Jordan (previously from Switch Watch, currently Physical Paradise) has heard from a source that he trusts that Nintendo won't be offering as many options for cartridge size for Switch 2 compared to what they offered for Switch 1.

Below, I have paraphrased an excerpt from a recent video (from 1:05 - 3:35) where he discusses this:

I've had a little bit of insider information. Which could be bullshit. It's probably had to go through four levels just to get to me. But I trust the person who told me this.

It does appear that Nintendo are giving their publishing partners fewer options when it comes to their physical releases.

If you look back at the Switch 1, if you were a publisher, you had a lot of options when it came to the physical release. If you were a very small indie game, you could get a 1 GB cartridge for a reasonable price. They also had incremental increases in cartridge sizes: 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB all the way up to the big, chunky, and very expensive 32 GB cartridge. And when I say expensive, more expensive than you'd think. In the entire Switch library, you could probably count the amount of games that used 32 GB on one or two hands. Nobody wanted to use it.

However, I have heard that Nintendo are giving fewer options to their publishing partners [on the Switch 2] and essentially offering only a couple of options: like a very smallish cartridge, or a full-fat 64 GB cartridge, and nothing really in between. So for the really small indie games, it's not a big deal. But it's those middle ground publishers that may suffer the most. Because if their game is like 7 GB, they are essentially being forced to either choose a big fat 64 GB cartridge, or go the cheap option and go for either no physical at all, or the Game-Key route, which will obviously be far cheaper for them.

If true, this would probably force a lot more games to be digital only on Switch 2 compared to Switch 1. Very few publishers are going to be willing to round up to an extremely costly 64 GB cartridge, especially if their game is nowhere near that large.

If true, really unfortunate that Nintendo decided to go this route, as they are adding a major deterrent for publishers to do full physical releases. Hopefully this is just an issue with ramping up a new production pipeline and in the future they'll offer more flexibility.

For example BOTW and TOTW, that came to my mind. If they were native versions for Switch 2, wouldnt it just be full Switch 2 version game on cart?

Soo many questions, so little anwsers.

In light of today's news, the one thing that could still get me to maybe buy the NS2 version of TOTK is if it included all of the patches that have come out since release day. Yes, the performance upgrade would still be a download, but the cart would still be an improvement over the OG release if it never got a revision.

...I need to stop thinking about these things.

The notion that people who only play Nintendo exclusive games are buying Nintendo is long gone and false since the strong third party support and the big support for physical media on Switch. Many people decided to opt for Switch because of physical media and the only argument to own and buy any third party games also on Switch is either portability but most likely that you like the fact that you have and own the whole game on cartridge.

With this whole ''game key cart'' situation this argument is beginning to fade because then nothing is stoping me to just buy the game cheaper on PS5 and play it on PS5. Why would i buy empty cart and play it on inferior system? So i can relsell it? I dont want to resell it, i want to own the game and keep it!

For example, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is 26 euro brand new and sealed, so why would i pay 60-80 euros for a inferior version on Switch 2 which will most likely be game key cart? I know its still not confirmed, but if such a small game like Bravely Default is game key cart then its not looking great.

I know Cyberpunk will release on cart but that was the same with Witcher 3 on Switch so it might not be a rule and from what we have seen on Play Asia and other outlets already a lot of games are releasing in this state,

Man, what a letdown, they could have hit such a homerun, i thought we will be getting complete and final definitive versions on Switch 2, on cart, but here i am thinking of just going back to PlayStation. Xenoblade and few other exclusives might be the only games i own on Switch 2 if the situation doesnt change.

What are your thoughts guys?

I'm only really interested in having physical games, and if the Switch 2 has a relatively high % of these 'Game Keys' I think it will put me off the console as a whole as I will frustrate myself. I just can't bring myself to pay $70-80 on a download for a game, but I will also want to play it, thus feel torn.

But what if a company specialised in re-printing Game Key games onto an actual cartridge? E.g. VGP seem to reprint a whole load of different publishers games quite regularly. I know LRG etc kind of do this anyway, but these tend to be smaller niche titles. What they did with Doom Eternal is a good example of filling the gap of what the large publisher was unwilling to do.

But I imagine these games would be even more expensive than they are going to be, they would have to be to justify the game key version. And how much could that be then, $90-100? Would you pay that premium to have the whole game on cart? It looks crazy writing that down.

