Nintendo Switch packaging: the first with cartridge and no download mentioned, a second with cartridge and download mentioned, and third with no cartridge and download mentioned. Am I thinking wrong in that the second type of items were partial downloads? I very well could be. Nevertheless, Nintendo is has introduced two different types of cartridges, whereas before there was only one. Offering a second one for publishers to choose that's cheaper will be more enticing and incentivize them more than before to not include all game data on the physical cartridge. And, it's at the consumer's expense. Since Nintendo has demonstrated that physical items will cost more than their digital counterparts—which I can understand happening from a business's perspective—not only are the products more expensive for buyers, but they're also not being given the item in full.

I don't disagree that it makes logical sense for the physical copies to cost more than the digital ones, the issue is that the digital copies should have been cheaper in general since the beginning.  But my main point is that there is already an option for them to not have and actual "Game Card" (the third option you listed), this is just a replacement for that.  So, companies already had that option, and some were already exercising it.  Definitely not an ideal situation, but definitely not as much of an end of the world scenario as some are prognosticating.

[dhaabi]

Nevertheless, Nintendo is has introduced two different types of cartridges, whereas before there was only one. Offering a second one for publishers to choose that's cheaper will be more enticing and incentivize them more than before to not include all game data on the physical cartridge. And, it's at the consumer's expense. Since Nintendo has demonstrated that physical items will cost more than their digital counterparts—which I can understand happening from a business's perspective—not only are the products more expensive for buyers, but they're also not being given the item in full.

But my main point is that there is already an option for them to not have and actual "Game Card" (the third option you listed), this is just a replacement for that.  So, companies already had that option, and some were already exercising it.  Definitely not an ideal situation, but definitely not as much of an end of the world scenario as some are prognosticating.

Perhaps it isn't that big of a deal. However, with the Bravely Default: Flying Fairy example I provided earlier, that is an item published by Square Enix whom I don't believe exercised that option before with Switch games. And in that particular instance, it is using the Game-Key Card for a game requiring 11 GB of data which is far less than the maximum 64 GB cartridge space. It just seems like a negative trend waiting to happen. Perhaps if these options were alternative physical products (for instance, a Game-Key Card cartridge version of a game releasing alongside a traditional cartridge release) it would be more tolerable, but physical collectors will likely have one option that's not ideal.

[bikingjahuty]

I'm sure my wife will do a backflip when she hears they are porting over Bravely Default and also a new From Software game getting released,

In their support section, Nintendo features an overview page for Game-Key Cards.

So, this is similar to the Switch's packaging which states how a physical product may not contain the game's full data and instead require an internet download. Except, the wording actually states how these types of cartridges are actually "keys," which seems to suggest that they allow for the full data to be downloaded via an online connection. At the same time, this page also mentions that "like regular physical software, the game-key card must be inserted into the system in order to play the game" even in spite of data being downloaded to the console's storage.

So, it seems like Nintendo is paving the way for trading digital games. And that idea is with the hopes that these Game-Key Cards can be used more than once.

If first party titles use this, i'm definitely out. I'm not paying $80+ for a key card and not an actual game with the game's data on it. If enough third party titles use this I still might not get one.

This Australian stock art of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, unfortunately, is one example which seems to confirm that the Game-Key Cards will, like was hinted at, not include any game data. The text "11 GB full game download via the internet is required" is totally transparent about the matter.

More than likely, third-party publishers who are wanting to save a little money on manufacturing costs will choose to use Game-Key Cards for their physical products. I doubt many first-party items will do this, but I certainly won't say it'll never happen. Another example of a publisher confirming their game on Game-Key Cards is CD Project Red with Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, as confirmed directly from their website.

Edit: Actually, here is stock art for the US regional release of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy which features the same disclaimer text.

Well that's very unfortunate...


Have you seen the official box art for Mario Kart or Donkey Kong yet?

