One of the most controversial upcoming features to stem from Nintendo with the Switch 2 is the game-key card, a physical cartridge that contains no digital data but rather gives users the ability or "key" to download the associated game.
Nintendo isn't introducing game-key cards to con fans out of proper physical copies, though, as senior vice president of product development and publishing Nate Bihldorff explains in a recent interview with Nintendo Life. The new cartridges might actually help lengthen the Switch 2's overall lifespan as games continue to grow in size—a lifespan that hopefully exceeds even the original console's, which stands at a whopping eight years now.
"I don't know of any specific roadmap for who's going to be using game-key [cards] and in which ways," says Bihldorff, admitting he's not sure which studios will opt to use game-key cards rather than typical physical copies. "I'll go back to what I was talking about when it comes to tools; it really is just another way that we can have games on our platform." This rings especially true considering how demanding games are becoming.
"Obviously, there's a finite amount of memory on a game card, and if you happen to be a publisher who has a game that's bigger than that, that would still be a way of you being able to get a retail version of your game onto the system," describes the lead. "Probably the only way. Game sizes have gotten really big, so [game-key card usage] is just providing another avenue." It's all about making the Switch 2 relevant long-term, according to Bihldorff.
"The Switch lasted eight years," as he puts it. "We really want to future-proof [Switch 2] and make sure that people can be publishing games on it, and I think that'll speak to that." It's certainly an exciting thought, the Switch 2 outlasting the original console and seeing new games drop on it years after its upcoming June 5 release – all the more so when considering its eye-watering $450 price tag, too, providing bang for the buck.
Here are some of the most exciting upcoming Switch 2 games to look forward to.