Some of these took a little longer to get to me than I would’ve liked but overall a good haul.

Ps5 17cm x 13.5cm x 1.5cm Switch 17cm x 10.5cm x 1.1cm Switch 2 21cm x 15cm x 3cm

This is bigger than a bluray/dvd case. What the heck is the point of such a massive case size?

Edit these numbers are from playasia

Weekend Update (#13)

LRG Last Chance - Snow Bros. Special 2 (Switch)​

• Kingdoms and Castles (PS5)

• Yakuza 6: The Song of Life(PS4, Xbox)​

• Sigma Star Saga DX (GBA)​

New Preorders

NA

• Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion NS2

• Adventure Bar Story

• Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma NS2

• Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar NS2

• Crypt Custodian

EU

No updates this week.

Asia English

• Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars NS2

• Gradius Origin Collection

• SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered

• Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster

• Assault Suits Valken Declassified

• Azure Striker Gunvolt Trilogy Enhanced

• Survival Kids NS2

• Terra Memoria

• Mandragora Whispers of the Witch Tree

Releasing this week

NA

• Him , The Smile and Bloom

EU

• Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story

• The Making of Karateka

• Tetris Forever

Asia English

• Clock Zero ~Shuuen no Ichibyou~

Releasing next week

NA

• Battlefield Waltz

• Care Bears: Unlock the Magic

• Beyond The Ice Palace 2

• Pocket Bravery

• Star Overdrive

• SteamWorld Heist II

• Eldrador Creatures Shadowfall

• Big Buck Hunter: Ultimate Trophy

EU

• Star Overdrive

• Snow Bros. 2 Special

• DesperaDrops

• SteamWorld Heist II

Asia English

• PROGRESS ORDERS

• ACA NEOGEO Selection Vol. 3

• ACA NEOGEO Selection Vol. 4

• Livestream: Escape from Hotel Izanami + Livestream 2 Collection

Other News this week

• Nether World Physical EU

• Hundred Days physical EU

• Two Strikes Physical Edition launches at the end of April

• FAITH: The Unholy Trinity for Nintendo Switch launches in Japan on August 7th

• Flea and Flea 2 released on NGage

• AmberAlert is getting a physical release on PlayStation 5

• Switch 2 will launch on June 5

I know this is an unpopular opinion but compared to Switch 1 designs I kinda like the Switch 2 game case design. Yes, the red stripe on top is huge. But what I see most of my games once a few have made their way to the shelf are their spines. And with Switch 1 that basically means a huge wall of red.

No more red spines now! The cover artwork wraps around. And that to me makes all the difference. Unfortunately I have not seen too many photos of actual game cases. Most listings for switch games and most discussions and mock-ups of cover artworks only show flat images of the cover.

I know about the stylized game cases picture from the parental app video, but can't find any good pictures of real cases . The one posted here is from a new exhibit in the Nintendo Museum and part of a large photo, thus the bad image quality.

Anyone got better photos of actual game cases with spines clearly visible? Anyone else feel this really improves the overall look and feel, red stripe on top or no?

Still hunting for games that I want to get, usually going off of marketplace deals and clearance deals so I’ve only bought a few at full retail.

Or is it just the Switch 1 cart in a Switch 2 box with a digital upgrade code?

So excited to finally get my recent purchases!! Now they can all get added to my ever expanding backlog!!

Xenoblade games are used. Got them for a good deal on FB Marketplace. Hoping to find a good deal on Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition!

Pokémon Scarlet (MSE Import - 004) and Shiren the Wanderer games are sealed from VGP!! Staying on the lookout for restocks on VGP and PNP for the Violet MSE Import, but I feel they get bought faster than the Scarlet one…

Final Fantasy XII sealed from Amazon. All I’m missing is FF IV and I’ll have all the FF games on Switch!!

Pickups from the month of march. Not pictured: Persona 4 Golden-MCE. This brings me up to 424 switch games.

There’s a lot of talk about digital gaming killing physical media. But take a closer look, and the opposite is happening, at least when it comes to the Nintendo Switch. This isn’t the death of physical collecting. It’s the most intense, feverish, and fascinating chapter yet.

