Third-party software sales have been low for the Switch 2, with a couple of exceptions, like Cyberpunk 2077, and almost all the third-party Switch 2 game releases thus far have been Game-Key Cards.

The Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of games are even more expensive than their Switch 1 versions, if you don't already own the game. Upgrades to the Switch 2 version will cost $10 in most regions.

A Nintendo cart from 1989 that I can play as-is, posted without comment. I have a simpler take on Game-Key Cards. Items of physical media should be yours, forever, regardless of technical limitations.

Starting with the Switch 2, some physical editions of games don’t come with cartridges at all, but rather “game-key cards,” which resemble cartridges but in fact only represent and unlock a ...

It’s after that point that Nintendo got into Switch and Switch 2 physical copies, digital games, and game-key card cartridges. It began by asking if people preferred physical or digital copies.

In July, Nintendo began sending out a survey to Japanese Switch 2 owners regarding the system's Game-Key Cards. That survey is now live in the West, with the company largely focusing on the ...