[dhaabi]

I'm sure my wife will do a backflip when she hears they are porting over Bravely Default and also a new From Software game getting released,

This Australian stock art of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, unfortunately, is one example which seems to confirm that the Game-Key Cards will, like was hinted at, not include any game data. The text "11 GB full game download via the internet is required" is totally transparent about the matter.

More than likely, third-party publishers who are wanting to save a little money on manufacturing costs will choose to use Game-Key Cards for their physical products. I doubt many first-party items will do this, but I certainly won't say it'll never happen.

Edit: Actually, here is stock art for the US regional release of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy which features the same disclaimer text.

Well that's very unfortunate...


Have you seen the official box art for Mario Kart or Donkey Kong yet?

Target's website has several item pages with images. I'm assuming it's the final stock art design. Here is Mario Kart World, and here is Donkey Kong Bananza. If we are to believe the stock art imagery, there is no download.

[marvelvscapcom2]

While I'm also not immune to the sticker shock, the truth of the matter is that most game prices have utterly failed to keep up with inflation.  We had a very stable and samey market for almost 25 years.  The prices were going to go up eventually.  The big problem I see is that Nintendo games rarely get discounted.  That means even trying to wait it out isn't really going to work.

And something that these companies count on, that isn't exactly for us, is that most people don't buy a lot of games.  They are doing one or two luxury purchases per year that sustain them for a long time.  They are what is going to prop this up.

I disagree heavily. Games aren't just forced to go up because of inflation. But companies love to echo that because thats exactly the logic they'll use to excuse it. Even at 60 dollars per game. Their profit margins are 272 percent over industry standard for other media. Video games gross billions in profit.

PS and Xbox operate under the same markets with the same inflations and territories yet what they do? Offer thousands of free games from 3rd party publishers. Giant price cuts down to 10 dollars for some games digitally. Every day in the ps store is a lovely sale to intice. Sales left and right. Huge amazon sales for physical games less than a year old. Meanwhile Nintendo wont do a sale if you groveled at their boots.  We stay paying.  And I cant excuse that all on economy.

If that were the case games would have risen with each market influx or recession. Most currencies have been inflating for centuries. Costs for disc media stay stagnant the same way Arizona ice tea always stays 1 dollar. Because its dirt cheap to make. If you are selling a pebble for 2 dollars. You dont have to raise the price when the economy gets bad because a pebble is really worth 2 cents. Almost all cost comes from the game production. It isnt that the economy got worst which it did.  Its that paying 60 dollars for a dvd-r with some information printed on it in 1998 was absolutely ridiculous lol.  We just didnt realize because it was standard. But 60 dollars was a lot of money back then.  Gaming was also more niche though. They always should have been 25 to 40. So the overpaying was ahead of the curve and has now equalized. I feel 60 matches our economy. And it stood that way. Mostly because it was always profitable and still is. 

Nintendo is not struggling. They are massively profitable off IP and subscription alone. The only reason they change in 2025 and not 2020 during a literal pandemic is because of greed.  They are well in the lead.  And the reason I feel they did this now and didnt try this nonsense with Switch 1? Because Wii U just got its ass kicked and they knew they'd die if they tried. But now they got all the power. They are an extremely profitable company at the 60 dollar per game price point. No need to go up. Nintendo is not going up because its suffering from dear old economy.  Not in my estimations at least. But perhaps im jaded into the standards since past


I think the way Sony and Xbox handle things is more pro consumer. Even if they fail at times.

[dhaabi]

PS and Xbox operate under the same markets with the same inflations and territories yet what they do? Offer thousands of free games from 3rd party publishers. Giant price cuts down to 10 dollars for some games digitally. Every day in the ps store is a lovely sale to intice. Sales left and right. Huge amazon sales for physical games less than a year old. Meanwhile Nintendo wont do a sale if you groveled at their boots.  We stay paying.  And I cant excuse that all on economy.

I think the way Sony and Xbox handle things is more pro consumer.

