Nintendo will likely be the last manufacturer to automatically integrate a physical drive; Sony and Microsoft already sell consoles without an optical drive, including high-end models (the PS5 Pro and the "white" Xbox Series X). On Nintendo's side, Switch 1 cartridges can be inserted into the Switch 2's drive, extending the lifespan of this physical format for many more years.
Nintendo defends the physical with a dematerialized card
But not all publishers necessarily sell physical cartridges. These are in fact specific to Nintendo, and the Switch 2 model must certainly be more expensive (the memory is faster). This is why we often find empty Switch game boxes containing... only a download code. An environmental aberration, but it is a solution for those who want to offer a Switch game (always appreciated at Christmas or for a birthday).
The Switch 2 is an opportunity for Nintendo to launch an alternative to the code (which doesn't look very good after unwrapping the gift!). This is the Game-Key Card, a physical card that fits into the console's port, like a standard cartridge. Except that the card in question does not contain the game data. It is actually a "key" that gives the right to download the game to the console, provided that it has enough storage.
Before launching the game, an internet authentication is necessary, but after this formality the game can be launched without access to the web. Last detail that is important: the key must must be inserted into the console before it can be played, making it more similar to a cartridge.
The advantage of this card, perhaps the only one, is that it should be possible to resell it second-hand like a normal cartridge. But only if it is possible to unlink the game from the user's account, which Nintendo does not specify.
Source: Nintendo
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