Nintendo is paving the way for the Switch 2
The biggest news at Nintendo’s March Direct showcase was a software update. Mixed in amongst a trailer for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and the surprise reveal of a mobile news app, the company also announced what it calls “virtual game cards.†They’re billed as a lending system that makes it relatively straightforward to share digital games between devices. But really, they’re a tool that could make the transition to the Switch 2 later this year much easier.
As Nintendo explains it, these virtual cards work a lot like physical cartridges. You can “eject†a game from one device and then load it onto another, so long as the second Switch is tied to your account or a member of your family plan. Digital games “can also be lent to a Nintendo Account family group member’s system via local wireless connection,†and they’ll be able to play the game for two weeks before it’s automatically returned to you.
It’s an extremely Nintendo feature, in that it’s a playful attempt at bringing traditional physical game features into the digital realm, and that it also has some caveats, like the limited two week period, which is nowhere near enough time to make a dent in Tear …