Neither Sony nor Microsoft "offer thousands of free games." You are referring to their paid subscription plans which have multiple tiers. Refer to your previous topic where conversation spurred. It's also worth mentioning that the games available on those services are not in the thousands. When I search through the PlayStation Plus Extra catalog, it shows 419 available games. I presume similar numbers are available with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass. Also, here's is the webpage for Nintendo Switch's current sales.

None of these companies are pro-consumer. They regularly do the bare minimum for maximum profits so long as their consumer base can tolerate it and will continue to do so. New lows are always being met.

[sworddude]

While I'm also not immune to the sticker shock, the truth of the matter is that most game prices have utterly failed to keep up with inflation.  We had a very stable and samey market for almost 25 years.  The prices were going to go up eventually.  The big problem I see is that Nintendo games rarely get discounted.  That means even trying to wait it out isn't really going to work.

here is the issue though, we got a price hike to 70$ games 2 years ago. 16% increase. okay fine

we ain't even 2 years further and it's 90$ now that's a 32% price hike in just 2 years. this ain't justfified it's too fast and too much of a price hike.

I can get behind the price hike in terms of a better spec consoles. but the games going this high there ain't any defense for this

besides are people forgetting all the other ways games make money now that surpass the stickerprice tenfold?

huge Limited editions for pretty much all games released, subscription services that people are forced to get to play their favourite games online and dlc.

and in some cases even micro's don't gimme that shit that inflation had to happen at some point, game companies already increased said revenue with multiple sources that the consumer paid for. you are already forced to pay a hell lot extra for that complete package.
 In terms of inflation we had that raise 2 years ago to 70$ in terms of the base price but even in that case. game companies already got allot of revenue elsewhere.

[dhaabi]

For hours nonstop, people spammed some form of a "drop the price" comment in Nintendo Treehouse's livestream today. What a rare moment of unity.

[weirdfeline]

I think the prices should be $70 for both digital and physical. I think that price point being the standard was already expected after Tears of the Kingdom and PS5 games. Instead of $80 for Mario Kart World they should just charge an extra $10 for the inevitable DLC. Still wild to me how cheap the Booster Course Pass was, maybe that's why they're charging an extra $10 upfront.

Switch 2 itself does not really impress me at all. Nintendo Discord is not interesting, 120fps games are likely only going to show up in the first year, 4K does not seem like it will be widely adopted. Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza greatly impress me though. Glad the Treehouse streams are back to see some extended gameplay.

Also, $399 would have looked way better and easier to justify. $450 makes it look expensive. Not that they'll have a hard time selling them though.

[marvelvscapcom2]

PS and Xbox operate under the same markets with the same inflations and territories yet what they do? Offer thousands of free games from 3rd party publishers. Giant price cuts down to 10 dollars for some games digitally. Every day in the ps store is a lovely sale to intice. Sales left and right. Huge amazon sales for physical games less than a year old. Meanwhile Nintendo wont do a sale if you groveled at their boots.  We stay paying.  And I cant excuse that all on economy.

I think the way Sony and Xbox handle things is more pro consumer.

Neither Sony nor Microsoft "offer thousands of free games." You are referring to their paid subscription plans which have multiple tiers. Refer to your previous topic where conversation spurred. It's also worth mentioning that the games available on those services are not in the thousands. When I search through the PlayStation Plus Extra catalog, it shows 419 available games. I presume similar numbers are available with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass. Also, here's is the webpage for Nintendo Switch's current sales.

None of these companies are pro-consumer. They regularly do the bare minimum for maximum profits so long as their consumer base can tolerate it and will continue to do so. New lows are always being met.

