Typically, when I think about the Age of Digital Games, I think of the things we lose in the transition away from physical media. I think about the permanency and sense of ownership in a physical game collection, I think about the “plug and play” nature of a cartridge. But most of all, I think of the ease and simplicity of popping a game into whatever console is closest to hand, or handing it to a friend to play on theirs – anyone remember this infamous PlayStation instructional video?
As it turns out, Nintendo has been thinking about those last points, as well. Because, as announced in last night’s Nintendo Direct, it’s introducing something called Virtual Game Cards in a Switch console update next month.
In a move that could only come from a company that’s been singlehandedly keeping the cartridge manufacturing industry afloat all these years, Virtual Game Cards are exactly what they sound like. As of its introduction, when you buy a digital Switch (or Switch 2) game, it’ll now come as a digital representations of an actual game card, and one that comes with a couple of important benefits of the real thing.
Nintendo’s announcement started off on a confusing note, as it described the way that Virtual Game Cards would allow Switch owners to easily transfer their purchased digital games between two machines. Currently, it’s already possible to share your digital game library between multiple machines just by signing into your account on both and making use of cloud saves with Nintendo Switch Online, so what’s the difference?
For the most part, it’s a logistical change. The idea of “ejecting” a Virtual Game Card and then “loading” it into another console looks toward changing how we think about our digital games and our access to them, positioning them as more material and portable. New in this system though, will be the ability to play transferred games offline on either console, where previously if you were accessing your games from a secondary Switch you’d need a constant connection – you’ll just need to be online to make the swap.
It’s kind of a semantic thing, too. I’m fine with the existing system of simply having access to all of the games attached to my account to download and play on a second machine, but I do quite enjoy the simulated act of popping my digital game cards in and out.
The other big benefit here is how this system interacts with your Nintendo Account Family Group. You’ll now be able to “lend” your digital game cards to folks in your Family Group, via a local wireless connection. Again, you can already share digital games between Family Group members but once again this system seemingly removes the always-online requirement and won’t even require having your account details on their console. Games shared this way are a 14-day loan, at which point the Virtual Game Card will simply be returned to its owner.
It’s worth noting that all of this is marked as “optional” in Nintendo’s documentation, so there shouldn’t be any changes to how digital libraries are accessed on a Switch console right now, this is just an additional and slightly more fun and approachable method. Importantly, it’s one that shows Nintendo is thinking differently when it comes to the eventual advent of a digital-only future, and in what looks like the right direction.
Time will tell how well this all works, once the update arrives later in April, but for now it’s a neat new idea.
What do you think of these Virtual Game Cards? Are you likely to make use of this feature? Let us know in the comments below or over on social media.
Kieron's been gaming ever since he could first speak the words "Blast Processing" and hasn't lost his love for platformers and JRPGs since. A connoisseur of avant-garde indie experiences and underground cult classics, Kieron is a devout worshipper at the churches of Double Fine and Annapurna Interactive, to drop just a couple of names.
