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Nintendo details how physical games bigger than 32GB will work on Switch

This never happened. You can still download games.

Isn't it misleading to say "microSD card required" ? What if you have enough internal space left?



You would have ended up with 64GB and a more expensive Switch.

Nintendo could have released more than one version of the Nintendo Switch, one with 32GB and another with 64GB or more. Some people may be willing to buy one with more internal storage even though SD cards are an option.

If this game is 25GB It would be much more convenient for the players if it released on a cartridge that can contain the whole game.
 

theWB27

Member
Yes....and? You are not downloading the entire game.

Im guessing folks own more than one game. Switch doesn't have enough memory for current gaming standards and requiring switch owners to have to buy extra memory on top of games because of that in 2017 is questionable at best. For a home console.
 

scharlie

Neo Member
I really like physical media, but I'm going mostly digital only on the Switch because physical games are more expensive in my country and the game cards are read-only.

In the future, I would like to be able to create my own Switch cartridges containing the base game and all additional content (save data, patches, DLCs). Do you think this will be possible?
 
Im guessing folks own more than one game. Switch doesn't have enough memory for current gaming standards and requiring switch owners to have to buy extra memory on top of games because of that in 2017 is questionable at best. For a home console.

That's the point though. It's not REQUIRING anything. If you don't have 9GB space left internally, do what you do on PC or other consoles. Delete something. You have that option.

Please understand I am not defending anything here, I'm just saying I don't see why even the boxart talks about the SD card being required, when even the wording from Nintendo says that you "may need" one.

As for the memory constraint, I honestly don't see what alternative they had. 64GB still wouldn't be enough to many people. And it would increase the cost of the system. Leaving it up to the user to expand the storage is the best solution in my opinion.
 

D.Lo

Member
Switch has 32GB game cards.

Switch has 25GB of usable internal storage.

So the only way you can ever 100% NEED an SD card if if the game is over 57GB.

Ja?
 
Nintendo could have released more than one version of the Nintendo Switch, one with 32GB and another with 64GB or more. Some people may be willing to buy one with more internal storage.

I mean, sure, Nintendo could have gone that route.

Or if a user wants 64 GB of storage, they could buy a Switch and a 32 GB card for 13 dollars.

I feel that making microSD the memory card format for the Switch renders a lot of these onboard storage issues as mostly meaningless. And the only way we'd be getting very large physical media sizes for games at this stage in the Switch's life is if it used an optical format, which would clearly make no sense for this type of device.

Larger cartridges will come once the cost to produce them is lower.
 
Switch has 32GB game cards.

Switch has 25GB of usable internal storage.

So the only way you can ever 100% NEED an SD card if if the game is over 57GB.

Ja?

But still, publishers are not using the 32GB card if what we are hearing in this thread is to be believed. The game is apparently 25GB.
 

ASaiyan

Banned
Is it too much to make cards larger than 32gigs?
Considering even dual-layer Blu-Rays are only 50GB, and the form factor of a Switch cart is way smaller, 32GB is actually pretty impressive, lol. This particular case is not even a matter of the maximum size being insufficient (2K18 is reportedly ~25GB), but of 2K choosing an even smaller cart to save money, since the high-capacity cartridge media costs more than Blu-Ray discs. A bizarre solution imo, but if the alternative was to charge $70 for the Switch version to the other versions' $60, I guess I'd prefer to just download the remaining 9 gigs.

The only time storage ever becomes an issue for me is when devs try and push out finished games at disgustingly bloated and unoptimized file sizes and get away with it. Asking me to install 80GB for DOOM and 100GB for Forza 7
You can't just make a separate version without the 4K textures? Too much work for ya?
when the base hard drive size is still 500GB is absolutely absurd. The Switch may have absurdly low internal storage, but microSD cards are pretty cheap, and no physical (or even download) game I know of has pulled this kind of bullshit on there so far.
 

KingBroly

Banned
Switch has 32GB game cards.

Switch has 25GB of usable internal storage.

So the only way you can ever 100% NEED an SD card if if the game is over 57GB.

Ja?

Patches and DLC

But I think them announcing this now means they know something in the pipeline is coming that might need it.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Switch has 32GB game cards.

Switch has 25GB of usable internal storage.

So the only way you can ever 100% NEED an SD card if if the game is over 57GB.

Ja?

Well, if you intend on buying both this and WWE, you'll probably run out of space and need an SD card.
 

theWB27

Member
That's the point though. It's not REQUIRING anything. If you don't have 9GB space left internally, do what you do on PC or other consoles. Delete something. You have that option.

Please understand I am not defending anything here, I'm just saying I don't see why even the boxart talks about the SD card being required, when even the wording from Nintendo says that you "may need" one.

As for the memory constraint, I honestly don't see what alternative they had. 64GB still wouldn't be enough to many people. And it would increase the cost of the system. Leaving it up to the user to expand the storage is the best solution in my opinion.

But on pc and other consoles ( that you can get cheaper or comparative price at least on consoles) allow you to download more than one game before you need to start worrying about deleting anything.