This is true. You do indeed have to pay the 3 cents per game monthly to play those. I should make sure to emphasize the subscription details. But the moral of the story is I spend more on bottled water than what sony charges me to play a library of 416 games. And that's pretty rad! Lol. Nintendo woudnt sell you a glass of water for 3 cents if you were dying of thirst. I bet the tech demo for switch 2 costs more than the extra subscription lol


 Imagine if you knew in the 90s that a company would allow you to play 416 games for the price of a pizza. Its ground breaking and xbox and sony dont get enough credit. It is super consumer friendly.  I do ask. Do you agree that those subscriptions are really cool?  I feel we keep miscommunicating because I am aware its not technically free. And I know you dont own the games. I mispeak because to me it feels free. Its endless games for hardly noticable money. But I should be clearer with my wording so I am sorry for that. But overall do you give sony or xbox props for those libraries of games? Weather you gotta pay for subscription or not. It is wildly cheap for all that content imo.

None of this negates my main claim though. Nintendo doesnt offer this benefit. Nintendo has larger ROI and Market Cap. They net more.  They show the most greed. Inflation isn't causing this.  If inflation was hurting nintendo. Itd show in their reports. Their market cap. Their dow performance. Anything. They are richer than ever.

Are you saying to me with firm belief that Nintendo is as consumer friendly as Xbox and Sony?  Sony thinks nothing of dropping a game like ragnarok to play for 3 cents. Random sales of up to 80 percent off games like ratchet and clank. But Nintendo will charge 60 bucks for a donkey country to return a second time. The Nintendo E Shop is often times never discounted. They want 60 bucks for Mario Kart 8 when I checked. A launch title from 2017 that you can get on ebay for like 25 bucks.


Childhood me would have cried if you told him his dad would only have to pay 15 dollars per month to play more games than I can beat in 5 years. Its a super super special thing they did. Xbox I believe was the catalyst. I could be wrong but It proves that you can be consumer friendly AND make profit. Without being bloated at the belt from eating your consumer base alive.


Sony isnt exempt from being predatory like selling the disc drive option seperate with PS5 pro. But I do believe its not comparable at this point. The big N got too big

[kamikazekeeg]

For hours nonstop, people spammed some form of a "drop the price" comment in Nintendo Treehouse's livestream today. What a rare moment of unity.

Yeah it's been awhile since I've seen this many people united against Nintendo, can't even remember the last time that there was this much loud and open backlash.  It'll be interesting to see if this translates into slower adoption rates out of the gate.  This won't be a Wii U situation at all, I think Switch is too big for that, but the sheer massive leap in costs across the board was way too aggressive.  They probably could've gotten away with just the 450 console, maybe the 70 dollar max game price, and then had free updates no problem.  If they changed their minds on the updates, I think that could do a lot to remedy things, but Nintendo is incredibly unlikely to do that, especially if they think they'll still have enough sales.

It doesn't help that the timing is the worst with the USA about to hit a big economic downturn, so luxury fun items seeing giant leaps in costs hurts all the more.

[marvelvscapcom2]

For hours nonstop, people spammed some form of a "drop the price" comment in Nintendo Treehouse's livestream today. What a rare moment of unity.

Yeah it's been awhile since I've seen this many people united against Nintendo, can't even remember the last time that there was this much loud and open backlash.  It'll be interesting to see if this translates into slower adoption rates out of the gate.  This won't be a Wii U situation at all, I think Switch is too big for that, but the sheer massive leap in costs across the board was way too aggressive.  They probably could've gotten away with just the 450 console, maybe the 70 dollar max game price, and then had free updates no problem.  If they changed their minds on the updates, I think that could do a lot to remedy things, but Nintendo is incredibly unlikely to do that, especially if they think they'll still have enough sales.

It doesn't help that the timing is the worst with the USA about to hit a big economic downturn, so luxury fun items seeing giant leaps in costs hurts all the more.

The factors you mentioned I feel will keep the switch out from many trees this december. The crazy part is that Nintendo could probably burn this entire console generation up in smoke and sell 20,000 units and still be in good standing. That is how incredibly successful switch 1 was.  Their profits are wild. Its sad they used the success as a launch to expiriment with price hikes.


Anyone think we could see a holiday sale? My guess is its unlikely but perhaps a 399 bundle with mario kart for christmas could really smooth people over. In a perfect world anyway lol.  I think thats the only way Nintendo is gonna salvage public image in year 1.