Nintendo Switch introduces "Virtual Game Cards" for sharing games across two devices
Nintendo has introduced "Virtual Game Cards", a new feature for the Nintendo Switch and the upcoming Switch 2, allowing players to share their digital games similarly to physical cartridge swaps. Launching in late April for the Switch and available on the Switch 2 upon its release, this feature will enable any digital purchase to appear as a virtual card on the main console. Users can manage these cards through a screen where they can "load" or "eject" them, controlling game accessibility and transferability between devices.
The Virtual Game Cards can be used on a second Switch owned by the same account holder, requiring initial local communication for setup. After an initial local connection, games can be assigned remotely, allowing each member to borrow one game at a time for up to 14 days. It's also worth mentioning that Virtual Game Cards don't require an internet check-in after the initial loan.
While this system offers more flexibility for digital game owners, it still might feel short compared to other platforms like Steam, which allows sharing with up to five family members, and Xbox/PlayStation, which permit sharing with another user and access to the entire digital library without requiring renewal.
- Paid • Proprietary
Related news
External links
- Latest Nintendo Direct reveals Nintendo Switch games, Virtual Game Cards and a new smart device app Nintendo Today!Nintendo Official Site • Official source
- Nintendo’s new system for sharing digital Switch games, explainedArs Technica
- Nintendo unveils Virtual Game Cards that'll let you share your digital Switch and Switch 2 gamesEurogamer
- Nintendo announces Virtual Game Cards, a new kind of digital gamesPolygon
Comments
Their next move is likely fully locked down DRM so you can't loan or resell games without their control.
Yeah, they basically made their DRM slightly more flexible so you are ready to abandon physical games after the switch 2.
It's cool, but they should let us take the games inside the cartridges and save it on a storage system, but Nintendo doesn't want that since they want to capitalize nostalgia. Emulators can be your choice despite being piracy, but the loophole is that the code has to be original to bypass the copyright, unless it's a patent copyright. Like, the fact that emulators can fix a lot of the limitations of the hardware tells me something about piracy being a middle ground of illegal but reasonable way to preserve games.
Emulator is NOT piracy. It's a dangerous shortcut to make. It's like saying PC gaming is piracy, it is not! Yes PC gamers can more easily pirate their games if they want to but that doesn't mean that the whole PC gaming is piracy. Same works for emulator, piracy is simply the easier way for many people that do have (or had) legal copies of their SNES, GC, PS1 or PS2 etc... They simply don't have the time, the CD is unusable, the cartridge has been lost, or the technical knowledge to dump their copies. But yeah there is also people that want to try old games and don't feel like buying old hardware and physical copy on second hand at full price, cuz this shit is getting expensive. There is also many people that yes, pirate games and use emulator. The reality is that you can't stop them, piracy won't kill Nintendo and Nintendo won't kill piracy.