Im sure you can see the difference in mileage between these memory solutions between other consoles and pc.

The conversion shouldn't be at this low a gig for something marketed as a home console.
 
It really shouldn't be acceptable that Nintendo requires you to buy extra memory along with a game. I mean damn...it's a home console.
Please stop this. It's a hybrid device, Nintendo made the best decision with what they had. I mean Yea they could've put more storage in the switch but that would've driven up cost.
 
Pure handheld. No dock. Spend that money on more internal storage.

The ONLY option wasn't just a more expensive switch.

The increase in cost from additional storage would have been greater than the cost of the dock and would have been going from 32GB to 64 GB. NAND memory for SoC is not cheap right now.
 
But on pc and other consoles ( that you can get cheaper or comparative price at least on consoles) allow you to download more than one game before you need to start worrying about deleting anything.

Im sure you can see the difference in mileage between these memory solutions between other consoles and pc.

The conversion shouldn't be at this low a gig for something marketed as a home console.

Of course, see my last sentence. You also have to remember that the other consoles need all that space because you have to install every single game. You don't do this on Switch.

And it's not marketed as a home console. It's marketed as both, and if anything, we see it more as a handheld/tabletop device than anything in the marketing.

Wait

So 2K chose a cart smaller than 32gb for its game to cut costs? Am I understanding that right?

Seems so.
 

theWB27

Member
Please stop this. It's a hybrid device, Nintendo made the best decision with what they had. I mean Yea they could've put more storage in the switch but that would've driven up cost.

The alternative memory solution is still driving up costs.

@above

I see plenty of gaffers state they never undock. This is a consoles also as Nintendo has stated the switch doesn't take the place of their next handheld.
 

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
when i get a switch, i wont be buying games that do this. i can only hope that sony puts HDBR discs as a priority for PS5 because i don't want what the XB1X and switch do to become standard just to play games. that's halfway to always online
 

Kureransu

Member
Nintendo did do this with Xenxoblade X. The texture packs and the like were separate downloads because it couldn't all fit on the disc. I expect something similar for XBC 2.

Although it's a bit annoying, It's nothing different than what we get with the standalone boxes these days anyway.

when i get a switch, i wont be buying games that do this. i can only hope that sony puts HDBR discs as a priority for PS5 because i don't want what the XB1X and switch do to become standard just to play games. that's halfway to always online

I wouldn't call a 1 time Download halfway to always online, that's a bit of a stretch there.
 

jrcbandit

Member
Isn't the problem that 2K games decided to cheap out and go with a 16GB cartridge instead of a 32gb one that could hold all of NBA 2k18?
 

D.Lo

Member
Well, if you intend on buying both this and WWE, you'll probably run out of space and need an SD card.
So the case should say 'if you buy both this and WWE, you'll probably need an SD card'.

A new Switch buyer who buys only this game does not need an SD card.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
But on pc and other consoles ( that you can get cheaper or comparative price at least on consoles) allow you to download more than one game before you need to start worrying about deleting anything.

Im sure you can see the difference in mileage between these memory solutions between other consoles and pc.

The conversion shouldn't be at this low a gig for something marketed as a home console.

I don't know if Nintendo's completely oblivious to the sizes of modern games or what, but Switch isn't prepared to handle big AAA third party releases. 25GB of useable storage is ok for mobile phones, not game consoles.
 

Atheerios

Member
Nintendo did do this with Xenxoblade X. The texture packs and the like were separate downloads because it couldn't all fit on the disc. I expect something similar for XBC 2.

Not really. The download packs were just to make loading times smaller, they were completely optional.
 
But on pc and other consoles ( that you can get cheaper or comparative price at least on consoles) allow you to download more than one game before you need to start worrying about deleting anything.

Im sure you can see the difference in mileage between these memory solutions between other consoles and pc.

The conversion shouldn't be at this low a gig for something marketed as a home console.

This is a hybrid. It honestly doesn't matter how Nintendo markets the device. It inherently cannot offer the same solutions as a PC or traditional home console.

Now, Nintendo should offer the option to connect a hard drive when docked, but even if they give users the ability to do so in the future, that doesn't take away from the fact that you cannot directly compare the Switch's memory situation to that of other stationary devices.

Wii U offering only 32 GB out of the box was pretty lame (and you couldn't expand the memory with SD cards), but the Switch is not the same type of device.
 
I don't know if Nintendo's completely oblivious to the sizes of modern games or what, but Switch isn't prepared to handle big AAA third party releases. 25GB of useable storage is ok for mobile phones, not game consoles.

What's the alternative though? More memory = higher price.

And again, you don't have to install every Switch game like you on Xbox One and PS4.

Publishers aren't even using the full size game cards currently available.

Wii U offering only 32 GB out of the box was pretty lame (and you couldn't expand the memory with SD cards), but the Switch is not the same type of device.

It's like people forget this thing is essentially a small tablet.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
So the case should say 'if you buy both this and WWE, you'll probably need an SD card'.

A new Switch buyer who buys only this game does not need an SD card.