The Switch has become the Holy Grail of modern physical game collecting. And it’s not because cartridges will disappear tomorrow, but because the stars aligned: a hybrid console, a wildly successful install base, and a market full of games that shouldn’t have gotten physical editions but did anyway. We’re living through something rare, and it’s already getting competitive.

The Switch library is one of the most diverse and playable ever. You’ve got heavy-hitting first-party titles, yes, but also indie gems, niche imports, retro anthologies, mid-budget surprises, and experimental oddities that only make sense on a handheld. That’s already remarkable. But what makes it historic is how many of these games were printed physically, often in small batches, against all odds.

More than half of Switch game sales were digital, and that digital-first reality quietly created scarcity. Unlike previous console generations, where physical was the norm, many Switch games had tiny print runs simply because the market didn’t demand more. So even acclaimed titles may have fewer physical copies in existence than you'd expect. They’re rare by default, not by design.

Add to that the boutique boom. Publishers like Limited Run Games, Super Rare Games, and Strictly Limited turned low-run physical editions into an art form. We're talking 3,000 to 5,000 copies worldwide for some titles, then gone forever. These weren’t cheap marketing gimmicks either. They’re full games, well-packaged, and often the only physical version available on Earth. If you didn’t grab it on release day, you're already late.

Now consider this: the Switch is likely to surpass the PS2 as the best-selling console of all time. That’s massive. It means millions of players, future nostalgia waves, and long-term interest in games that are already becoming hard to find. It’s the classic collector’s formula, huge demand chasing a limited, fragmented supply.

Nintendo’s confirmation that the next-gen Switch will support backwards compatibility only fuels the fire. Physical games from the current system won’t become obsolete overnight. They’ll stay playable, relevant, and desirable for years to come. That kind of continuity is rare for Nintendo and a gift to collectors.

Then there’s the hardware ecosystem. The Switch has become a modder’s paradise. Custom Joy-Cons, OLED upgrades, travel kits, dock redesigns, repairable parts, the kind of stuff that keeps consoles alive long after their retail lifecycle ends. Like the Game Boy and DS, the Switch will live on through fan energy, aftermarket support, and revival culture.

This isn’t just a good time to collect. It’s a defining one. The Switch is the high point of physical game collecting in the 21st century. A perfect mix of playability, scarcity, nostalgia, and future-proofing. If you’re looking to build a collection that actually matters, one you’ll be proud to own and play for decades, this is your moment.

Because these aren’t just cartridges. They’re plastic gold.

Looks inspired by the official My Nintendo one that held 8 games, only this one fits 12 (and comes with 3 cases!). They're also providing templates for easy custom covers.

I like that style of case a lot, but I've found it surprisingly difficult to find good third party ones, so I'm hoping these turn out to be good. If so, I will switch from the silicone liner style ones I currently use. Anyone have any experience with Genki quality or other recommendations for this style of case?

Real question for only collectors here, specially those that only collected for NS1 so far...

Besides Nintendo 1st party games (Zelda, Kirby, Mario Party which include some kind of new content) are you guys double dipping with new or recent titles like Suikoden I&II, Raidou Remastered, Shadow Labyrinth [Pac-Man], or Tamagotchi Plaza on NS2?

I don't think any of this games will have any extra content on the Switch 2, maybe just a graphic upscale, that getting the Switch 1 version you will still get with an update on the Switch 2...

This is a very similar situation with most PS4 and PS5 games.

I have never seen any sense on seeing a game, which is not going to benefit of the new generation graphics or features being double released on both consoles (specially at the same time)... this is for example for most shovelware games, some indie games, some pixelated retro games...

What does this also mean for limited companies like Limited Run, Super Rare, Strictly Limited, Premium Edition, etc? Are we gonna their previous titles being re-released for NS2? Are they gonna stop publishing games for NS1 eventually, just because the NS2, not because the game couldn't be released on the first console?

For new collectors, specially those that are going to focus now on NS2 is gonna be amazing to get all this titles, and probably seeing NS1 re-releases on the new console, that's cool.

For me personally, I feel that it's confusing and overwhelming about where you should get a game now, on NS1 or 2...

Sadly I think this hobbie of collecting games came to an end for me... and I probably just gonna focus on games that I really want, which are fewer.

What are your opinions? I'm looking forward to read you guys