Just leave the warning off the case and let Switch owners find out for themselves when they buy more then one big AAA third party release.
 
The alternative memory solution is still driving up costs.

@above

I see plenty of gaffers state they never undock. This is a consoles also as Nintendo has stated the switch doesn't take the place of their next handheld.
So because some gaffers play it docked means that's the only way to use the device? I play it in mainly portable mode does that mean it's only a portable?
 
I mean, sure, Nintendo could have gone that route.

Or if a user wants 64 GB of storage, they could buy a Switch and a 32 GB card for 13 dollars.

I feel that making microSD the memory card format for the Switch renders a lot of these onboard storage issues as mostly meaningless. And the only way we'd be getting very large physical media sizes for games at this stage in the Switch's life is if it used an optical format, which would clearly make no sense for this type of device.

Larger cartridges will come once the cost to produce them is lower.

I think they made a good compromise with the 32GB of storage, hopefully the 32GB cartridges aren't too far out.
 

D.Lo

Member
Just leave the warning off the case and let Switch owners find out for themselves when they buy more then one big AAA third party release.
I was obviously being sarcastic, but it should really say:

"You may need a micro SD card to access all features of this game if you do not have enough spare internal storage".
 

EmiPrime

Member
I got a feeling the Switch's servers will likely be part of a larger ecosystem that'll survive a bit better than Wii and Wii U.

It's likely it will but I take nothing on faith when it comes to online and Nintendo. All my Switch games are physical and a game will have to be exclusive and exceptional for me to buy it if it requires a download because the publisher (understandably maybe) didn't want to absorb the cost of a bigger cartridge.
 
I think they made a good compromise with the 32GB of storage, hopefully the 32GB cartridges aren't too far out.

They exist now, but most publishers aren't willing to eat the extra costs or pass them onto consumers (a $70-$80 Switch game would bomb in the marketplace), so they're opting for 16 GB cards or lower. Once costs come down, more pubs should be willing to go with the larger cart.
 

theWB27

Member
So because some gaffers play it docked means that's the only way to use the device? I play it in mainly portable mode does that mean it's only a portable?

Because some gaffers and other switch owners play it primarily in a way that Nintendo engineered it means they should have a solution for those customers.

This is a hybrid. It honestly doesn't matter how Nintendo markets the device. It inherently cannot offer the same solutions as a PC or traditional home console.

Now, Nintendo should offer the option to connect a hard drive when docked, but even if they give users the ability to do so in the future, that doesn't take away from the fact that you cannot directly compare the Switch's memory situation to that of other stationary devices.

Wii U offering only 32 GB out of the box was pretty lame (and you couldn't expand the memory with SD cards), but the Switch is not the same type of device.

I'm pointing out how Nintendo doesn't have a solution for people who need more storage other than buy more storage that may need to be expanded again with your next games purchase.

I don't know if Nintendo's completely oblivious to the sizes of modern games or what, but Switch isn't prepared to handle big AAA third party releases. 25GB of useable storage is ok for mobile phones, not game consoles.

Which is a major problem.

It's literally a problem that cannot be completely avoided with this type of device (hard drive support while docked only puts a small bandage around the issue). So, unless you just want the Switch to cease being a hybrid, it's something that will simply continue existing as a problem until larger carts become cheaper to produce.

That bandage is better than what's in the OP.
 
Which is a major problem.

It's literally a problem that cannot be completely avoided with this type of device (hard drive support while docked only puts a small bandage around the issue). So, unless you just want the Switch to cease being a hybrid, it's something that will simply continue existing as a problem until larger carts become cheaper to produce.
 
32GB cards are available now. DQHI&II shipped on one.

Oh really? That's cool, I didn't know there was already games which uses those cartridges.

They exist now, but most publishers aren't willing to eat the extra costs or pass them onto consumers (a $70-$80 Switch game would bomb in the marketplace), so they're opting for 16 GB cards or lower. Once costs come down, more pubs should be willing to go with the larger cart.

Hmm, I wonder why Dragon Quest Heroes 1 and 2 are only available in Japan on Switch, could it be due to the production costs? It seems kind of weird to me because the game is available on the PC and PS4 outside of Japan.
 
Hmm, I wonder why Dragon Quest Heroes 1 and 2 are only available in Japan on Switch, could it be due to the production costs? It seems kind of weird to me because the game is available on the PC and PS4 outside of Japan.

It's apparently a pretty bad port. Wouldn't surprise me if Square Enix (or Nintendo, who tends to publish DQ games on their platforms outside of Japan) decided it wasn't worth bringing to the west, as it likely wouldn't have sold very well.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
What's the alternative though? More memory = higher price.

And again, you don't have to install every Switch game like you on Xbox One and PS4.

Publishers aren't even using the full size game cards currently available.



It's like people forget this thing is essentially a small tablet.

That's the downside to cartridges. Bigger carts means bigger prices.

The sooner the bigger cards come down in price the better. Especially if Switch is expected to receive AAA PS4/Xbox multiplats.
 
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